Dr. Vibol Iem is a Postdoctoral Research Associate at Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM), contributing to the Start4All and Leaving no on-one behind: Gendered pathways to health of TB consortia. He holds a PhD in Clinical Sciences from LSTM and dual master’s degrees in Public Health and Business Administration from Lyon, France.

With over a decade of field experience, primarily in Lao PDR, Dr. Iem has worked extensively to strengthen TB diagnostic systems and healthcare delivery in resource-limited settings. He has held various technical and coordination roles with the World Health Organisation and other global health partners, contributing to TB programme strengthening, laboratory network development, and diagnostic algorithm optimisation.

At LSTM, he serves as the Implementation & Trial Science Lead for the Start4All project, which focuses on evaluating and scaling innovative screening and diagnostic tools for tuberculosis. Within the Leaving no on-one behind: Gendered pathways to health of TB consortium, he investigates how social and gender-related determinants influence access to TB services, with a goal of improving equity in healthcare access.

Trained in both science and management, Dr. Iem brings a unique interdisciplinary approach to advancing global health.

Dr. Iem’s research focuses on improving access to effective TB diagnosis and treatment in low-resource settings. He is particularly focused on optimising diagnostic algorithms, including non-sputum and pooled testing strategies, and ensuring their feasibility, acceptability, and scalability in real-world contexts.

His work also explores the social determinants of health, including gender, stigma, and geography, and their influence on healthcare-seeking behaviour and service uptake. By integrating qualitative and quantitative methods, Dr. Iem investigates how health system design, patient-provider interactions, and community engagement affect diagnostic success.

A strong advocate for equitable health systems, he aims to translate research into practical solutions that enhance diagnostic access and reduce disparities in care delivery. His multidisciplinary approach combines clinical sciences, public health, and operational management to support context-adapted implementation of diagnostic innovations.