The TBPod

Episodes

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  Protecting Mothers and Infants: Dr Jyoti Mathad on TB During Pregnancy 28.10.2026 40m

  Dr Alice Sawka, adult respiratory and TB physician in Adelaide, is joined by Dr Jyoti S. Mathad, Associate Professor of Medicine and Obstetrics & Gynaecology at Weill Cornell Medicine, to discuss tuberculosis infection, prevention and treatment during pregnancy. They explore the unique immunological changes that occur during pregnancy, why pregnant women are at increased risk of developing TB disease, and the challenges of generating evidence for TB preventive treatment in this population...
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  TB Origins – Dr Victoria Grey on the Rationale for the Duration of Treatment in TB Meningitis 23.09.2026 14m

  Dr Alice Sawka, adult respiratory and TB physician in Adelaide, is joined by Dr Victoria Grey, infectious diseases physician in Brisbane, and Dr Jack Callum, respiratory physician in London, to explore the evidence behind the 12 month treatment duration for TB meningitis. Together, they discuss the limited evidence underpinning current guidelines, the challenges of treating TB within the central nervous system, and emerging research examining whether shorter treatment regimens may be safe and...
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  TB Origins – Dr Alice Sawka: Where Does the 8-Hour Contact Tracing Rule Come From? 25.08.2026 14m

  Dr Alice Sawka is joined by Dr Jack Callum, respiratory physician in London, and Dr Victoria Gray, infectious diseases physician in Brisbane, to explore the origins of the widely used “eight-hour rule” in TB contact tracing. Together, they examine the evidence behind this commonly used threshold, trace its roots to early studies of TB transmission during air travel, and discuss how clinicians and public health teams assess exposure risk. They also explore the practical challenges of contact t...
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  TB Origins – Dr Jack Callum on TB Infection and the Timing of Immunosuppression Commencement 24.07.2026 18m

  Dr Alice Sawka, adult respiratory and TB physician in Adelaide, is joined by Dr Jack Callum, respiratory physician in London, and Dr Victoria Grey, infectious diseases physician in Brisbane, to explore the evidence behind delaying TNF-alpha inhibitor therapy after starting TB preventive treatment. Together, they discuss the risk of TB reactivation with biologic therapies, the origins of current guideline recommendations, and how clinicians balance urgent immunosuppression with TB prevention i...
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  Diagnosing the Invisible: Nurse Courtney Murphy on Paediatric TB Innovation & Care 30.06.2026 16m

  Dr Alice Sawka, adult respiratory and TB physician in Adelaide, is joined by Courtney Murphy, a paediatric specialist TB nurse at Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, to explore the challenges of diagnosing tuberculosis in children. They discuss innovative approaches such as induced sputum, improving diagnostic yield and reducing invasive procedures, and the importance of microbiological confirmation and multidisciplinary care in paediatric TB. Courtney also reflects on introducing new...
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  GIRFT in Action: Dr Martin Allen on Transforming TB Care 22.05.2026 34m

  Dr Martin Allen, Consultant Respiratory Physician at the University Hospital of North Staffordshire and National Clinical Lead for Respiratory Medicine within the GIRFT programme, joins Dr Jack Callum to discuss the development and impact of the GIRFT tuberculosis report across England and Scotland. They explore how data-driven review and peer-led evaluations are uncovering gaps in TB care, from diagnostic delays to workforce challenges, and how these insights are driving local and national i...
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  The People Behind the Numbers: Dr Padmasayee Papineni on TB Care, Stigma & Social Support 21.04.2026 30m

  Dr Padmasayee Papineni, Consultant and Co‑Clinical Director in Infectious Diseases at London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust, joins Dr Jack Callum to discuss the lived experience of tuberculosis care through narrative medicine. The conversation centres on her 2022 Lancet Wakley Prize–winning essay “Directly Observed Therapy,” which follows socially vulnerable patients navigating TB alongside poverty, migration, and precarious housing. Dr Papineni challenges narrow, paternalistic in...
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  Shifting TB Landscapes: Dr Peter MacPherson on HIV–TB Care & Diagnostic Innovation 24.03.2026 29m

  Dr Peter MacPherson, Professor of Global Public Health at the University of Glasgow, joins Dr Jack Callum to discuss his research on HIV–TB care and shifting TB epidemiology. He discusses findings from the SaDAPT trial, showing that same‑day ART initiation for people with HIV and TB symptoms is non‑inferior to waiting for TB results and carries similarly low IRIS risk, supporting flexible, program‑level decision‑making. He also highlights his urban–rural TB prevalence meta‑analysis, revealing...
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  Understanding TBM: Dr Joseph Donovan on Global Challenges, Trials & Critical-Care Needs 20.12.2025 37m

  Dr Joseph Donovan, clinical researcher at OUCRU Vietnam and Associate Research Fellow at the University of Oxford, joins Dr Angus Lane, medical registrar to discuss the global burden and diagnostic challenges of tuberculosis meningitis (TBM). He outlines key findings from major trials in Vietnam and Indonesia, including the ACT HIV trial of adjunctive dexamethasone, discusses global practice guidelines, and highlights existing and emerging evidence on antiretroviral timing, aspirin, and rifam...
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  Advancing TB Research: Dr Jodie Schildkraut & Dr Van Le Hong from Unite4TB 18.11.2025 37m

  Catherine Berry, ACTnet Steering Committee member and ID physician at John Hunter Hospital, Newcastle, was joined by Dr Jodie Schildkraut and Dr Van Le Hong, key researchers in the global Unite4TB consortium, which is accelerating the development of new TB treatments. Dr Schildkraut, based at Radboud University Medical Center, leads the Phase 2B/C clinical trials work package and coordinates across multiple TB consortia. Dr Van Le Hong, a pulmonologist and clinical research fellow at OUCRU Vi...
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  Post-TB Sequelae: Life and Death After TB Treatment - In Discussion with Prof. Nicolas Menzies 02.06.2025 25m

  Associate Professor Nicolas Alan Menzies, from the School of Global Health and Population at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston, Massachusetts, joins Dr Andrew Burke to discuss his research on the contribution of post-TB sequelae to life-years and quality-adjusted life-years lost due to TB disease in the United States. Drawing on data from both U.S. and Brazilian cohorts, he explores how a significant portion of TB’s health burden, including elevated mortality and reduced...
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  CATAPuLT - Can we manage latent TB infection in primary care? 01.03.2025 30m

  Dr Matthew Burman is a TB clinician and researcher from East London, Queen Mary University and the Blizzard Institute. Today he presents the data from the CATAPULT trial which randomised patients to either have their latent TB infection managed by a TB clinic in secondary care, or be managed in primary care by their GP in concert with a community pharmacist. This amazing trial re-evaluates how we think about TB preventative therapy and looks at new ways of approaching the burden of latent TB ...
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  Unlocking GeneXpert: A Deep Dive with Dr Stijn Deborggraeve 01.02.2025 25m

  Dr. Stijn Deborggraeve is the Diagnostics Advisor Infectious Diseases at Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) Access Campaign. In this episode we discussed GeneXpert technology including pricing, logistics, and future developments.
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  Fighting Childhood Tuberculosis: Expert Advice from Dr Graeme Hoddinott 01.01.2025 34m

  Dr Graeme Hoddinott is a Senior Lecturer in Global Health at the University of Sydney. He is also an Extraordinary Associate Professor in paediatrics at Stellenbosch University. Much of his research experience is on tuberculosis, especially among children, adolescents, and their families. In this episode, we explore ground-breaking research on the preferences of children and adolescents in tuberculosis (TB) treatment and management, revealing surprising insights that could lead to bet...
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  Understanding the Patient Tuberculosis Experience with Sarah Bernays 01.12.2024 32m

  Associate Professor Sarah Bernays, co-director of the Masters of Global Health program at the University of Sydney, leads a social science research program focused on community engagement in infectious disease prevention, treatment, and care. Her work emphasizes understanding how individuals, households, and communities respond to health adversity, risk, and vulnerability while fostering resilience and hope. In this episode, we explored the perspectives of tuberculosis patients, the challen...
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  Eradication in Sight? Overcoming Tuberculosis with Guy Marks 01.11.2024 31m

  Professor Guy Marks AO FAHMS is a distinguished respiratory and public health physician and environmental epidemiologist. Currently serving as the President and interim Executive Director of the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (The Union), he has led the Respiratory and Environmental Epidemiology group at the Woolcock Institute since 1997. His research primarily focuses on lung health, with particular emphasis on airway diseases, air pollution, and tuberculosis. Addi...
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  Tuberculosis Trailblazers: Nurses Leading the Fight with Amanda Christensen 01.10.2024 24m

  Amanda Christensen joins us in this month's edition to discuss the critical impact of nurses in the fight against tuberculosis. Amanda is the Executive Director at the Australian Respiratory Council and is deeply experienced in the field of tuberculosis care. We explored the ideal attributes of TB nurses, offering perspectives on tuberculosis both within Australia and across the Pacific. We discussed the importance of patient advocacy, examined the structure and management of TB programs wit...
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  Advancing TB Care: The Statistical Design of Clinical Trials with Patrick Phillips 01.09.2024 36m

  Today we had the pleasure of being joined by Associate Professor Patrick Phillips from the University of California, who is the Co-Director of the UC Tuberculosis Research Advancement Center, Clinical & Population Health Science Core. Patrick has a wealth of statistical experience and specialises in the design, implementation, and optimisation of clinical trials for new treatments for drug-sensitive and drug-resistant tuberculosis. Join us as we explore the rapidly evolving field of TB c...
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  The Trauma of TB Stigma - Lived Experiences with Handaa Enkh Amgalan 01.08.2024 29m

  Handaa Enkh Amgalan is an author, TB advocate and director of QA at the International Rescue Committee in Germany who has not only recently spoken at the UN TB High Level Meeting but also written an incredible memoir of her experience being diagnosed with severe pulmonary tuberculosis as a teenager growing up in Mongolia. Handaa gives an incredible insight into what it means to be diagnosed with such a stigmatising disease as a young woman; how it affect her, her family, and her dreams. This ...
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  Frontiers in Clinical Tuberculosis Microbiology - New TBI Diagnostics with Prof Martineau 01.07.2024 30m

  Professor Adrian Martineau from the Queen Mary University London talks to us about the limitations of current latent TB infection diagnosis and how we can do better. his research into whether we can use fragments of TB DNA found in bone marrow cells to better predict who should be treated with Tuberculosis Preventative Treatment. REFERENCES Martineau, Adrian R., et al. "Towards a molecular microbial blood test for tuberculosis infection." International Journal of Infectious Diseases (2...