Stefanie Knopp, PhD

Steffi Knopp is an epidemiologist with a primary interest in neglected tropical diseases mostly affecting vulnerable population groups in the Global South. Her main areas of research concern the diagnosis, epidemiology and control of helminth infections in Sub-Saharan Africa. Assisting and leading research projects in Africa since 1999, Steffi has a vast experience of working with local teams, project managers and international stakeholders and in implementing large-scale projects, including multidisciplinary operational research studies and randomized clinical trials.

In 2018, Steffi was awarded with a PRIMA grant for excellent female researchers by the Swiss National Science Foundation for a project entitled “The last mile: novel tools and strategies for breaking schistosomiasis transmission”. The project aims to contribute evidence to the feasibility of schistosomiasis elimination, by addressing challenges faced by elimination programs in heterogonous transmission environments. Specifically, the research will evaluate the feasibility and performance of surveillance-response as an intervention to sustain and advance the progress made and to avoid recrudescence of infection in low-prevalence areas on Pemba island, Zanzibar, United Republic of Tanzania. Moreover, remaining hotspots of transmission will be targeted by multidisciplinary interventions, including mass drug administration of praziquantel, snail control, and behavior change interventions. For accurate diagnosis at the point-of-care, novel diagnostic tests will be employed and validated.

Steffi has published more than 70 papers in the international peer-reviewed literature and regularly attends scientific conferences and expert meetings pertaining to the diagnosis, control and elimination of neglected tropical diseases and helminthiases in particular. Her teaching activities include regular lectures at the University of Basel as well as invited trainings and courses at multiple national and international institutions.

Qualifications

2021: Assistant Professorship; University of Basel, Switzerland

2010: PhD in Epidemiology; University of Basel, Switzerland

2005: MSc in Biology (subjects: Parasitology, Microbiology and Medical Virology); University of Tübingen, Germany

Positions

2021-present: Research Group Leader: Helminth Interventions Group; Swiss TPH, Basel, Switzerland

2017-2021: Scientific Project Leader; Swiss TPH, Basel, Switzerland

2013-2016: Postdoctoral Scientist; Natural History Museum, London, United Kingdom

2011-2012: Postdoctoral Scientist; Swiss TPH, Basel, Switzerland

2007-2010: PhD Student; Swiss TPH, Basel, Switzerland

Trippler L, Ali M.N, Ame S.M, Ali S.M, Kabole F, Hattendorf J, Knopp S. GPS-based fine-scale mapping surveys for schistosomiasis assessment: a practical introduction and documentation of field implementation. Infect Dis Poverty. 2022;11:8. DOI: 10.1186/s40249-021-00928-y

Trippler L, Ame S.M, Hattendorf J, Juma S, Abubakar S, Ali S.M, Kabole F, Rollinson D, Knopp S. Impact of seven years of mass drug administration and recrudescence of Schistosoma haematobium infections after one year of treatment gap in Zanzibar: repeated cross-sectional studies. PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2021;15(2):e0009127. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0009127

Trippler L, Hattendorf J, Ali S.M, Ame S.M, Juma S, Kabole F, Knopp S. Novel tools and strategies for breaking schistosomiasis transmission: study protocol for an intervention study. BMC Infect Dis. 2021;21:1024. DOI: 10.1186/s12879-021-06620-8

Knopp S, Ame S.M, Person B, Hattendorf J, Rabone M, Juma S, Muhsin J, Khamis I.S, Hollenberg E, Mohammed K.A, Kabole F, Ali S.M, Rollinson D. A 5-year intervention study on elimination of urogenital schistosomiasis in Zanzibar: parasitological results of annual cross-sectional surveys. PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2019;13(5):e0007268. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0007268

Knopp S, Person B, Ame S.M, Ali S.M, Hattendorf J, Juma S, Muhsin J, Khamis I.S, Mohammed K.A, Utzinger J, Hollenberg E, Kabole F, Rollinson D. Evaluation of integrated interventions layered on mass drug administration for urogenital schistosomiasis elimination: a cluster-randomised trial. Lancet Glob Health. 2019;7(8):e1118-e1129. DOI: 10.1016/S2214-109X(19)30189-5

Person B, Knopp S, Ali S.M, A'Kadir F M, Khamis A.N, Ali J.N, Lymo J.H, Mohammed K.A, Rollinson D. Community co-designed schistosomiasis control interventions for school-aged children in Zanzibar. J Biosoc Sci. 2016;48(Suppl 1):S56-S73. DOI: 10.1017/S0021932016000067

Utzinger J, Becker S.L, van Lieshout L, van Dam G.J, Knopp S. New diagnostic tools in schistosomiasis. Clin Microbiol Infect. 2015;21(6):529-542. DOI: 10.1016/j.cmi.2015.03.014.

Knopp S, Mohammed K.A, Speich B, Hattendorf J, Khamis I.S, Khamis A.N, Stothard J.R, Rollinson D, Marti H, Utzinger J. Albendazole and mebendazole administered alone or in combination with Ivermectin against Trichuris trichiura: a randomized controlled trial. Clin Infect Dis. 2010;51(12):1420-1428. DOI: 10.1086/657310