Idu Meadows, MD
Idu Meadows, MD, a second-year Infectious Diseases fellow, collaborated with researchers at Kibong’oto Infectious Diseases Hospital in Tanzania’s Kilimanjaro region to investigate disability following tuberculosis treatment. More than 9 million people survive tuberculosis every year, but the majority suffer some form of long-term disability. Dr. Meadows and her collaborators found among adults with moderate to severe respiratory symptoms post-TB cure, that a TB-survivor led pulmonary rehabilitation program improved walking distance and respiratory quality of life sustained over 24 weeks, the first of its kind to do so.
Dr. Meadows worked as a respiratory therapist prior to starting medical school and now bridges expertise in pulmonary and infectious diseases medicine. She is currently mentored by Scott Heysell, MD, faculty in Infectious Diseases and Director of UVA’s Center for Global Health Equity, and Professor Stellah Mpagama, MD, PhD, Director of Research and Training from Kibong’oto Infectious Diseases Hospital. Dr. Meadows ultimately plans for an academic position where she can practice Critical Care and Infectious Diseases and continue her tuberculosis research.
The current work was supported by the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation, a NIH training grant for Tanzanian post-doctoral scientists (D43 TW012247 to Drs. Heysell and Mpagama) and NIH training grant for UVA pre and postdoctoral trainees (T32 AI007046 to Drs. Petri and Criss). The study was published in the June edition of Public Health Action with Dr. Meadows and F.J. Mtei sharing first authorship.
Filed Under: Research