New collaboration to support TB and respiratory care

Photo from the second in person ITARA Investigators meeting in Arusha, Tanzania, bringing together colleagues from UoL, KIDH, KEMRI, Imperial College London, Warwick University, as well as local community partners (Mkuta, NCD Alliance) and PHC leaders. Over five days, they met with study teams and visited local health facilities supporting the ITARA clinical study.

We’re delighted to share that Worldwide Radiology is now partnering with Imperial College London on the ITARA Study: Developing pathways to Integrated TB and Respiratory care in Africa.

The collaboration officially began this month and will run until October 2026.

Co-led by Dr Jamilah Meghji at Imperial’s National Heart and Lung Institute, and Professor Jeremiah Chakaya at the Kenya Medical Research Institute, the ITARA programme is a four-year NIHR-funded study looking at how to better integrate tuberculosis (TB) and respiratory care in Tanzania, Kenya, and Nigeria.

“The ITARA programme is committed to developing person-centred approaches to the diagnosis and care of people with respiratory diseases, in urban African settings. Lung diseases are so often neglected, but have a significant impact on people’s lives and livelihoods. We are convinced that more can be done to improve care, and are delighted to be working with the WWR team on this important project!” - Dr Jamilah Meghji, Project Co-Lead

In many parts of Africa, TB and other respiratory diseases share the same risk factors and symptoms: poverty, occupational exposure, and smoking among them. Yet services for TB and broader respiratory care are often delivered separately. The ITARA study aims to understand why that is so and to find practical, person-centred ways to bring them together.

Kaloleni PHC facility in Arusha, Tanzania

As part of this partnership, Worldwide Radiology will contribute expert radiology input through interpretation of chest X-rays from study participants. Two consultant radiologists from our network will provide readings and reports to help the research team build a clearer picture of lung health among patients enrolled in the study.

“It’s great to see research collaborations like ITARA looking not just at TB in isolation, but at how we can better integrate respiratory care across health systems. Our role is a small but important piece of that bigger picture,” - Dr Liz Joekes, Co-Founder and Director at Worldwide Radiology

This work will help strengthen understanding of the links between tuberculosis, chronic lung disease, and post-TB lung damage, a growing area of focus in global health.

The study is fully funded through an NIHR research grant awarded to Imperial, and Worldwide Radiology’s contribution forms part of the study’s core research activities.

"The ITARA project is shedding light on the critical link between tuberculosis (TB) and chronic respiratory disease (CRD). This transdisciplinary research initiative aims to develop a practical framework for integrating TB and CRD care - an urgent and long-neglected need in health systems". - Prof. Jeremiah Chakaya, Project - Co-Lead

The study will run until June 2028, with results expected to inform new frameworks for integrated respiratory and TB care across sub-Saharan Africa.

We’re proud to be part of this important work and look forward to sharing updates as it develops.