MOCRU (Myanmar)

Led by Prof Frank Smithuis, formerly of Médécins sans Frontières (MSF) and later of Medical Action Myanmar (MAM), the Myanmar Oxford Clinical Research Unit (MOCRU) was established in 2013.

Dr Myo Maung Maung Swe participating in outreach activities in Myanmar — MOCRU MD/Researcher Dr Myo Maung Maung Swe at a MAM mother-child clinic

MOCRU has a strong link with Medical Action Myanmar (MAM), a non-governmental organisation with a well-established infrastructure of 10 clinics and 2,000 village health workers spread across the poorest rural areas, which are a valuable resource for future research. The MOCRU admin staff and academic leadership share an office and logistical base in Yangon with MAM.

MOCRU’s current, ongoing research projects are:

Determining predictors of mortality and loss to- follow-up in HIV clinics in Myanmar
A multi-centre observational study to describe the prevalence of scrub typhus defined as a positive rapid diagnostic test among selected patients presenting with fever to clinics in Myanmar
Environmental sampling and mapping of the geographic distribution of Burkholderia pseudomallei, the cause of melioidosis, in Myanmar
Cross-sectional study investigating the causes of pneumonia in two community clinics in two Yangon townships, Myanmar
Public engagement activities: Form theatre as a tool for public engagement on Fever and Antibiotic use in Myanmar
Studies of malaria treatment combinations (just finished TRAC II, preparing for DeTACT)
Determining the factors associated with severe rickets in Nagaland, Northern Myanmar.
Determining the aetiology of fever and improved ways to manage fever in resource poor settings and in remote communities.
Malaria elimination strategies in hard to reach areas investigating a variety of community based strategies