Coker’s research has focused on infectious disease dynamics,focusing on preparedness,surveillance,treatment outcomes,and the social,ecological,and cross-border factors shaping global health risks. His works have been published in academic journals such as The Lancet,The BMJ,and The Journal of Infectious Diseases.[2] He has also authored books such as Health Systems and the Challenge of Communicable Diseases:Experiences from Europe and Latin America[3] and From Chaos to Coercion:Detention and the Control of Tuberculosis.[4]
Coker held several academic positions over his career. From 2001 to 2005,he worked as a clinical senior lecturer in the Department of Public Health and Policy at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM),followed by a role as reader in public health until 2009. He was appointed professor of public health at LSHTM from 2009 to 2019 and has been emeritus professor since 2019. Between 2015 and 2019,he also held an adjunct professorship at Mahidol University in Bangkok[1] and was visiting professor to the Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health,National University of Singapore,from 2012 to 2016.[5]
Coker also has non-academic professional experience. This includes his appointment as a consultant physician at St. Mary's Hospital between 1994 and 1999. Additionally,in 2006,he briefly worked as a senior advisor for the UK Department of Health.[5]
Research
In his early research,Coker investigated liposomal doxorubicin as a treatment for HIV-related Kaposi’s sarcoma through a small Phase I/II trial,assessing dose tolerance,toxicity,and tumor response. He found manageable side effects and a high partial-response rate,suggesting meaningful palliative benefit.[6] He examined why adults in Russia developed pulmonary tuberculosis,comparing confirmed cases with matched controls. He analysed socioeconomic,lifestyle,and medical exposures,identifying the most influential risk factors driving TB development in an urban Russian setting.[7] He compared Asia–Pacific countries’influenza pandemic preparedness plans,highlighting two main strategic approaches,evaluating strengths and weaknesses,contrasting them with European plans,and identifying lessons for improving future national readiness,especially in resource-limited settings.[8] Additionally,he examined European countries’influenza pandemic plans,assessed them against WHO criteria,highlighted strong surveillance and communication efforts,exposed gaps in essential services and supply distribution,and concluded that overall preparedness was uneven and required better cross-country coordination.[9]
Coker reviewed persistent late HIV diagnoses in Europe,highlighted inconsistent definitions,high rates,key risk factors,and underlying causes,and called for unified surveillance and improved testing policies to support earlier detection and stronger public health responses.[10] He analyzed 308 H5N1 cases across 12 countries and found that untreated infections caused high mortality,while oseltamivir treatment,even when started 6–8 days after symptoms,significantly improved survival across all age groups.[11] He examined Southeast Asia’s vulnerability to emerging infectious diseases,highlighting how ecological,social,and technological factors,alongside population growth and urbanisation,had driven outbreaks and posed complex public health and economic challenges across diverse countries.[12] He also analysed how intensifying livestock production,global trade,and increased wildlife contact contributed to emerging zoonotic diseases,explored why such diseases appeared more frequently,and proposed a conceptual research framework to guide policy and management strategies.[13] Moreover,in his later research,he examined cross-border public health data sharing in Southeast Asia,highlighting challenges such as language,standards,and power imbalances,and concluded that independent third-party organisations were crucial to facilitate communication and optimise information use.[14]
Selected articles
James,N. D.,Coker,R. J.,Tomlinson,D.,Harris,J. R. W.,Gompels,M.,Pinching,A. J.,&Stewart,J. S. W. (1994). Liposomal doxorubicin (Doxil):an effective new treatment for Kaposi's sarcoma in AIDS. Clinical oncology,6(5),294-296.
Coker,R.,McKee,M.,Atun,R.,Dimitrova,B.,Dodonova,E.,Kuznetsov,S.,&Drobniewski,F. (2006). Risk factors for pulmonary tuberculosis in Russia:case-control study. Bmj,332(7533),85-87.
Mounier-Jack,S.,&Coker,R. J. (2006). How prepared is Europe for pandemic influenza? Analysis of national plans. The Lancet,367(9520),1405-1411.
Coker,R.,Thomas,M.,Lock,K.,&Martin,R. (2007). Detention and the evolving threat of tuberculosis:evidence,ethics,and law. Journal of Law,Medicine &Ethics,35(4),609-615.
Coker,R.,Rushton,J.,Mounier-Jack,S.,Karimuribo,E.,Lutumba,P.,Kambarage,D.,... &Rweyemamu,M. (2011). Towards a conceptual framework to support one-health research for policy on emerging zoonoses. The Lancet infectious diseases,11(4),326-331.
↑James, N. D.; Coker, R. J.; Tomlinson, D.; Harris, J. R.; Gompels, M.; Pinching, A. J.; Stewart, J. S. (1994). "Liposomal doxorubicin (Doxil): an effective new treatment for Kaposi's sarcoma in AIDS". Clinical Oncology (Royal College of Radiologists (Great Britain)). 6 (5): 294–296. doi:10.1016/s0936-6555(05)80269-9. ISSN0936-6555. PMID7530036.
↑Mounier-Jack, Sandra; Coker, Richard J. (29 April 2006). "How prepared is Europe for pandemic influenza? Analysis of national plans". Lancet (London, England). 367 (9520): 1405–1411. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(06)68511-5. ISSN1474-547X. PMID16650650.
↑Adisasmito, Wiku; Chan, Paul K. S.; Lee, Nelson; Oner, Ahmet Faik; Gasimov, Viktor; Aghayev, Faik; Zaman, Mukhtiar; Bamgboye, Ebun; Dogan, Nazim; Coker, Richard; Starzyk, Kathryn; Dreyer, Nancy A.; Toovey, Stephen (15 October 2010). "Effectiveness of antiviral treatment in human influenza A(H5N1) infections: analysis of a Global Patient Registry". The Journal of Infectious Diseases. 202 (8): 1154–1160. doi:10.1086/656316. ISSN1537-6613. PMID20831384.
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