The Unit of HIV and Tuberculosis was created in 2011 under the leadership of Prof Dr Lutgarde Lynen and is currently headed by Prof Dr Tom Decroo. The Unit was previously known as the Unit of HIV and co-infections. Through close collaboration with the Unit of Mycobacteriology in both research and education, and inspired by the pioneering work of Dr. Armand Van Deun, the Unit progressively shifted its focus toward the evaluation of TB treatment regimens in resource-limited settings.

Ambitious, grant-funded research projects are combined with efforts to strengthen research capacity, with lessons learned subsequently informing both the educational curriculum and the provision of clinical advice for TB care in Belgium.

Research 

• TB treatment regimens, for drug-susceptible and drug-resistant TB, with a focus on bacteriological outcomes -including acquired resistance- and safety
• Paediatric TB diagnosis and treatment
• Clinical decision-making
• Care for HIV and co-morbidities in vulnerable populations

Teaching

• Coordination of the Master of Science in Tropical Medicine
• Clinical decision-making for drug-resistant tuberculosis short course (since 2017)
• Protocol development for Master’s students and for the Short Course on Clinical Research and Evidence Based Medicine (since 2008)

Capacity strengthening

• Yearly five or more Master's students get support for their Master's thesis
• We support an active cohort of over 10 PhD students, most working on TB research, within National TB programmes

Service delivery by the Unit of HIV/AIDS includes active participation in:

• Advising TB care in Belgium, with a focus on patients with drug-resistant TB and paediatric cases