William E. Oswald

Dr. William Oswald has more than 15 years’ experience in global health research and applied learning. His research explores the links between neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), behaviors, and context, particularly water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) conditions.  

Dr. Oswald leads several research activities under RTI’s NTD strategic investment portfolio. He currently serves as principal investigator on the Mobile and Migrant Populations project that aims to understand drivers of persistent and recrudescent trachoma prevalence in northern Tanzania using sentinel site monitoring, novel biomarkers, enhanced routine data collection approaches, machine learning, and satellite imagery to rapidly map population settlements and movement. New projects aim to explore local impacts of and adaptations to climate change among populations and communities served by the Act to End NTDs | East program and innovative approaches to improve urban mass drug administration and vector control.  

Currently, Dr. Oswald holds a position as an honorary assistant professor at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM). In his previous role at LSHTM, Dr. Oswald led analyses for the COVID-19 Schools Infection Survey, a collaboration between the UK Office of National Statistics, the UK Health Security Agency, and LSHTM. He also provided analytical support for the Global Health Exemplars in Maternal and Neonatal Mortality project and the Programme for Evidence to Inform Disability Action consortium. Prior to this work, he led development of systems for data collection and management for two large, cluster-randomized, controlled trials: the Tuangamize Minyoo Kenya Imarisha Afya (TUMIKIA; “eradicate worms in Kenya to improve health”) project, a trial in Kwale County, Kenya, to evaluate community-based treatment strategies for control of soil-transmitted helminths (STH)—and DeWorm3, a five-year trial to test feasibility of eliminating soil-transmitted helminths using mass drug administration at sites in Benin, Malawi, and India. He also lectured on the control of STH and diarrheal disease and contributed to teaching on epidemiology, statistical methods and data analysis, and spatial analysis and the use of geographic information systems.  

Dr. Oswald is an Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Academy in the UK and a member of the Delta Omega Honorary Society in Public Health, Alpha Chapter. He is fluent in Spanish and has work experience in Benin, Bolivia, Ethiopia, India, Kenya, Malawi, Peru, and Tanzania.