Dr Fiona Fleming
Director of Research & Innovation

Dr Fiona Fleming is a highly experienced epidemiologist with extensive expertise in controlling infectious diseases. She has been with Unlimit Health since 2005, facilitating the delivery of over 200 million treatments for schistosomiasis and soil-transmitted helminthiasis (STH). 

 Fiona studied parasitology at the University of Glasgow and completed her MSc in the Control of Infectious Diseases at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. She earned her doctorate in Public Health and Epidemiology from Imperial College London. 

 Before joining Unlimit Health, Fiona lived and worked in Uganda for four years, managing a Community Resource Programme for Restless Development. This programme focused on sustainable health and agricultural activities in rural communities. Shortly before joining Unlimit Health, Fiona worked with the Sabin Institute’s Human Hookworm Vaccine Initiative in Minas Gerais, Brazil, where she conducted a geospatial survey of STH and Schistosoma mansoni, along with a socio-economic survey within a rural population. 

Today, Fiona leads the multi-disciplinary Research and Innovation team at Unlimit Health. She is responsible for directing the design, planning, and implementation of monitoring and evaluation activities across all programme areas. This includes monitoring programme impact, processes, and performance, as well as assessing economic and social impacts to ensure organisational objectives are achieved. She is also involved in operational research to identify the cost-effectiveness, accessibility, and acceptability of current NTD control programmes in Africa. 

Fiona has held Chair positions in international working groups for the Global Schistosomiasis Alliance (M&E), Uniting to Combat NTDs (Gender Equity), and the NTD Non-Governmental Organisation Network (WASH-NTDs). She has also been the successful recipient of grants from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Wellcome Trust, and Comic Relief. 

 Fiona is dedicated to making a positive impact on the lives of children through her work on neglected tropical diseases.