Dr. Luc Coffeng is infectious disease modeller and epidemiologist with a medical background (MD). Luc’s research mainly focuses on informing global guidelines and policy for the control of neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) such as soil-transmitted helminths, onchocerciasis, lymphatic filariasis, and visceral leishmaniasis. He is an active member of several international consortia (NTD Modelling Consortium, CENTD) and has held international fellowship positions (University of Washington, Australian National University, University of New South Wales). Luc further acts as a consultant on applied statistics, modelling, and study design and is a member of the WHO Diagnostic Technical Advisory Committee on neglected tropical diseases.
Erasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam
Department of Public Health
P.O. Box 2040
3000 CA Rotterdam
RESIST: Resistance Evaluation and Surveillance Initiative for Schistosomiasis Treatment (Wellcome Trust, 2024-2027)
Modelling the potential public health impact of mass drug administration with emodepside against soil-transmitted helminths (Open Philanthropy, 2024-2026)
R2M2P2 Consortium: Readying Regional Mobility data for Modelling Pandemic Preparedness (ZonMw, 2024-2025)
Improving early warning and control of mosquito-borne disease outbreaks caused by extreme weather in Uganda (NIHR, 2023–2027)
Integrating evidence for the cost-effectiveness of mass drug administration with ivermectin against strongyloidiasis: a modelling study (WHO, 2023)
Echo-Latrine: development of field and quantitative analytical methods to assess environmental contamination with soil-transmitted helminths (Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, 2023–2024)
CONNEXION: Critical connections between agricultural water management and human health, using a water-energy-food (WEF) nexus approach in South Africa (NWO, 2023 – 2026)
Towards social and urban resilience for pandemics and disasters (PDPC, 2022 – 2027)
Moxidectin versus ivermectin as mass drug administration for the control of onchocerciasis and other neglected tropical diseases: A cluster-randomised trial (2022 – 2027, NHMRC)
Modelling the role of indoor residual spraying in the control of visceral leishmaniasis in India (Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, 2022 – 2023)
NTD Modelling Consortium – 3rd installment (Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, 2021 – 2024)
Evidence-based effective monitoring and control of COVID-19 after the initial outbreak (ZonMw, 2020 – 2021)
NTD Modelling Consortium – 2nd installment (Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, 2018 – 2021)
Elimination of helminths in man: mathematical modelling 2.0 (NWO, 2017 – 2021)
Onchocerciasis and lymphatic filariasis 2020 – 2025: predicted disease burden and patient profiles (USAID, 2015 – 2019)
Medical curriculum at Erasmus MC Rotterdam
- Medical ethics essays (2017 – present)
- STOLA Tropencursus examination (2024)
- Diversity & Inclusion skill labs (2024)
International capacity building
- Health Analytics Workshop on Modelling Neglected Tropical Diseases for the Indian National Disease Modelling Consortium (2023)
- Book Club and R skill labs on infectious disease modelling in R for the Consortium of Experts in Neglected Tropical Diseases (2024)
Publications list
Most relevant publications
Predicting the risk and speed of drug resistance emerging in soil-transmitted helminths during preventive chemotherapy
Nature Comm
A general framework to support cost-efficient fecal egg count methods and study design choices for large-scale STH deworming programs-monitoring of therapeutic drug efficacy as a case study.
PLoS Negl Trop Dis
Reducing societal impacts of SARS-CoV-2 interventions through subnational implementation
eLife
Comparing antigenaemia- and microfilaraemia as criteria for stopping decisions in lymphatic filariasis elimination programmes in Africa
PLoS Negl Trop Dis
Predicting epidemics and the impact of interventions in heterogeneous settings: standard SEIR models are too pessimistic
J R Stat Soc Ser A Stat Soc 2022
The burden of skin disease and eye disease due to onchocerciasis in countries formerly under the African Programme for Onchocerciasis Control mandate for 1990, 2020, and 2030
PLoS Negl Trop Dis
- Online visualisation tool for Covid-19 exit strategies (accompanying blog here)
- Infectious Disease Control research group Gitlab repository
- Personal Gitlab repository
- R package for stochastic individual-based modelling of a viral epidemic using a SEIR compartmental model of a clustered population with inter-individual heterogeneity in exposure and contribution to transmission, intervention uptake, and potential assortative mixing
- R package for simulation of the evolution of polygenic and monogenic drug resistance in soil-transmitted helminth infections under selective pressure from preventive chemotherapy targeting the host population
- Software tools for designing of anthelmintic drug efficacy surveys
News articles (selection)
Onderzoek: corona-aanpak had regionaler gekund. NRC, 7 March 2023. https://www.nrc.nl/nieuws/2023/03/06/aanpak-corona-had-regionaler-gekund-a4158779
Erasmus MC: ‘Scholensluiting tijdens coronacrisis in 2020 was achteraf gezien onnodig’. Regionale Publieke Omroep Rijnmond. 7 March 2023. https://www.rijnmond.nl/nieuws/1624804/erasmus-mc-scholensluiting-tijdens-coronacrisis-in-2020-was-achteraf-gezien-onnodig
Steeds meer maatregelen in de prullenbak: hoelang is corona nog een pandemie? www.nu.nl, 16 March 2022. https://www.nu.nl/coronavirus/6189258/steeds-meer-maatregelen-in-de-prullenbak-hoelang-is-corona-nog-een-pandemie.html
Een eind aan de maatregelen? Deze onderzoekers zien het niet snel gebeuren. NRC, 30 October 2020. https://www.nrc.nl/nieuws/2020/10/29/het-ziet-ernaar-uit-dat-we-moeten-blijven-doormodderen-a4017937
Doormodderen naar de volgende golf. NRC, 17 October 2020. https://www.nrc.nl/nieuws/2020/10/16/doormodderen-naar-de-volgende-golf-a4016385
Is het virus eigenlijk al weg en andere dwarse ideeën over corona langs de wetenschappelijke meetlat. Volkskrant, 22 July 2020. https://www.volkskrant.nl/a-bd36c5b0
Het Duitse Jena stelde mondkapjes verplicht en zag de besmettingen flink dalen. Kwam dat door de kapjes? Volkskrant, 15 June 2020. https://www.volkskrant.nl/cs-b93a2fd7
Welk land heeft de beste coronastrategie? Vijf lessen over de eerste coronagolf. Volkskrant, 22 May 2020. https://www.volkskrant.nl/cs-b436115d
Kabinet moet oppassen voor nieuwe golf op de IC’s, waarschuwen wetenschappers. Trouw 18 May 2020. https://www.trouw.nl/cs-bb5cd522
Welke maatregelen tegen corona kunnen worden versoepeld? (Handen wassen niet, zoveel lijkt zeker). Volkskrant, 21 April 2020. https://www.volkskrant.nl/wetenschap/welke-maatregelen-tegen-corona-kunnen-worden-versoepeld-handen-wassen-niet-zoveel-lijkt-zeker~b6ec4223/
Gebruik ons om de crisis te bezweren. NRC, 10 April 2020. https://www.nrc.nl/nieuws/2020/04/09/gebruik-ons-om-de-crisis-te-bezweren-a3996432
Oproep wetenschappers: creëer national platform voor coronaonderzoek. NRC, 10 April 2020. https://www.nrc.nl/nieuws/2020/04/09/oproep-wetenschappers-creeer-nationaal-platform-coronaonderzoek-a3996445
Ik zag de eerste resultaten, en ik dacht: holy fuck, die tijdlijn. NRC, 6 April 2020. https://www.nrc.nl/nieuws/2020/04/05/ik-zag-de-eerste-resultaten-en-ik-dacht-holy-fuck-die-tijdlijn-a3995973
Op1 (5 May 2020)
Late night talk show on Dutch national television: interview about what we can expect about the evolution of the Covid-19 pandemic.
EenVandaag (14 June 2020)
Daily news and backgrounds program on Dutch National Television: interview about what we can expect about the evolution of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Moeten jongeren zich ook laten vaccineren? (January 2021)
In deze vierdelige videoserie laat NU.nl wetenschappers reageren op argumenten van mensen die twijfels hebben over het coronavaccin.