Lancaster University is involved in building malaria modeling capacity in sub-Saharan Africa

Lancaster University is involved in building malaria modeling capacity in sub-Saharan Africa

Lancaster University is part of the Malaria Modellers in Africa (MaModAfrica) consortium, which has been awarded a multi-million pound contract by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

MaModAfrica is a partnership between 19 institutions from Africa, Europe, Australia and the US committed to building malaria modeling capacity in sub-Saharan Africa.

Dr. Luigi Sedda from the Ecology and Epidemiology Group at Lancaster Medical School will support the development of MSc courses and a PhD program around geospatial modeling for optimal malaria surveillance and control.

This is exciting news for us and will contribute to Lancaster Medical School's reputation as a global center of excellence for training and research in spatial epidemiology and tropical diseases.

This latest award goes a long way to increasing the impact of current interventions against malaria and other infectious diseases in Africa, which still kill more than a million people each year.”

Dr. Luigi Sedda, Ecology and Epidemiology Group, Lancaster Medical School

The three-year initiative will develop transdisciplinary and transnational master's (MSc) and doctoral (PhD) academic programs with the aim of increasing the number of academically trained malaria modelers in sub-Saharan Africa and bridging the gap between academic modeling and operational needs. and creating an open, collaborative, sustainable platform of mathematicians, statisticians, geomodellers, translation scientists and decision makers.

In addition to Lancaster University, other institutions involved include the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences, the Université d'Abomey-Calavi in Benin, the Polytechnic University of Bobo-Dioulasso in Burkina Faso, the Swiss Center for Scientific Research in Côte d'Ivoire, Mount Kenya University, the Manhiça Health Research Center in Mozambique, the Rwanda Biomedical Centre, the Center for Impact Innovation and Capacity Building in HIS and Nutrition and University of Rwanda, the Thies University and the University Cheikh Anta Diop of Dakar in Senegal, the Malaria Atlas Project, the Curtin University and Telethon Kids Institute in Australia, the Clinton Health Access Initiative in the USA and the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute and Medicines for Malaria Venture in Switzerland.

During the program, 30 master's students and 8 doctoral students will be trained in malaria modeling for public health interventions. The programs start in fall 2023.

Dr. Sedda said: “We look forward to welcoming and hosting some of the students in the coming years.”

Source:

Lancaster University

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