Meet the MESA Correspondents that will cover the 2021 ASTMH Annual Meeting

The MESA Correspondent volunteers report on the latest in malaria research from conferences around the world. The synopses are shared online, enabling people who could not attend the meeting to read about the latest advances. The MESA Correspondents Program is a collaboration between MESA and the conference organizers.

Edima Ottoho, Tope Kayode, Franklin Tembongshu Formilack, Lucy W. Mwangi, Vita Mithi, Ana Alonso, Faith Hungwe, Olajoju Temidayo Soniran, Isabelle Delrieu, Doumbe Belisse and Carlos A. Fernández Miñope will cover the science and discussions from the virtual 2021 ASTMH Annual Meeting which will take place 100% online on November 17 – 21, 2021. Summaries will be posted online on the MESA Correspondents page.

Edima Ottoho works with the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas-funded Bonny Malaria Elimination Project. She holds MPH and MBA degrees. In the field of malaria, she has supported the Nigerian health sector in operational plan development, implementation of policies and strategies, and capacity strengthening of healthcare workers and institutions for the past 9 years. Being a MESA correspondent will keep me connected with the malaria global community, as I search for doctoral opportunities that align with my interests in health policy and health systems research.

 

Tope Kayode is a Public health Physician with over 10 years health sector experience mostly invested in malaria programs. She has undertaken consultancy assignments on development of malaria operational plans and budgeting, reviews and capacity building of health workers across States in Nigeria. She works at Leverage consulting, Abuja, as a program management consultant. Her proposed research interests are in malaria in pregnancy, malaria in under-5, access to care and maternal health. Tope is excited as a MESA correspondent, she looks forward to the opportunity to contribute, network and improve her skills and knowledge in malaria research.

Franklin Tembongshu Formilack is a  Master of Science student in  Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Buea (Cameroon) with a special interest in the assessment of Plasmodium falciparum resistance to sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine and chloroquine using molecular markers. Serving as a MESA correspondent is an ideal opportunity for me to learn recent developments in malaria research and at the same time share the updates to those unable to attend. It is also a rare privilege to network with great scientists.

 

Lucy W. Mwangi is a Research Scientist with a focus on Infectious Diseases and Global Health. She is a PhD candidate in Microbiology-Immunology at the University of Nairobi, Kenya. Her research interests are immune-regulation and molecular mechanisms of infection; and infectious disease prevention. Her motivation as a researcher is to generate new scientific data and to effectively translate it for feasible application to health. I believe participating as a MESA correspondent at the ASTMH conference will be an invaluable learning opportunity and a great experience.

 

Vita Mithi from Malawi, is currently working as a MESA Consultant: Systematic Review technician and researcher with focus on implementation science of malaria elimination strategies. He states that “Malaria is a mystery, a part of the ultimate mystery of nature”. Being a MESA Correspondent exposes one to current advancements of unlocking the mystery of malaria and take part in the fight against malaria.

 

Ana Alonso is a student at Georgetown University currently working part time as a data analyst for the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal). She is currently doing a systematic review on grants as part of the Malaria Eradication Scientific Alliance project. Attending the ASTMH congress is a great opportunity to learn about the latest research and progress in global health. 

 

Faith Hungwe is an MSc Molecular Biology candidate at Vrije Universiteit Brussels (Belgium). She is zealous about alleviating the malaria burden in Africa and believes in a multidisciplinary approach to effectively tackling vector control. The opportunity to be a part of both the ASTMH Conference and MESA Corresponding programme is phenomenal and humbling. I am excited about the continuous learning as well as the opportunity to cultivate a holistic framework and understanding for my research and career.

 

Olajoju Temidayo Soniran (PhD) is a Parasitologist and Lecturer at Akanu Ibiam Federal Polytechnic, Unwana, Nigeria. His PhD thesis on drug resistant Plasmodium falciparum was supported with funds raised on MalariaWorld platform in 2014, and recently he completed a WHO/TDR postdoctoral training fellowship on malaria implementation research. Attending the ASTMH as a MESA correspondent is a great opportunity to show appreciation to malaria professionals that could not attend the ASTMH meeting (by contributing to accurate MESA reports), sharpen my transferable career development skills, and learn from the conference talks and presentations.

 

Isabelle Delrieu is a former researcher in malaria, who then specialized in public health and epidemiology of infectious diseases. In particular, she was involved in many aspects of the implementation of the RTS, S malaria vaccine. Nowadays she is the Head of Sciences and Technology for Health in EpiLinks, France. “Being a MESA correspondent is an excellent opportunity to update yourself on the latest advances in the fight against malaria and to contribute to the wide dissemination of the information gathered“.

 

Doumbe Belisse Patricia is a research trainee at Yaoundé Research Institute of OCEAC (Yaoundé, Cameroon). The field of her work is Parasitology and Ecology with great interest in medical entomology, malaria vector control, vectors bionomics, malaria parasite diagnosis and pattern of transmission.  As I wind up my Ph.D thesis at University of Yaoundé I, I firmly believe that being a MESA correspondent will be a great opportunity to enlarge my skills communication, learn more in various malaria fields and get opportunities for my career development.

 

Carlos A. Fernández Miñope is a PhD student in Medical Sciences at the University of Antwerp (Belgium) and a malaria researcher trained in data analysis and bioinformatics for the molecular epidemiology of tropical infectious agents. He has a dedicated interest in academic creative writing and a master’s degree in molecular biology from the Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia (Peru). He also serves currently as a junior professor at the Universidad Científica del Sur (Peru). “Being a MESA correspondent at an event as important as the ASTMH annual meeting is one of the best opportunities to learn and connect with the scientists and global health professionals who are leading the way towards the elimination of malaria.”