Strengthening collaboration in the investigation of heterogeneity in malaria dynamics


External Link:
Thematic Focus:
Life Sciences and Health
Involved Countries:
Switzerland, Kenya

Received Funding By:

This project aims to facilitates potential exchange between Swiss TPH and KWTRP on a number of topics in malaria epidemiology and specifically on an ongoing joint PhD project:

“A joint PhD project between Swiss TPH and KWTRP has been agreed on the topic of estimating the extent, patterns and consequences of heterogeneity in malaria dynamics. This project provides complementary analytic methods and modeling, a strength at Swiss TPH, to the work ongoing in Kilifi. We have already recruited a Kenyan PhD candidate, Emmanuel Omondi, who is currently finishing an MSc in Statistics on a scholarship to the University of Manitoba in Canada (CV attached). He is registered as a student at the University of Basel and supported by existing funds.

This project facilitates potential exchange between Swiss TPH and KWTRP on a number of topics in malaria epidemiology. Mr Omondi spends 50% of his time at Swiss TPH and 50% in KWTRP.

The project leaders propose two visits of the supervisors (one to KWTRP, one to Swiss TPH) in order to:

(i) provide effective supervision throughout Mr Omondi’s PhD
(ii) facilitate wider exchange between the supervisors and their institutes
(iii) give two seminars (one per site) on current research
(iv) discuss further topics of mutual interest with members of the respective institutions,including specifically

– malaria surveillance (Manuel Hetzel, Stefan Dongus, Tom Smith)
– further modelling of interventions against malaria using the Swiss TPH OpenMalaria simulator and/or spatial models
– validating OpenMalaria using field data from Kilifi
– bioinformatics and analysis of malaria genotyping data
– further exchanges on fine-scale heterogeneity of malaria

-Amanda Ross, University of Basel, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Basel
-Philip Bejon, Kenya Medical Research Institute, Kilifi, Kenya