VIRTUE NUNANA FIAWOKOME DE-GAULLE

UHAS- Ghana    

PhD    

Project title : Assessing the health system effectiveness in the prevention, control and management of malaria among pregnant women in the Volta and Ashanti regions of Ghana    

Virtue holds a Bachelor of Science in Home Science and a Master of Science in Applied Health Social Science from the University of Ghana, Legon. Trained as a Social and Behavioral Scientist, she is passionate about studies bordering around gender and health with particular emphasis on maternal health. She has worked extensively as a research officer on a number of Public Health projects conducted in the University of Ghana, School of Public Health. She further worked as the project manager on the WHO/TDR supported African Regional Training Centre for Implementation Research in University of Ghana, School of Public Health.
Virtue’s MARCAD PhD project seeks to identify bottlenecks to the implementation of Intermittent Preventive Treatment with Sulfadoxine–Pyrimethamine (IPTp-SP), Insecticide Treated Nets (ITNs) and case management of malaria among pregnant women by assessing the health system effectiveness. After her PhD, Virtue plans on playing a vital role in research, with particular emphasis on Implementation Research to improve access and effectiveness of the numerous health interventions particularly in Ghana and Africa, in general. Furthermore, she intends getting into academia where she can be actively involved in training health professionals not to be solely involved in curative medicine but in preventive medicine as well.

Virtue Nunana Fiawokome De-Gaulle

UHAS- Ghana    

PhD    

Project title : Assessing the health system effectiveness in the prevention, control and management of malaria among pregnant women in the Volta and Ashanti regions of Ghana    

Virtue holds a Bachelor of Science in Home Science and a Master of Science in Applied Health Social Science from the University of Ghana, Legon. Trained as a Social and Behavioral Scientist, she is passionate about studies bordering around gender and health with particular emphasis on maternal health. She has worked extensively as a research officer on a number of Public Health projects conducted in the University of Ghana, School of Public Health. She further worked as the project manager on the WHO/TDR supported African Regional Training Centre for Implementation Research in University of Ghana, School of Public Health.
Virtue’s MARCAD PhD project seeks to identify bottlenecks to the implementation of Intermittent Preventive Treatment with Sulfadoxine–Pyrimethamine (IPTp-SP), Insecticide Treated Nets (ITNs) and case management of malaria among pregnant women by assessing the health system effectiveness. After her PhD, Virtue plans on playing a vital role in research, with particular emphasis on Implementation Research to improve access and effectiveness of the numerous health interventions particularly in Ghana and Africa, in general. Furthermore, she intends getting into academia where she can be actively involved in training health professionals not to be solely involved in curative medicine but in preventive medicine as well.
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Peter Thelma Ngwa Niba

Biotechnology Centre, University of Yaoundé I, Cameroon    

PhD    

Project title: Artemisinin-based antimalarial combinations and clinical response in Yaoundé, Cameroon.

Mr. Niba obtained a Bachelor of Science Degree in Microbiology, from the University of Buea, Cameroon in July, 2010 and a specialised Master Degree in Infection Biology from the Swiss Tropical and Public Institute, an associated Institute of the University of Basel, Switzerland in February, 2014. He has been a course instructor in Clinical Bacteriology, Clinical Parasitology, and Molecular Biology at the Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Saint Louis University Institute of Health and Biomedical Sciences, Bamenda, Cameroon since October, 2014 until his selection as a MARCAD PhD fellow. His research has been focused in the field of infectious diseases for the past three years. He is specialising in Molecular Parasitology/Pharmacogenomics/Molecular Immunology at the PhD level to better understand host-parasite interaction, a crucial step in host elimination of the malaria parasite. He hopes to become a University lecturer/researcher in the field of Malariology upon completion of his PhD.

Oumou Kalsom GUEYE

Université Cheikh Anta DIOP de Dakar    

PhD    

Project title: Genetics structuration and reproductive isolation mechanisms among the natural population between Anopheles coluzzii and Anopheles gambiae s.s in Senegal.    
Oumou has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Biology and Master’s Degree in Medical Entomology with specific focus on malaria obtained from the Cheikh Anta Diop University (UCAD). In October 2016, she was awarded a PhD fellowship by the Malaria Research Capacity Development in Africa (MARCAD) program. Her thesis proposal is focused on: the malaria vectors control which are showing increasing resistance to most available insecticides; and to the understanding of the speciation between major malaria vectors Anopheles coluzzii and Anopheles gambiae in Senegal.  Knowledges gained from this research will contribute to find an alternative to the use of insecticides against vectors and will be instrumental in pre- and elimination of malaria by informing and helping Malaria Control Programs.  At the completion of her PhD, she plans to strengthen her knowledge through a Post-Doc; to become an independent researcher and contribute to the university education and malaria elimination worldwide.

POSTER :  
Insecticide resistance in An arabiensis populations from Dakar and its suburbs : Role of target site and metabolic resistance mechanisms

Amadou Birama Niangaly

MRTC / USTTB    
PhD    

Project title: Epidemiology of Plasmodium vivax infection in predominantly Duffy-negative population in Bandiagara Mali, west Africa    

Amadou has a Doctorate in Pharmacy degree and a Masters degree in Parasitology-Mycology obtained from the University of Bamako in Mali. Since 2002, he is working as Lab investigator and as pharmacist for malaria research and malaria vaccine clinical trials in Mali; as a Research Assistant at the MRTC/DEAP Genomics. Dr Niangaly has been appointed Lecturer in Parasitology-Mycology at USTTB in Mali one year ago.  Months later, he has been awarded a PhD fellowship by the MARCAD program for the next four years to address the epidemiology of Plasmodium vivax infection in west Africa and to try to understand the mechanism of Duffy-negative erythrocytes invasion by this parasite. At the completion of his PhD, he is planning to strengthen his knowledges through a Post-Doc position; become an independent researcher and contributes to the control and elimination of malaria; progress in his career from Senior Lecturer to Associate Professor and Professor.

PUBLICATION : 
Plasmodium vivax Infections over 3 Years in Duffy Blood Group Negative Malians in Bandiagara, Mali

Plasmodium vivax Infections of Duffy-Negative Erythrocytes: Historically Undetected or a Recent Adaptation?

POSTER : 
Symptomatic Plasmodium vivax infection with parasite density higher than commonly observed in Duffy-blood-group negative
patient in Mali, West Africa

Abdullahi AHMAD

Medical Research Council Unit The Gambia (MRCG)    
PhD    

Project title: Asymptomatic Plasmodium falciparum Infections as Obstacle for Malaria Elimination: A Case Study of The Gambia     

Dr Ahmad holds a medical degree from Ahmadu Bello University Zaria, Nigeria, a diploma in tropical medicine and public health from Charite Institute of Tropical Medicine, Berlin, Germany and an MSc in tropical medicine and disease control from Charite-Universitatsmedizin Berlin, Germany. He was a clinical research fellow with the GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals under the WHO Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases (TDR) career development fellowship during which he took part in the clinical development of the RTS,S malaria vaccine. He joined the malaria platform of the Medical Research Council Unit The Gambia in 2012.
Dr Ahmad’s MARCAD PhD project is focusing on understanding the relevance of asymptomatic Plasmodium falciparum infections and gametocyte carriage in maintaining malaria transmission. After his PhD, Dr Ahmad aspires to play a vital role in research that would generate evidence to guide malaria control and elimination in west and central Africa.
Beyond research, Ahmad is passionate about travelling and experiencing new cultures.