Malaria Research in Africa: Building the Network and Connecting ...
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Transcript of Malaria Research in Africa: Building the Network and Connecting ...
Malaria Research in Africa:Building the Network and Connecting the Dots
By Julia RoyallChief, International ProgramsU.S. National Library of Medicine
Presented toInternet2 International WorkshopArlington, Virginia April 22, 2004
Mandate from Malaria Researchers at seminal meeting in Dakar, Senegal in 1997
Full access to Internet
Access to medical literature
MIMCom Web Site Advisory Committee
Abdoulaye Djimde Mali Andrew Githeko Kenya Louis Gouagna Kenya Saadou si. Issifou Gabon Moses Kamya Uganda Fred Kironde Uganda Kojo Koram Ghana Martha Lemnge Tanzania Wilfred Mbacham Cameroon Michel Missinou Gabon David Ofori-Adjei Ghana
Internal & External Evaluations
Independent Panel charged by MIM Secretariat at NIH in September 2002 with conducting an independent review of the Multilateral Initiative on Malaria.
MIM Secretariat Evaluation, survey of researchers working in Africa conducted in December 2002.
NLM Evaluation
Evaluation Conclusions
MIMCom is making a significant difference in the professional performance of individual researchers
Collaborations with colleagues Short courses Proposals written and funded Papers written and published Clinical trials E-mail access Counteracting isolation & self-esteem issues
Africa-to-Africa connection needs strengthening
Potential MIMCom Network
Technical How to connect the sites?
Behavioral Usage like a gas
expanding to fill space Appropriate use of a limited
resource
Professor Ayoade Oduola Functional CoordinatorWHO/TDR
“We have to connect the dots.”
Professor Ayoade Oduola, Functional Coordinator: Basic
and Strategic Research and Manager: Committee on
Pathogenesis and Applied Genomics at WHO/TDR; former
Director of the Institute for Advanced Medical Research
and Training at the College of Medicine.
Dr. C.T. Happi Malaria Researcher
“The most important part of these experiments is analysis of the data generated. And we cannot perform this analysis if we don’t have strong internet connectivity, because we definitely need access to the databases.”
Fundamental Considerations
Can IT intervention make a difference in the morbidity & mortality of malaria?
Is the goal more dots on a map or a change in health?
Is the network an internet café or a scientific tool?
How do we use the tool?
What actions need to be performed in order to reach the desired outcome (better health)?
Scientific Aims
Antimalarial Drug Resistance Network: To share raw data
Severe Malaria in African Children Network: To get large samples
Process Aims
To develop collaborations with other MIM PI’s
Vector Resistance Network: To coordinate 8 African institutes
Noguchi & Buea: regular consultation with collaborators
Outcomes
Strong researchers
Strong research sites
Improvement in health & medicine
As a result of this, this happened As a contribution to this, this happened
Goals
Supporting research agendas
Africanizing MIMCom leadership
Identifying talented individuals Providing means to increase relevant skills
Malaria Research Network
Enhanced Connectivitydirectly to the satellite or via ISP
Information Resources
TrainingIT WorkshopsPI Workshops
Searching/Information access
ToolsWebsites
FTP serversAgentsCaching
EvaluationQuantitative/Qualitative
End to End Network Performance
Research AgendasAntimalaria Drug Resistance NetworkSevere Malaria in African Children
Better Health
Communication Links Between Partners in Research
DecisionMakers
Communities
Health Workers Researchers
Schematic by Andrew Kitua
Dr. Andrew Githeko Senior Scientist& Climatologist
Kenya
“Now we have a system that uses scientific facts to predict the system. Before we were just guessing and we had no idea what was going to happen.”
“Then you ask yourself as a young person, ‘Well, people have made it in Navrongo, why don’t you stay there?’”
Nathan Mensah Data managerGhana
Tom Oluoch Systems OperatorKenya
“We look at a project that is of interest and just use that to enlighten the scientific community about the benefits of using the IT to improve the project.”
“We are talking of empowering our communities, empowering individuals in Africa with appropriate information so that they can take decisions about their own health. About their well-being.”
Regina Shakakata Medical librarian
“The internet is a reflection of our society and
that mirror is going to be reflecting what we
see. If we do not like what we see in that
mirror the problem is not to fix the mirror, we
have to fix society.”
—Internet pioneer Vint Cerf