Ms. Carmen Mejia, Executive Director, Defeating Malaria: From the Genes to the Globe Initiative, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, met with the Management of University of Health and Allied Sciences, September 4, at UHAS Main Campus during a preparatory working visit to Ghana ahead of the malaria leadership course dubbed, “Science of Defeating Malaria”, which UHAS will host from May 26 to 31, 2024.
The Centre for Malaria Research at the Institute of Health Research, University of Health and Allied Sciences (UHAS), is part of a consortium with Harvard University and Cheikh Anta Diop University (UCAD) responsible for organising and conducting the malaria leadership course. Professor Evelyn Ansah, Director of the Centre for Malaria Research, Institute of Health Research, is the UHAS lead working with her colleagues Professor Dyann Wirth (Harvard University and Consortium Lead) and Professor Dauda Ndiaye (UCAD lead). Professor Ansah is also a faculty member, who has been teaching on this course for the past three years.
Since its inception as “Science of Eradicating Malaria” 11 years ago, the course has so far trained approximately 700 professionals and leaders in malaria from 92 countries, and has been hosted mainly by Harvard University, ISGlobal in Spain, and Swiss TPH in Switzerland.
In 2022, the management board of the consortium decided to sunset the “Science of Eradicating Malaria” and move the next generation “Science of Defeating Malaria: Leadership Course” to Africa. The first location to host the course in Africa was UCAD Senegal in June 2023, with 52 participants from 29 countries. Participants included two Ghanaians, Professor Frank Baiden from the Fred N. Binka School of Public Health at UHAS, and Dr. Elizabeth Tabitha Abbew from the Cape Coast Teaching Hospital. Professor Evelyn Ansah facilitated on the course while Mr. Fidelis Anumu of the Institute of Health Research contributed to the organization of the course.
It is expected that this course will bring global leaders in malaria to Ghana and much exposure to the work being done at the University of Health and Allied Sciences towards elimination of malaria in Ghana. The course specifically targets individuals with the potential to advance to leadership roles in malaria within the next two to five years. These individuals must have primary professional responsibilities related to malaria control, elimination, and eradication efforts, and includes global public health, government, biomedical, public, and private sector professionals.
It is expected that this course will bring global leaders in malaria to Ghana and much exposure to the work being done at the University of Health and Allied Sciences towards elimination of malaria in Ghana. The course specifically targets individuals with the potential to advance to leadership roles in malaria within the next two to five years. These individuals must have primary professional responsibilities related to malaria control, elimination, and eradication efforts, and includes global public health, government, biomedical, public, and private sector professionals.
Visit https://scienceofdefeatingmalaria.org/about for more information on the course.