Podcasts about ifakara health institute

Do you know what the deadliest animal is on the planet? From movies and TV shows, you might be thinking sharks, but that's wrong (sharks kill about five people a year). The answer is…mosquitoes. They are the deadliest animals on the planet by a long shot, and their biggest threat: malaria. Many of us have taken malaria pills before traveling without thinking twice about malaria itself. But how does malaria actually impact us? Malaria has devastated the sustainability of communities and the global economy. And in the words of this episode's guest, Dr. Fredros Okumu, “It's better to be alive than to be dead”.This episode features Jen Hatmaker, an American author, speaker, blogger, and television presenter, in conversation with Fredros Okumu, parasitologist and Director of Science at the Ifakara Health Institute in Tanzania, Africa. Jen and Fredros discuss how malaria is a disease for which we know the cause, the treatment, and how to effectively prevent it. Still, over half of the world population is currently at risk of malaria, and it kills 600,000 people annually, most of which are young children across the African continent. Like COVID, malaria affects us all through its impact on global economic growth, health, and travel. With investment and early interventions, including mosquito control and adequate diagnostics and treatments, we can reduce the disease burden and increase global health equity and dignity.Make Me Care About is produced by Magnificent Noise in partnership with The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.To learn more about our show: https://www.gatesfoundation.org/podcast/make-me-care-aboutFor more on The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation's work: https://www.gatesfoundation.orgTo learn more about malaria:Malaria Strategy: https://www.gatesfoundation.org/ideas/articles/food-fortification-to-fortify-the-futureWhat will it take to outsmart malaria?: https://www.gatesfoundation.org/our-work/programs/global-health/malariaWhy the Interceptor G2 net could be a game changer for malaria eradication: https://www.gatesfoundation.org/ideas/articles/ig2-nets-malaria-eradication-financed-by-the-global-fundFor more on the work of our guest, Fredros Okumu: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fredros_OkumuLearn more about our host, Jen Hatmaker: https://jenhatmaker.comOur production staff includes Sabrina Farhi, Hiwote Getaneh, Julia Natt, and our sound designer Kristin Mueller. Our Executive Producer is Eric Nuzum and the host is Jen Hatmaker. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Featuring guest speakers Lee Ching Ng from the Environmental Health Institute in Singapore and Lina Finda from Ifakara Health Institute in Tanzania, this episode explores how communities perceive and respond to control approaches which involve modified mosquitoes. We discuss:  Parallels and contrasts between Project Wolbachia in Singapore, a successful dengue control program, and exploratory research into perceptions of GM technologies in Tanzania for controlling malaria   The importance of engaging with community concerns and being responsive to them, and of making information around these approaches inclusive, clear, and accessible   Combining modified mosquito approaches with existing vector control tools (e.g., LLINs, IRS, source reduction) and how this has the potential to create public confusion  Dr Ng Lee Ching Group Director, Environmental Health Institute National Environment Agency  Assoc Prof Ng Lee Ching is the Group Director of Environmental Health Institute (EHI), a national environmental health facility at the National Environment Agency in Singapore. She has spent more than 20 years building scientific capabilities for Singapore's environmental public health, conducting research to understand disease risk and transmission, and developing tools and strategies for mitigation of risks.   She has co-authored around 200 scientific papers and book chapters, in the area of vector borne diseases, COVID-19, food borne diseases, anti-microbial resistance, indoor air quality etc.   She serves as an Adjunct Associate Professor at the Nanyang Technological University of Singapore. She is a regular temporary advisor to the WHO and the IAEA, and serves as the Director of the WHO Collaborating Centre for Reference and Research of Arbovirus and their Associated Vectors, in Singapore.  https://www.nea.gov.sg/corporate-functions/resources/research/environmental-health-institute (https://www.nea.gov.sg/corporate-functions/resources/research/environmental-health-institute)   https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34831751/ (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34831751/)   https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.06.16.21257922v1 (https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.06.16.21257922v1)   https://www.nea.gov.sg/corporate-functions/resources/research/ehi-journal-publications (https://www.nea.gov.sg/corporate-functions/resources/research/ehi-journal-publications) Dr. Lina Finda Research Scientist, Ifakara Health Institute I am a research scientist at Ifakara Health Institute in Tanzania, and a postodoctoral fellow at University of California – San Diego. At Ifakara I have been working on a number of projects to investigate the magnitude and drivers of malaria transmission, to understand the interactions between malaria vectors and humans and to develop alternative tools for malaria control.   I received my BSc in Biochemistry from Western Washington University (WA, USA) in 2010, in 2014 received a Masters of Public Health with dual concentrations in Maternal and Child Health and Health Education and Promotion, from Tulane School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine (LA, USA, and in September 2021 I completed my PhD from University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa. My PhD research, based in Tanzania, focused on developing and testing effective stakeholder engagement models for novel technologies for malaria control. I am currently doing a postdoctoral fellowship at UC-San Diego, working on research to explore and respond to gaps in stakeholder engagement for gene drive technologies for disease-vector control. 

Martin Rohacek arbeitet seit sechs Jahren als Notfallarzt am Ifakara Health Institute in Tansania. Im Auftrag des Schweizer Tropen Instituts, hat der 51-Jährige eine Notfallstation aufgebaut und bildet dort tansanische Ärzte und Pfleger aus. In seinem Alltag ist Martin Rohacek mit traurigen Schicksalsgeschichten konfrontiert und regelmässig auch mit dem Tod. Manchmal schon bei der morgendlichen Visite in der Notfallstation. Die täglichen Extremsituationen haben ihn aber bis heute nicht abgestumpft: «Man gewöhnt sich als Arzt daran. Manchmal geschehen auch kleine Wunder und das erfüllt mich.» Das Institut gibt es seit über sechzig Jahren und gehört mittlerweile zum renommiertesten in ganz Afrika. «Kaum jemand hat eine Krankversicherung hier» Das Gesundheitswesen ist in einem miserablen Zustand. Die Leute landen oft erst auf der Notfallstation, wenn es schon zu spät ist: «Es ist ihnen nicht bewusst, was es für Krankheiten gibt. Die Einheimischen gehen lieber zuerst zu einem Hexer.» Die meisten Patienten haben Lungeninfekte oder Herzprobleme. Martin Rohacek ist es mit seinem Konzept aber gelungen, dass sich praktisch jeder eine Behandlung auf der Station leisten kann.

The World Health Organization has recommended a widespread rollout of the first malaria vaccine, Mosquirix, which it says could save tens of thousands of lives. But experts say it's just one tool in the fight against infection. We talk to Dr. Fredros Okumu, director of science at the Ifakara Health Institute in Tanzania; and Dr. Githinji Gitahii in Nairobi, Global CEO of Amref Health Africa and board member of the African CDC. 

Takeaways from today's episode: Simple science is beautiful, but you must be open and be quick on your, learn on the job and do NOT minimise the advantage of soft skills.There is no curriculum that will teach you all the skills you will need to succeed as an independent researcher but you can seek out good mentorship, engage with the public, pioneer flat leadership systems, and where you can, employ virtual systems/communications to increase visibility and learning.There is room to analyse a problem in smaller bitesize chunks using available resourcesRemember a little can go a long way to prioritise peoples health and well-being  Focus on scalable ways to address regional problems - “Regional focus with international footprint” and remember that the mission is to improve health for everyone. Resources:Fredros’ TED talk on developing creative innovative solutions for malaria prevention in rural Tanzania :https://www.ted.com/talks/fredros_okumu_why_i_study_the_most_dangerous_animal_on_earth_mosquitoesBill Gates on supporting Fredros’ work: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/williamhgates_would-you-put-your-arm-in-a-cage-with-500-activity-6703376045862600704-WFq2Ubuntu philosophy: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ubuntu_philosophyRedzone podcast interviewing Dr. Jeff Karp on “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B01FSkPgS2k Guest information:Dr. Fredros Okumu is Director of Science at Ifakara Health Institute in Tanzania. He is a mosquito biologist and public health expert working on sustainable approaches for controlling vector-borne diseases. He is also passionate about improving ecosystems for young researchers in Africa.  @Fredros_Inc (on twitter) blogs here [malariaworld.org], and has ~100 scientific publications archived here[scholar.google.co.uk] & here [ncbi.nlm.nih.gov].Prof. Marco Mello is a Brazilian biologist with a PhD. in ecology, alumnus of the Alexander von Humboldt-Stiftung. He worked as an associate researcher at Ulm University, Germany, and currently works as an associate professor at the University of São Paulo, Brazil. His research focuses on ecological synthesis, mainly about species interactions. Connect with Marco on twitter: @marcoarmello and his website: https://marcomellolab.wordpress.com AcknowledgementsEditing by Mariana Vaz, https://www.marianacpvaz.com/Research: Alice MatimbaProducers: Alice Matimba (Senior Producer), Isabela Malta (Producer), Christine Boinett (Creator and Executive producer), Emmanuela Oppong (Producer)Host: Alice MatimbaMedia and Marketing: Catherine HolmesMusic: https://freesound.org/s/477388/ Sponsors:Wellcome Genome Campus Advanced Courses and Scientific ConferencesWellcome Sanger InstituteSocial Entrepreneurship to Spur Health

This week we are joined by Dr. Rainer Tan to speak about Dynamic Solutions for Healthcare in the Global South.Rainer is Swiss, Malaysian and Canadian. He grew up in Canada and finished med school at the university of Lausanne, Switzerland in 2014. He was the Field Coordinator in Tanzania for the NGO Canada Africa Community Health Alliance, and is now in residency training for a specialisation in Tropical Medicine, while completing a Clinical Research Fellowship for a PhD in Clinical Epidemiology at the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute (Swiss TPH). Rainer's research consists of developing and evaluating clinical decision algorithms for the management of sick children in peripheral (mostly rural) health facilities in Tanzania with the DYNAMIC project. He will be moving to Tanzania in January 2020 for 2-3 years to work on this project.The DYNAMIC project is lead by the Global and Digital Health Unit at Unisanté in Lausanne, Switzerland, in collaboration with the SwissTPH, EPFL, and the Ifakara Health Institute, and the National Institute for Medical Research in Tanzania.Discover more about this interview on our website here.Twitter: @global_futuresInstagram: @global_futuresSubstack Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week we are joined by Dr. Rainer Tan to speak about Dynamic Solutions for Healthcare in the Global South. Rainer is Swiss, Malaysian and Canadian. He grew up in Canada and finished med school at the university of Lausanne, Switzerland in 2014. He was the Field Coordinator in Tanzania for the NGO Canada Africa Community Health Alliance, and is now in residency training for a specialisation in Tropical Medicine, while completing a Clinical Research Fellowship for a PhD in Clinical Epidemiology at the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute (Swiss TPH). Rainer’s research consists of developing and evaluating clinical decision algorithms for the management of sick children in peripheral (mostly rural) health facilities in Tanzania with the DYNAMIC project. He will be moving to Tanzania in January 2020 for 2-3 years to work on this project. The DYNAMIC project is lead by the Global and Digital Health Unit at Unisanté in Lausanne, Switzerland, in collaboration with the SwissTPH, EPFL, and the Ifakara Health Institute, and the National Institute for Medical Research in Tanzania. Discover more on our website: https://www.soascodingclub.com/soas-radio-episode-15-clinical-algorithms

Today’s guest is truly one of my favorite people in the world.  We’ve been friends since we were neighbors in the dorms our first year in college.  She captured my heart quickly with her brilliance and passion for service (as well as her humor). She’s always been fiercely courageous in her pursuit to make a positive impact through trying to answer some of the world’s hardest questions.  She speaks 5 languages, is a family doctor, and has a doctoral degree in public health.  She’s also a mom of two, living in Tanzania and working to make quality health care accessible to all.  I love and respect this woman deeply - enjoy!   Some key talking points in today’s conversation: How being an immigrant shaped her work and life choices Her dream impact to reduce the number of women and children who die in childbirth Her Muslim faith and how it impacts her courageous work How being raised in a multicultural family informed how she sees the world Silencing the inner voices of doubt and fear in order to do meaningful work Living in the communities in which she works, which is now Tanzania Humility and arrogance Re-designing the way health systems function Being a health activist   More about Sanam Dr. Roder-DeWan is Health Specialist with the UNICEF Tanzania Country Office, a family physician and health systems researcher with expertise in maternal and child health and improving quality of care. She was the lead researcher and writer on improving quality for the Lancet Global Health Commission on High Quality Health Systems in the SDG Era. She is currently a collaborating researcher at Ifakara Health Institute in Dar es Salaam. Dr. Roder-DeWan completed her Doctorate in Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, her Doctorate in Public Health at Harvard and her postgraduate training at Lawrence Family Medicine.

What do we really know about mosquitoes? Fredros Okumu catches and studies these disease-carrying insects for a living -- with the hope of crashing their populations. Join Okumu for a tour of the frontlines of mosquito research, as he details some of the unconventional methods his team at the Ifakara Health Institute in Tanzania have developed to target what has been described as the most dangerous animal on earth. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What do we really know about mosquitoes? Fredros Okumu catches and studies these disease-carrying insects for a living -- with the hope of crashing their populations. Join Okumu for a tour of the frontlines of mosquito research, as he details some of the unconventional methods his team at the Ifakara Health Institute in Tanzania have developed to target what has been described as the most dangerous animal on earth.

O que realmente sabemos sobre os mosquitos? Fredros Okumu captura e estuda esses insetos portadores de doenças com a esperança de esmagar suas populações. Junte-se a Okumu num passeio pela linha de frente da pesquisa de mosquitos, em que ele detalha alguns dos métodos não convencionais que sua equipe no Ifakara Health Institute, na Tanzânia, desenvolveu para atingir o que foi descrito como o animal mais perigoso da Terra.