Welcome to the Name newsletter!

Welcome to the December newsletter!

Please note that AMMnet Secretariat will be on an annual holiday from December 22-January 2. If you have a request, there will be a delay to our reply during this period, but we will get back to you as soon as possible.

Please contact info@ammnet.org if you would like to contribute any items to next month’s newsletter!

Contents:

1. Special announcements
2. Jobs and grant opportunities
3. Workshops and conferences
4. Courses and learning opportunities
5. Subgroups, working groups, and regional activities
6. Seminar recap and recordings

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1. Special announcements

AMMnet Monthly Seminar: Look for the new 2024 series to start soon!

During 2023 we brought you a wide array of guest speakers from within our AMMnet community and beyond, from entomologists, to funders, to modelers, to discussions among our community about how to better serve our members. As we close the year, we look forward to bringing you more exciting speakers that enhance your knowledge and widen your perspective.

We invite you to provide your input in a survey found at the link here. (See the link here for the French survey.)

• We’re looking for speakers who may be interested in giving a 10-minute or 30-minute presentation. Invited speakers do not have to be members of AMMnet.
• We’re also looking for AMMnet members who would like to give a lightning introduction of themselves

If you are interested in adding your name to the list of potential presenters or know someone who may be a great speaker, submit their name in the survey above.

Call for Abstracts and Trainers for the AMMnet Africa Meeting in Kigali, Rwanda April 18-19, 2024

It is our pleasure to announce the upcoming AMMnet Annual Meeting, which will take place in Kigali, Rwanda, on the 18th and 19th of April 2024, ahead of the Multilateral Initiative on Malaria Conference (MIM).

We are excited to bring together professionals and experts from the malaria analytics field to share insights, exchange ideas, and foster collaboration. This time we are also excited to host a series of training sessions to all attendees.

As a valued member of the AMMnet community, we invite you to submit an abstract for a short talk or a poster, or to organize a training session. All presentations (oral and poster) will be made in person. Applications must be received by January 22, 2024, to be considered.

AMMnet encourages francophone members to submit applications for oral presentations, posters and training sessions to be given in French. We aim to select at least one training session to be given in French. Oral presentations can be given in French, as we will have live translation at the event.

• Speaker or Poster Presentation: If you would like to present your work as an oral presentation or poster, kindly fill out this application to submit your abstract and apply for a travel award, if needed. This is a fantastic opportunity to showcase your work and contribute to the discussions. Talks will be around 10 minutes.
• Training Session: If you would like to share your expertise through a training session, please fill out this application to submit the title and content of your session and to apply for a travel award, if needed. We are grateful for your contribution to the learning experience. Training sessions will be 3 hours.

The Gates Foundation is pleased to partner with AMMnet to sponsor the 2024 conference. There is no registration fee to attend the meeting, and Foundation support enables AMMnet to offer select meals to attendees free of charge during the event. The Gates Foundation will not be covering any participant travel expenses; however, a select number of travel awards are being offered by AMMnet for presenters and session leads. These travel awards will cover hotel accommodations for three days and flights up to $1,500. If you wish to apply for travel funding, please submit your application through the abstract or training form above by January 22nd, 2024. Travel awards will be prioritized for those with an accepted abstract and those organizing training sessions, and unfortunately, we do not expect to have funds available to support additional people. While we invite you to participate in person, a limited number of sessions will be also available in live streaming.

Please mark your calendars for this event and stay tuned for further updates and formal registration that will open in February 2024. We look forward to your active involvement and contributions to make the 2024 AMMnet Annual Meeting a success.

Congratulations to our most recent AMMnet Event Awardees!

• Malawi Centre for Epidemiology and Mathematical Analysis (MACEMA): Regional AMMnet Workshop

Nicholas Adam, MACEMA, Malawi

• Introducing Researchers Involved in Vector Control to Modelling for Operational Decision-makings

Keller Alphonse Konkon, CREC: Centre de Recherche Entomologique de Cotonou, Benin

• Workshop on Econometric Modeling for Malaria Control in Guinea

Almamy Amara Toure, Centre National de Formation et de Recherche en Santé Rurale de Mafèrinyah, Guinea

• AMMnet Cameroon regional chapter during the 3rd PAMCA Cameroon chapter conference

Antonio Nkondjio Christophe, OCEAC-PAMCA, Cameroon

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WHO: World malaria report 2023 is out!

Each year, WHO’s World malaria report provides a comprehensive and up-to-date assessment of trends in malaria control and elimination across the globe. You may download the report from the website here.

Join the AMMnet Slack workspace

If you haven’t joined the AMMnet slack workspace, join here! Many announcements, including job opportunities and upcoming events, are posted first on the Slack. This is also a great place to connect directly with other modelers!

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2. Jobs and grant opportunities

Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health – Postdoctoral Fellow

Dr. Abdisalan Noor leads a program of work to strengthen capacity and the enabling strategic, policy and leadership environment for public health analytics in health systems in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), with a focus on Africa. The program of work aims to develop a networked architecture for sustainable capacity development in public health analytics. The project will engage national public health institutes, national malaria programmes, the World Health Organization, the Africa Centre for Disease Control and Prevention and other partners.

The successful applicant will lead work in selected countries in sub-Saharan Africa on:

• Landscape analysis of investments in public health analytics for health policy and planning.
• Analysis of the process linkages in the development of the national health sector planning and disease specific strategic planning.
• Documenting the analysis approaches, products and partnerships that inform national health sector and disease specific planning processes.
• Implementing a public health analytics needs assessment in select disease/public health programmes
• Support the development of a strategy for a new architecture to strengthen public health analytics in Africa.

Navigate to the job posting here for more details, candidate qualifications, and application procedure.

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MAP East Africa is looking for two Senior Research Scientists

Are you a forward-thinking modeler or a passionate data scientist eager to make a tangible impact? The Malaria Atlas Project (MAP) have 2 posts open for a Senior Research Scientist tailored for minds driven by curiosity and innovation. These roles will be based in the vibrant city of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania and sets the stage for ground-breaking work in advanced geospatial analysis.

Be part of a transformative journey where your skills will shape the future of malaria research. The roles will focus on developing innovative geospatial analytical architectures to understand the complexities of malaria risk and estimating its burdens. Join us in creating a profound impact by providing quality evidence that can guide National Malaria Control Programmes (NMCPs) decision making.

The positions are open to all African nationals. 📌

Apply by Tuesday, January 2nd, 2024.

Visit the link here for details on how to apply.

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Regional AMMnet Event Grant

AMMnet would like to encourage the growth of regional AMMnet chapters and is looking to support small regional in-person AMMnet events such as meetings, conferences, or workshops. AMMnet will fund up to 10 regional events annually, each with a budget range of $500 to $3,000.

Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis and in English, French, or Portuguese. More information and application instructions are available here: English, French, Portuguese. Look for an updated announcement and new application guidelines for 2024, to be announced next week.

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3. Workshops, webinars and conferences

8th MIM Society Conference: 21-27 April 2023 Kigali, Rwanda

Multilateral Initiative on Malaria- MIM Society 8th Pan African Malaria Conference (PAMC)

“Grassroots Mobilization to End Malaria: Invest, Innovate & Integrate”

21-27 April 2024

Kigali Convention Centre

Kigali, Rwanda

This is an open call for abstracts. Participants may submit an abstract for review via  www.mimAfrica.com. Authors may submit for oral, poster or symposia sessions.

Submission deadline: January 15, 2024 (23h59 CAT)

Applicants will be notified of acceptances by February 15, 2024, and must confirm participation within a week of notification.

You may find more information at the website here.

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Explore the crucial role of genomic data in tackling antimicrobial resistance | 2024 Scientific Conference

Registration for the 2024 conference focusing on Antimicrobial Resistance – Genomes, Big Data and Emerging Technologies (13-15 March 2024) opens soon!

Bringing together researchers, clinicians, computer scientists, and policymakers working in pathogen genomics, epidemiology, surveillance, and machine learning, to discuss the recent advances and current challenges shaping the field.

Discussion will cover a variety of topics, including:

• Genomic surveillance of priority pathogens
• Global public health pathogen genomics infrastructure
• Translation and implication of genomics for antimicrobial resistance (AMR) control
• Wastewater surveillance
• AI, machine learning, and big data tools
• Measuring the burden of AMR

Emphasis will be placed on demonstrating how findings from genomics studies can be implemented into clinical practice and policy, to control AMR.

This conference is an excellent platform to connect with experts, access exclusive talks, and present your own research on a global platform.

Abstract deadline: 16 January 2024

Navigate to the website here for more information and key dates.

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4. Courses and Learning Opportunities

No courses and learning sources to share this month. Please send any opportunities to AMMnet.org that you’d like to share.

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5. Subgroups, working groups, and regional activities

AMMnet Francophone

AMMnet has a group dedicated to building a French speaking modeling community. Led by Dr. Dr. Abdourahamane Diallo and Carmène Ngadjeu, they meet monthly, facilitate discussions around malaria modeling learning, collaboration, and resources for francophone countries. If you’d like to participate in the francophone group and receive an invitation to meetings and webinars, please contact info@AMMnet.org.

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6. Seminar recap and recordings

Monthly Seminar Series:

November 7, Sarah Zohdy, Courtney Murdock & Jeanne Samake: How can modelling be used in the fight against invasive malaria mosquito, Anopheles stephensi in Africa?

The panel focused on An. stephensi, the invasive species capable of transmitting malaria, and increasingly threatening the African continent. Sarah Zohdy (CDC) presenting the works of Fitsum Tadesse (AHRI, Ethiopia) , Courtney Murdock (Cornell University ), and Jeanne Samake (CDC).

Sarah Zohdy (for Fitsum Tadesse) presented on the history of the spread of An. stephensi in the African continent. Since its early reports in Djibouti (in the eastern coast of Africa) of 2012, the species has now been reported in eight African countries. Djibouti moved from a pre-elimination state in 2010, to a 26-fold increase in annual cases from 2012 to 2020.  Given the ecology of the An. stephensi vector including its capability of breeding in urban habitats, a projected 126 million people across Africa could be at risk of malaria due to the invasive vector. Breeding in man-made containers also leads to perennial patterns of disease transmission as studies have concluded the vector can transmit both Plasmodium falciparum and P. vivax parasite.    

Courtney Murdock presented on ecological drivers of An. stephensi and urban malaria in India. The vector’s ecology has many similarities with those in Africa. In urban Indian settings, the vector typically rests indoors, in cattle sheds, and feeds on both cattle and humans. By combining field and lab data, the study quantifies vector competence under different climate conditions with subsequent analyses on the spatial and temporal variations in transmission dynamics, including the effects of climate change.  Results so far have shown large spatial variations and clustering in the study areas, where indoor and outdoor microclimates also lead to differences in predictors of environmental suitability. Future works will incorporate the effects of relative humidity and variations in socio-ecological factors.  

Jeanne Samake presented on incorporating genomics data to predict invasion of An. stephensi. Genomic sequencing of  An. stephensi mosquitoes collected from Ethiopia and Somaliland done revealed spatial differences in lineages indicating multiple introductions. In addition, genetic network analyses revealed vector dispersal hubs in Ethiopia and Somaliland. Species suitability models comparing those with and without genetic distances included as a determinant revealed no significant effects of gene flow/ genetic variability. Subsequent works will use the whole genome to further understand the vector’s adaptability and expansion.

November 28, AMMnet Francophone on its Webinar series: Exploring how mathematical modeling guides the fight against malaria.

In this session two speakers made presentations this session, William KUIPOU, a Cameroonian researcher specializing in biological physics, mathematical biology and malaria vector control modeling, shared the results of his work on “Spatio-temporal monitoring of competitive interactions between mosquito subpopulations” and Franck Junior Dongmo (PhD cand.) who holds a master’s degree in mathematical modeling. He is currently a PhD student at the University of Dschang and affiliated with the Centre de Recherche sur les Maladies Infectieuses – CRID in Cameroon. In this talk, Franck Dongmo will explain “How to optimize Ivermectin intervention strategies to reduce the prevalence of malaria in humans”.

William KUIPOU explained how Anopheles mosquitoes, responsible for the transmission of malaria, are showing strong signs of adapting their behavior to control strategies aimed at maintaining their density threshold at easily controllable levels. With this in mind, the first aim of his work was to study the spatio-temporal dynamics of these vectors. The mathematical models  introduced took into account diffusive flows (characterizing the migration of adult mosquitoes), the repulsion of mosquitoes to chemical compounds used in control strategies, mating, and competitive interactions between: individuals of the same sub-population (intra), individuals of sub-populations of different strains (inter).

He succeeded in showing that mating and interactions between individuals of the same subpopulation significantly influence the direction and overall speed of invasion, and reduce the densities of invasive strains. Furthermore, for optimal control, he showed that the repulsive force of the active compounds must be above a minimum threshold, which he had characterized.

Franck DONGMO on his side said that Ivermectin is an endectocide which was first approved as a veterinary drug in 1981. Due to its broad spectrum of activity against nematodes and ectoparasites, its high potency, its long pharmacokinetic persistence in blood and lymph and its safety in vertebrates, it has become one of the best antiparasitic drugs. It is one of the main drugs used to control the filarial nematodes Onchocerca volvulus and Wuchereria bancrofti through mass drug administration in endemic areas. Using a mathematical model, he quantified the impact that ivermectin could have on the dynamics of malaria transmission, and proposed strategies for implementing this drug, which could significantly reduce mosquito density and relative prevalence in humans.

December 5, Lucinda Harrison: Structured decision making with geospatial modelling outputs.

In this seminar, Lucinda Harrison, a PhD student at the School of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Melbourne, Australia, presented on “Structured decision-making with geospatial modeling outputs.” The presentation began with an introduction to the topic, highlighting the importance of using geospatial modeling outputs to make informed decisions in areas such as disease surveillance. The talk emphasized the importance of involving various experts and stakeholders in the decision-making process and the need for thorough interrogation of the modeling outputs before making decisions.

The presentation included examples of using modeling outputs to make decisions about disease surveillance, such as creating a geospatial model to map transmission risk across Southeast Asia and using structured decision-making to select optimal surveillance sites for malaria. The talk also covered the challenges in model development and decision-making, including the need to understand trade-offs and thoroughly interrogate models for uncertainties and assumptions.

The presentation showcased a shiny app developed to demonstrate the decision-making process, including optimizing site selection for healthcare centers. The app uses a global friction surface for accessibility analysis to develop travel time catchments and capture different target landscapes for investigation around primary healthcare centers. The app also produces tables of ranking for land cover to aid in decision-making for site selection and explores optimizing multiple objectives for site selection using the Pareto front method.

The presentation concluded with a discussion of different ways to represent accessibility to healthcare, such as travel time and population density. The talk emphasized the importance of engagement between modelers and decision-makers for effective use of models and the need to balance accessibility and objective means by selecting multiple sites.

You may find these two recordings and others on the AMMnet YouTube channel located on the website here. Watch past seminars, workshops, and special events. (Subject to speaker permission.)

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7. AMMnet Board meeting minutes

AMMnet’s Board met on December 12, 2023.

Present: Emmanuel Bakare, Cherlynn Dumbura, Jaline Gerardin, Antonio Nkondjio, Caitlin Bever, Hannah Slater, Justin Millar, Manuela Runge, Luc Djogbenou

Absent: Susan Rumisha

Secretariat present: Ida Sagbo, Shannon Stanfill,

Finance Committee / Kigali Meeting Task Force

• Kigali meeting accommodation support via BMGF to cover 3 nights for 75 people.
• BOARD VOTE: Travel awards to Kigali for accepted speakers and training organizers from LMIC, increase budget for awards: additional $6k ($18k already approved by Board)
  • VOTED YEA: accept this revision to the budget
• BOARD VOTE: LMIC Board member travel to Kigali: est. $6k max
  • VOTED YEA: accept this revision to the budget
• BOARD VOTE: Advisory Board member travel to Kigali: est $8k
  • VOTED YEA: accept this revision to the budget (will check to see if members have source to pay before AMMnet budget)

Evaluations

• AMMnet Board Self Evaluation (7/11 respondents)
• AMMnet Board Chair Evaluation (5/10 respondents)
  • Need more responses so GovCom can review and make changes as needed!

Local Chapters Task Force Update – Cherlynn and Antonio

• formal policies for local chapters with global AMMnet support
• already circulated and discussed with current local chapter leads; also some comments from Board members
• draft ToR after incorporating feedback
  • ok to share current draft with AMMnet francophone for them to discuss with members at their meeting this week? – Yes
• Requirements of local chapters:
  • bylaws, mission, local registration
  • annual financial report, activities report, and next year plan
• Global AMMnet oversight
  • provide annual basic operating budget for local chapter
  • oversight is via GovCom with recommendations from task force of 1-2 Board members, up to 3 regular members
    • leadership development opportunity for general membership
  • some oversight aspects require vote of the Board: establish new chapter; disband chapter; stop funding
• next steps:
  • Board to review proposed ToR amendment, provide comments, TF to incorporate
  • Board vote to adopt (Feb Board meeting); if there are additional discussions to be had before vote, we will discuss in Feb and vote in March or April
    • Good to proceed with Feb Board meeting as goal to discuss and March/April vote
    • Board members to review document and add comments
  • Present to general membership with proposed update to global AMMnet ToR covering the local chapters
  • Vote by General Assembly on whether to adopt – Mar or Apr 2024, depending on Board schedule and vote outcome (postponed if more discussion needed)
• regional super-groups: francophone and lusophone
  • discussed local chapter policy with them (leadership)
  • how regional groups fit in is not clear yet.
    • for example, could/should they have a supervising function for local chapters?
    • current proposed ToR revision has all local chapters being supervised by global AMMnet
    • More discussion needed
  • TF will continue working on this to develop a policy to recommend.
  • AMMnet francophone also working on its own ToR, mission, etc
    • Jaline will share with Francophone group
  • current TF plan is that Board moves ahead with local chapter policy and addresses regional groups later, maybe Q3 or Q4 2024.

Membership fee

• Recommending this for local chapters. ($5 per individual + subsidized rate for others)
  • Can use this money locally
• Should we have this for global AMMnet? (membership dues)
  • Challenge logistically/operationally
    • Will impose at a local level, cost and operational challenge
    • Need to think about infrastructure
  • Could remove those with minimal membership activity
  • Shows a level of commitment
  • Pay both at local and global level?
  • Would be good to have everyone pay some amount
    • Process and how we should go about? Local vs. global?
    • Future consideration, not to implement now
  • Initial “recommended dues”
  • Can channel money to local chapter
  • Consider: no students pay dues; we will leave to local chapter to decide
• Next steps: local chapters can collect dues, but we will consider for future on a global level

RFP Event Award Task Force

• Revisions to RFP and evaluation underway, plan to finalize and announce early next week
• Will roll out for applications received on or after Jan 1 2024
  • anticipate a change once local chapter ToR in place
• Reviewed changes with board
  • Task force will proceed as planned

January seminar: RFP awardee presentations?

• Secretariat will review awardees and choose a few to approach
• Meeting will be revised to January 9

AMMnet francophone interested in holding an in-person meeting ahead of PAMCA in Abidjan, Sept 2024

• Should we support with resources?
• They will form an organized committee to handle
• Timing is soon after in-person meeting in Kigali
• Budget requested?
• Number of days, and is it before or during PAMCA?
• Content of meeting?
• Translation/interpretation available or specific to only francophone?
• Fits with decentralizing objective of AMMnet
• Opportunity to grow membership in CIV, BFA
• Next steps: Board questions and positive sentiment to be communicated back to francophone group

Supplement request to BMGF in development

• verbal approval from Jenn to request additional funds
• Circulating with task force
  • Will circulate to the board for comments/feedback before final is sent to BMGF
• content/proposing:
  • support local chapter operational funds (supporting basic administration)
  • expand event awards (20)
  • new large event award (4, $40K)
  • Board member travel to large events
  • strategic consultant for local chapter leadership and strategy development – under discussion
  • live translation of webinars to Portuguese
  • Portuguese administrator, part-time
  • member management software (approved by FinCom)

Update from Emmanuel on attendance criteria

• ToR: Attendance criteria.
• Standards from other associations/organizations
  • Criteria varies
    • 2x consecutively missing meeting without notification gets a fine
    • Continuously missing, will need to provide reason
• Recommendation to Board:
  • Pay a fine before removal (logistically this is not possible)
  • Could use a “card/warning” system

Advisory Board

• Advisory Board meeting will be April 20 in Kigali between AMMnet meeting and MIM
• Ad Board alerted to this: 4/5 have said they are attending MIM, waiting to hear back from 5th
• Secretariat working to schedule a Jan meet & greet with Ad Board. Looking for a date that will work with all 5 Ad Board members, then as many Board members as can make it
  • proposing 9-10am Chicago time one of Jan 17, 19, 22, 23
    • Emilie cannot make it to 1/19

Visioning workshop: board to flesh out our vision for AMMnet

• Feb 2024 or April 2024 for Board
• Asked Kigali Meeting Task Force if there would be time to do this in person with the general membership, awaiting their input
• Shannon and Jaline to research how these are done and will design an outline

Next Board meeting

• Scheduled for February 20
  • Look for a calendar invitation for 2024 to come