Welcome to the Name newsletter!

Welcome to the December 2024 newsletter!

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

Note that AMMnet Secretariat will be on an annual holiday from December 23-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.

AMMnet wishes you a happy holiday season!

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Register for the AMMnet Monthly Seminar
January 7, 2025, 15 hr UTC

Lessons Learned from Organizing and Hosting Regional Events

Presentation by Small Event Awardees

Presenters:

• Brazil: Olawale Awe, SaLLy – Statistical Learning Laboratory Federal University of Bahia
• Benin: Keller Alphonse Konkon, CREC: Centre de Recherche Entomologique de Cotonou
• Nigeria: Ezra Gayawan, Department of Statistics, Federal University
  of Technology
• Thailand: Sompob Saralamba, Mahidol Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit

_{Register for January 7 seminar here}

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The Applied Malaria Modeling Faculty Enrichment Program is accepting applications!

The Faculty Enrichment (FE) Program is an innovative initiative tailored to equip sub-Saharan African faculty with the skills needed for operational malaria modeling, enhancing local capacities for evidence-based malaria control. This 8-week in-person program emphasizes technical proficiency, scientific communication, and community building, targeting faculty who can sustain and disseminate the skills within their institutions. The program includes applied training where participants choose a track to address public health challenges through projects. It emphasizes skill development in modeling, data interpretation, and communication. Networking opportunities are provided through global platforms like AMMnet, fostering collaboration. Additionally, regular feedback and assessments through independent program evaluators are implemented to enhance the program continuously. This program addresses gaps in local expertise by targeting faculty who can influence future generations of modelers and work closely with malaria control programs. It combines advanced technical training with practical applications to support sustainable, localized malaria modeling effort.

See English and French program flyers and links below for deadlines, inquiry information and application details.

_{Email for enquiries here}

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_{Email for enquiries here}

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AMMnet Small Event Awards

17 applications were received from members in Kenya, Benin, Ethiopia, Cameroon, Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria, Tanzania and Rwanda!

The review task force have begun reviewing the applications and aim to select around 5 awardees for funding. Look for an announcement with details about the awardee to come in January 2025.

Submit your application before the next Small Event Award submission deadline -- March 1, 2025

• Requirement Reminder: Applicants are expected to submit the template that can be found on our website by clicking the link below instead of a proposal document

_{More information and guidance here}

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The next AMMnet Virtual Hackathon: Mapping in R

Details coming soon!

You can find recordings and materials for all previously held hackathons on our blog.

• Data Visualization in R
• Data Wrangling in R
  

_{Find the AMMnet Hackathon blog here}

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ERSILIA needs your input!

Ersilia is a non-profit organisation building open source AI tools for infectious disease research. They are undertaking a scoping project to ensure they meet the real needs of the research community — and your input is essential. Take their quick survey by following the link below.

_{Complete the survey here}

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Join the AMMnet WhatsApp Group

Join the AMMnet WhatsApp Group and connect directly with members, get announcements, including job, funding, collaborative opportunities and information about upcoming events.

_{Join AMMnet WhatApp Group Here}

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Join the AMMnet Slack Workspace

Join the AMMnet Slack Workspace and connect directly with members, get announcements, including job, funding, collaborative opportunities and information about upcoming events.

_{Join Here}

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Jobs and Grant Opportunities

Ten Applied Research Fellowship Positions Available at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

CDC established a 2-year Analytics and Modeling Track within the CDC Steven M. Teutsch Prevention Effectiveness Fellowship to focus on the application of mathematical modeling, forecasting, and advanced analytics in public health.

The PE Fellowship is recruiting approximately 10 modeling fellows in 2025. Applicants must hold a doctoral degree in a mathematical or analytical field such as mathematical modeling, operations research, ecology, quantitative epidemiology, or other applied science field. Fellows are matched with CDC programs and focus on work related to disease transmission, individual, compartmental, and agent-based, spatial, network, simulation, system dynamics, or econometric models. Training will be provided in decision analysis, disease transmission modeling, advanced econometrics, machine learning and big data analysis, data visualization, and key software applications such as R, Julia, Python, etc.

All doctoral degree requirements must be completed by 7/18/2025. The starting annual salary is approximately $98,000 plus Federal benefits. The fellowship begins on 8/11/2025 with an intensive orientation and training program. Interested individuals apply online at the link below between 9/3/2024 and 1/3/2025.

Please direct questions to: PE Fellowship Program Coordinator, 404-861-3882 or PEF@cdc.gov.

Deadline to submit: 1/3/25

_{Apply online for CDC positions here}

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Faculty Position in Infectious Disease Epidemiology Available at Wageningen University

Join Wageningen University & Research as a Faculty member (Assistant, Associate, Full Professor) in Infectious Disease Epidemiology! We are seeking a passionate academic to conduct innovative research on animal and zoonotic diseases, mentor PhD students, and contribute to impactful projects at the livestock-wildlife-human interface. If you're ready to advance your career and make a difference in veterinary and public health, explore this exciting opportunity today! We are looking for you.

The Infectious Disease Epidemiology (IDE) group at Wageningen University & Research is looking for an ambitious and enthusiastic academic researcher with expertise in data-driven mathematical modeling, with a focus on animal or zoonotic diseases. Skill sets such as spatial epidemiology, within-host modeling, Bayesian inference, and phylodynamic approaches are of particular interest to the group, as is a focus on global change.

You as a successful candidate will join the Academic Career Framework, advancing along the professor track (assistant, associate, or full professor).

Your duties and responsibilities include:

• Performing scientific research in infectious disease epidemiology
• Actively seeking funding to build and maintain your own research line
• Mentoring trainees
• Contributing to IDE courses
• Actively engaging in the IDE team to foster a stimulating academic environment for all.

Your research will be embedded within the chairgroup Infectious Disease Epidemiology (IDE), which is led by Prof. Quirine ten Bosch.

_{Read more the position and apply here}

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Postdoctoral Scholar Position Available at UC Berkeley

The Department of Demography at the University of California, Berkeley, invites applications for a Postdoctoral Scholar position in the research group of Prof. Ayesha Mahmud. This position is part of a new NIH-funded project titled “Novel Data and Approaches for Dynamic Modeling of Human Behavior and Infectious Disease Ecology.” The successful candidate will work on several studies focused on understanding how human behavior and demographic dynamics interact with climate change to influence the spread and evolution of infectious diseases.

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis and will be accepted until Feb 15.

_{Read more the position and apply here}

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Post-Doctoral Associate in Climate Applications to Vector-Borne Disease

The Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES) at the University of Colorado at Boulder (CU Boulder) encourages applications for a Post-Doctoral Associate in Climate Applications to Vector-Borne Disease in Boulder, Colorado.

_{Read more and apply here}

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Postdoctoral Research Associate Position Available at the University of Southern California

Dr. Ajitesh Srivastava, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Southern California is seeking a Postdoctoral Research Associate to work with him on the intersection of epidemic modeling and machine learning. The candidate will contribute to the development of infectious disease forecasting, projections, understanding, and evaluation, and to novel deep learning methods. The candidate will have the opportunity to present their work to experts in epidemiology and public health and build systems that help answer public health policy questions.
This is a fixed-term, one-year position with a possibility of renewal. The applications will be reviewed immediately and continue until the position is filled. Interested candidates should send the following to ajiteshs@usc.edu: (1) Academic CV, (2) A Research Statement (1-2 pages) summarizing relevant prior work and proposed research directions. Please feel free to contact Dr. Srivastava for further inquiries.

_{Email here for inquiries or to apply}

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Assistant/Associate/Full Professor of Data Science and Biostatistics

Position Available at Harvard University

The Department of Data Science at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (DFCI) and the Department of Biostatistics at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health (HSPH) seek candidates to fill a tenure-track faculty position at the Assistant, Associate, or Full Professor level.

Read more and apply here for Professor of BiostatisticsRead more and apply here for Assistant Professor of Biostatistics and Data ScienceRead more and apply here for Assistant/Associate/Full Professor of Data Science and Biostatistics

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Subgroups, Working Groups, and Regional Activities

Guidelines for Establishing an AMMnet Local Chapter

AMMnet’s Local Chapters bring together modelers, analysts, scientists, public health professionals, partner institutions and civil society, to work together locally to adopt common approaches to improve the use of modeling and analytics for controlling and eliminating malaria whilst reflecting the mission of Global AMMnet.

Establishing a local AMMnet chapter is a three-step process:

• Pre-registration with global AMMnet
• A completed Local Chapter Establishment Application Form
• AMMnet Board approval with guidance from the Local Chapter Review Task Force

If you are an AMMnet member and you are interested in establishing a local chapter, please refer the information and guidelines found at the link below.

If you have any questions, considerations or suggestions for establishing local AMMnet chapters, please send us an email at info@ammnet.org.

_{Local Chapter Information & Guidance}

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Seminar Recap and Recordings

AMMnet Special Event:

27 November 2024
Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV) Tools webinar

The seminar consisted of three presentations:

1)  Stephen Brand, Introducing MMVSola – a discovery pharmacometrics tool for prediction of human PK and antimalarial dose. This presentation described a new open-access pharmacometrics application called MMVSola, how it estimates the human PK and dose of investigational antimalarials and how the tool is used by discovery teams.

2) Jérémy Besnard and Benoît Laleu, Development of an Open Access Drug Design tool. This presentation focused on how Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV) intends to build an Open Access Drug Design tool that utilizes machine learning (ML) methods to support scientists working in Global Health including, but not limited to, malaria and neglected tropical diseases (NTD). This tool will involve data modelling, generative design, filtering (using properties, drug metabolism, safety predictive models), synthesis prediction and synthetic target selection based on active learning.

3) Gemma Turon, The Ersilia Model Hub: open source AI/ML models for malaria research in the Global South. The final presentation was on Ersilia Open Source Initiative. Ersilia is a research-oriented non-profit aimed at equipping laboratories in low-income countries with artificial intelligence (AI) tools for infectious disease research. They described their computational approach and infrastructure, focusing on how their AI/ML tools have advanced malaria drug discovery in resource-constrained settings and contribute towards a more egalitarian world of biomedical research.

AMMnet Seminar Series:

2024  December 3
Training Malaria Modelers from Sub-Saharan Africa: Experiences from the Faculty Enrichment (FE) Program

Speaker: Dr. Mor Absa LOUM and Dr. Isaiah Awintuen Agorinya

In this seminar, there were two speakers who spoke about their experience in the Faculty Enrichment Program, where they trained malaria modelers from sub-Saharan Africa. The Faculty Enrichment (FE) Program is an innovative initiative tailored to equip sub-Saharan African faculty with the skills needed for operational malaria modeling, enhancing local capacities for evidence-based malaria control.

Dr. Isaiah Awintuen Agorinya who is a senior Lecturer at the University of Health and Allied Sciences, Ghana, specializing in epidemiology, biostatistics, and infectious disease modeling. During the seminar, he shared his experience with the program which was conducted in Ghana.  The 18-week program aims to build a critical mass of modeling scientists capable of training the next generation of modelers. Participants engage in a comprehensive curriculum covering applied mathematical modeling, scientific communication, and connection building. The program includes structured activities, such as tutorials, journal clubs, and project-based learning, with milestones for developing specific aims, oral presentations, and NIH biosketches. Technical challenges like high-performance computing and funding were highlighted, alongside the program’s dual components: technical skill-building and scientific communication. Evaluations conducted at baseline, midline, and endline ensure continuous improvement. Dr. Isaiah emphasized the advantages of hosting the program in Africa, such as cost-effectiveness and reduced visa challenges, while acknowledging hurdles like internet connectivity and access to computing resources.

Dr. Mor Absa LOUM who is a Lecturer and Researcher at the Iba Der Thiam University of Thies, Senegal, specializing in biostatistics and infectious disease modeling discussed the program’s implementation in Senegal which was tailored for French-speaking participants. He detailed the program’s history and its expansion to accommodate linguistic diversity. Challenges arose during the 2023 training, which was conducted entirely in English, causing difficulties for some French-speaking participants. The 2024 FE training in Senegal addressed these issues, integrating French-language instruction to enhance accessibility. Dr. Absalon noted the importance of collaboration between Northwestern University, WCAD, and local institutions in delivering the program. He also highlighted cultural familiarity and reduced visa obstacles as benefits of hosting the training in Africa, while reiterating the logistical and technical challenges encountered during implementation.

You may find a recording of these seminars on our website or YouTube along with recordings from other past special events and seminars.

Recordings in French, English and Portuguese are available.

_{Seminar Recordings on the Website}

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Board Meeting Summary

The Board met December 10, 2024

Present: Antonio, Nadege, Justin, Jaline, Cherlynn, Hannah, Caitlin, Emilie
Absent: Emmanuel (in a workshop and may not be able to attend), Luc is traveling and will likely not be able to attend, Susan
Secretariat present: Shannon, Ida

Local Chapters Establishment

• Recommendations for Chapter establishment: Liberia
  • GovCom voted Yea to present to Board for approval
  • No questions/comments from the Board

• VOTE: Should Liberia Local Chapter be formally established?
  
  • The Boarded voted unanimously in favor of establishing the local chapter
  • Secretariat will inform local chapter, begin the administrative process of sending funds, invite to Best Practices for Starting a Local Chapter meeting

2025 AMMnet Meeting

• Grand Challenges Consortia Meeting, scheduled for 9-10 June, in Mozambique, but there are concerns with local protests and security / proximity to Eid al-Adha
  • Meeting is still happening, but being monitored, uncertain whether BMGF confirmation has been received
  • Due to the security situation currently in Mozambique and the need have adequate time for planning the annual meeting, we will plan the meeting in another location
  • Consider swapping MaMod Africa meeting (currently scheduled for 11-13 June)
    • Emilie will check with them (not essential unless the plan is moved back to Mozambique)
• Alternate plan for Annual Meeting location (now Plan A)
  • Coordinate with SME WG: they have not yet chosen a date and location (though will be in Africa) and are willing to work around AMMnet
    • • Prioritize planning a meeting in Senegal to align with SME WG, between June-Aug
        • Jaline will reach out to SME WG planners with proposal
    • If we’re interested in this option, what are our preferences for date and location? Jaline can discuss with SME WG co-chairs
      • Country partners would be more likely to participate, policy focused
      • Need to consider end of grant, Aug 31, 2025
      • Consider capability of hosting country
      • Francophone group event
        • Consider having annual meeting in Francophone country so we can simultaneously plan event; Francophone event could fold into the annual event and the Francophone group would take a leading role with the annual meeting planning task force
      • Other ideas?
        • Dakar — easy for visas.
          • If in Dakar, no need to separately hold a separate AMMnet francophone event, but ask them to piggyback on this one
        • Rwanda? (but this is not a francophone)
    • Event planning: we had not received a written confirmation of support from BMGF yet so there is still some uncertainty on what will or won’t be supported this time
      • Jaline to discuss with Jenn during Dec 20 meeting

Large Event Award: Nairobi, Pan-African Training School on Mathematical Modelling of Infectious Diseases (Malaria).

• 2-week course, Summer 2025 (dates tbd)
• AMMnet budget includes travel and accommodations for one Board member to attend
• How do we choose who will attend? Lottery?
  • Can support a Board member attendance for a couple days
  • Volunteers?
    • Consider someone who is based in/near
    • Choose randomly? Choose those on the continent? (Board members should attend just one awardee’s event)
  • Emilie will be attending for the course (will not need to be supported)
  • First consider those who self nominates; if none, then randomly draw

DHS questionnaire revision feedback (not explicitly asking for AMMnet involvement, asked for team feedback)

• portal is open Jan 13 - Mar 3
• do we want to organize a “team” set of inputs? (preferred over individual responses)
• also some interest in understanding which indicators are used
• They prefer team input
• Which indicators are used for specific communities
• AMMnet collated response is preferred, place in a cohesive document
• Board interest in doing? Or a call for interest within AMMnet? Consider starting a task force. For TF, call for volunteers.
• We would facilitate gathering feedback from AMMnet, then we/Board would organize responses
• Decision: mild interest as AMMnet; will not prioritize, but others can assemble input as they’d like and submit to DHS team,
• AMMnet will share with membership once the portal is open
  
  • Secretariat will include in the January newsletter

Leadership Training for Board members

• Consider exploring a training to give back to those who dedicate much time to AMMnet as board members
• Any Leadership Training resources to recommend we explore?  
  
  • LinkedIn Learning, Hannah intended to look further into
  • Skill Path, $600, leadership and mentor, etc. In person and online
• Secretariat will explore and update at next meeting
• Board members to continue to explore and share with Secretariat

Website Development

• Awaiting revised proposal from Defijn
• Task force to review key developments and provide feedback
  
  • Manuela
  • Ida
  • Board volunteers?  
    
    • Hannah
  • Could also reach out to other members who could contribute
  • Shannon to send a Google form to members for redesign AMMnet website, name, email, why interested
• Key points/Next steps, where TF will be asked for feedback
  
  • Visual Strategy Website Workshop (looking for direction for feel of website, vibe, to direct esthetics and design)
  • UI Concept Ideation & Validation (visual elements)
  • UI Finish/finalize