Upcoming challenges for malaria modeling

Lisa White from Oxford presented on “Upcoming challenges for malaria modelling”. The first part of her presentation was based on the following question: “what will the next cohort of malaria modellers look like?”. She indicated a tension between increased demand for contextually-relevant malaria modeling on the one hand and a global recruitment crisis for analytic and modelling on the other hand. Reflecting on the reasons for this situation, she mentions the high costs and the lack of incentives for capacity building, as well as the weight of old conventions. She suggested a framework for meaningful capacity building, relying on three levels: foundational (including training in academic as well as policy-facing modelling), supportive (fostering collaborative network, data structures, and career development pathways) and connective (communication, links with policy makers). A lively discussion with the audience followed, where many additional topics were highlighted, such the responsibility of funders and publishers or the challenges faced by modellers in malaria endemic countries. Finally, in a second part, Dr. White introduced the topic of antimalarial resistance, where she argued that a strategy trying to compromise between a reduced drug pressure and an increased use of drugs to save lives might prove counterproductive, and that models should be mobilized to try and solve this apparent dilemma.