Welcome to the May 2025 newsletter!

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

AMMnet Annual Meeting in Dakar, Senegal 

Save the Date: June 25 - 27, 2025

From Data to Decisions for Policy and Practice

Look for an invitation to register to come by email soon!

It is our pleasure to announce the upcoming AMMnet Annual Meeting, which will take place in Dakar, Senegal.

Dates: June 25-27, 2025
Location: Terrou-Bi, Boulevard Martin Luther King, Dakar 11500

This year we are partnering with the RBM Partnership to End Malaria’s Surveillance, Monitoring and Evaluation Working Group (RBM SME WG) and holding consecutive meetings.

We are excited to bring together professionals and experts from the malaria analytics field to share insights, exchange ideas, and foster collaboration under this year’s theme, From Data to Decisions for Policy and Practice.

Please visit our website regularly for updates, as we will continue adding new information.

Register for the AMMnet Monthly Seminar
June 3, 2025, 15 hr UTC

AIMS for the Future: Empowering Africa’s Youth in Science through Mathematical Epidemiology Training

Presenter: Professor Cecil Naphtaly Moro Ouma 

The African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS) is re-engineering the future of epidemiological science by equipping Africa’s youth with advanced, interdisciplinary training that bridges mathematics, data science, and public health. Through innovative programs like the MaModAfrica MSc and PhD and the MathEpi Master’s, AIMS is building a new generation of epidemiologists who can model, predict, and respond to disease dynamics with scientific precision.

These programs are not only academic; they are deeply rooted in real-world impact, connecting trainees with National Malaria Control Programmes (NMCPs) and leading epidemiology research institutions across the continent. Students gain hands-on experience through internships and collaborative research, translating theory into action.

By fusing scientific rigor with practical engagement, AIMS is creating a robust ecosystem for mathematical epidemiology, one that empowers youth, strengthens health systems, and prepares Africa to lead in global health innovation.

Registration notice: 

Following our April seminar, there was some confusion regarding the event’s start time. Please note that the seminar is scheduled to begin at 15:00 UTC. 

To ensure all attendees attend at the correct time, if the Zoom invite doesn't reflect the correct start time upon registration, then please notify us at info@ammnet.org and manually update the time to 15:00 UTC. We appreciate your understanding and cooperation.

PSA: Real-time interpretation to French and Portuguese will be available.

Missed a hackathon?

Catch up on the AMMnet Hackathon blog!

Access recordings and resources from past events -- from Data Wrangling to Mapping in R (you'll even find a session en français!) 

We invite instructors of other languages to lead sessions. Reach out to info@ammnet.org if you are interested in leading a session in French or Portuguese.

The Board has named the next Board Chair for the term May 2025-2027 -- Hannah Slater!

Hannah has officially transitioned into the Board Chair role for AMMnet. Jaline Gerardin will remain as the Executive Director of AMMnet. 

AMMnet’s Board Chair facilitates the Board’s leadership of AMMnet, setting guiding principles, policies, strategy, and mission, and the Board’s oversight of AMMnet. With the Executive Director, the Board Chair establishes guidelines for communication and manages relationships between the Board, Committees, and Secretariat so that everyone knows how to communicate.

The AMMnet Board welcomes Shakira Babirye and Mor Absa Loum to the Board!

Shakira Babirye 

Statement of Purpose: I am excited to bring a unique blend of skills and experience to AMMnet, particularly in the areas of data governance, data sharing, and responsible AI. With my background in biostatistics, malaria modeling, and mentoring the next generation of malaria researchers, I am passionate about contributing to AMMnet's mission to advance malaria control through collaborative, data-driven solutions. One of my key goals is to promote the adoption of FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable) data principles within AMMnet, ensuring that malaria data is shared responsibly and used effectively across regions. This would facilitate not only better data sharing among African researchers but also enhanced transparency and collaboration in malaria research. Moreover, I bring expertise in embedding mathematical and machine learning models into tools that are designed with the principles of responsible and generative AI in mind. Ensuring that every step of the modeling process is aligned with ethical AI standards is critical, particularly when we translate research into actionable public health tools. My vision for AMMnet is to see it lead in the responsible use of AI and data science in malaria control, where innovation is balanced with ethical considerations to achieve sustainable and impactful outcomes. Given my background, I would contribute by advocating for data governance frameworks, ensuring that the data we collect and analyze is used ethically and efficiently. I would also contribute to promoting responsible AI initiatives within AMMnet, ensuring that all tools and models developed adhere to the highest standards of ethical practices. Through these contributions, I believe AMMnet can not only push the boundaries of malaria research but also set a global example for how to responsibly apply technology to solve public health challenges.

Mor Absa Loum

Statement of Purpose: Being AMMnet board member is very exciting in many ways; It will allow me to contribute to the development of operational malaria modeling with majors contributions to the growing of modeling community. I believe my strategic insight and ideas would support AMMnet's future growth and sustainability. My experience, my background and my knowledge of the AMMnet organization and local universities/partners make me an ideal candidate. I believe that my background and abilities would be an excellent match for the position of AMMnet board member. This will allow me to provide majors contributions in AMMnet strategies definition and implementation.

AMMnet Small Events Award Applications Due June 1

Submit your application before the next Small Event Award deadline: June 1, 2025

Requirement Reminder: Applicants are required to submit the template (English, French, Portuguese) that can be found on our website by clicking the link below. If you don't submit your proposal using the required template, we will not consider your application. 

Job Opportunities

Senior Malaria Researcher

GiveWell is seeking a Senior Malaria Researcher to help us direct hundreds of millions of dollars annually (we directed ~$250 million in 2024) to the most cost-effective malaria prevention programs that we can find. You will have an outsized influence on our funding decisions and help us save and improve lives on a global scale.

You will be joining a small grantmaking team to contribute to our ambitious research agenda on malaria. You’ll sift through the countless questions we could try to answer, and honing in on those that matter most. You’ll also communicate externally about your work and mentor and advise other researchers on the team.

You will shape a research agenda that brings rigor and creativity to the thorniest questions the GiveWell malaria team faces. Your work will combine empirical evidence review and critical synthesis, cost-effectiveness modeling, discussions with subject matter experts, understanding of the broader context, and your own judgment.

AHADI is hiring two analysis positions!

We are looking for a Health Economist and an Epidemiologist/Biostatistician with strong quantitative and public health skills and interests in using analytics to support priority-setting and decision-making in countries with high disease burden. If you’re a strong analyst, with a keen curiosity and a proactive problem-solving mindset, and interested in supporting self-reliance in public health analytics in Africa, this role could be for you!

• • Location: Flexible in Africa
  • Start Date: Q3-Q4 2025

Why AHADI?

• • Work with a values-driven team committed to reducing disease burden through analytics.
  • We are focused on strengthening self-reliance in public health analytics in countries.
  • Collaborate with global teams to build scalable solutions for public health.

Visit the job postings on our website to learn more about these positions and apply below. 

Courses and Learning Opportunities

Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology Imperial College London School of Public Health

Introduction to Mathematical Models of the Epidemiology & Control of Infectious Diseases

An interactive short course for professionals taking place 15th - 26th September 2025. Taught by leading researchers who advise policy-makers internationally. Topics include HIV, TB, malaria, outbreak response, COVID-19, health economics, vaccination programmes, stochastic models & more. For questions, please contact infectiousdiseasemodels@imperial.ac.uk. 

Data Analysis and Visualization Using R

Sunday Weekly Course Series led by Shakira Babirye

Delivery Mode: Virtual via AMMnet Zoom 

Schedule: Every Sunday, 7:00–8:00 AM GMT +03 (East African Time)

Instructor: Shakira Babirye, Biostatistician/Data Scientist, Infectious Diseases Research Collaboration (IDRC)

Contact: bbrshakira@gmail.com

If you'd like to join the virtual session on Sundays, contact Shakira at the email above and she'll send you a Zoom link. 

You'll find recordings of Shakira's previous sessions on the AMMnet YouTube at the link below.

Workshops and Conferences

EpiMob Satellite at NetSci 2025 Conference, June 3, 2025

The EpiMob satellite (“Epidemic Control: From Mobility Data to Public Health”) at the NetSci 2025 conference in Maastricht, Netherlands, aims to bring together researchers exploring the use of mobility and contact data to study and respond to infectious disease epidemics. More details coming soon.

NetSci 2025 will be held June 2-6, 2025, at MECC Maastricht. The EpiMob satellite will take place on Tuesday, June 3 at the NetSci conference venue.

MIDAS Trainee Workshop: How to Give an Engaging Research Talk

Want to make your research presentations more compelling and accessible? Join the MIDAS Trainee Network for a hands-on workshop on how to give an effective research talk!

Dr. Ana Bento (Cornell University) will kick things off with a short presentation on how to make your research talks more engaging, including how to incorporate mathematical & statistical specificity without losing your audience. After that, it's your turn: bring 1–2 slides from a draft or past talk, revise them during the session based on what you’ve learned, and get feedback from peers.

EEID 2025 Conference Registration Now Open

Registration for the EEID 2025 Conference is now available at the link below. Please register by June 1.This reservation process will also allow you to sign up for on-campus housing.

Should you prefer to stay in a nearby hotel, you can find out more information about recommended options at the link here. Advice about travel to Notre Dame is provided at the link here.

We would also like to draw your attention to two optional pre-conference workshops for those who might be interested in additional training opportunities.

You can find out more information about those workshops at the link here.

We hope to see you on June 16-19 at Notre Dame!

17th Annual Summer Institute in Statistics and Modeling in Infectious Diseases (SISMID)

The Summer Institute in Statistics and Modeling in Infectious Diseases (SISMID) is designed to introduce infectious disease researchers to modern methods of statistical analysis and mathematical modeling.

SISMID 2025 will be held online July 7–11 and in person at Emory University from July 14–July 30, 2025, in the R. Randall Rollins Building (1516 Clifton Road, NE, Atlanta, GA 30322). Online modules are also available.

Register for the 2025 ASTMH Annual Meeting | November 9-13 in Toronto Canada

American Society of Tropical Medicine & Hygiene (ASTMH) will be holding its annual meeting from November 9 -13, 2025 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. Find more information below! 

Subgroups, Working Groups, and Regional Activities

AMMnet currently has four established local chapters. 

If you would like to be connected with local chapters in Cameroon, Liberia, Uganda or Zambia,  you may send email using the respective addresses below.

• AMMnet Uganda Chapter, ammnetuganda@gmail.com
• Applied Malaria Modeling Network Zambia, ammnetzambia@gmail.com
• AMMnet Liberia Chapter, ammnet.liberia@gmail.com
• AMMnet Cameroon Chapter, ammnetcameroon@gmail.com 

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:

1. 1. Pre-registration with global AMMnet
   2. A completed Local Chapter Establishment Application Form
   3. 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.

21 AMMnet local chapters are in the process of establishment. Refer to the list of those local chapters below and their stage of establishment.  

Local Chapters with Establishment in Process

Send an inquiry to info@ammnet if you feel your local chapter has not been included by mistake or if you wish to be connected with a local chapter contact. 

Member Reading Corner

If you'd like to share a paper or any other publication with the AMMnet community, send an email to info@ammnet.org and we will consider including it in the newsletter.

Explainable AI for enhanced accuracy in malaria diagnosis using ensemble machine learning models 

 By: Olawale Awe 

This study aims to integrate ensemble machine learning models and Explainable Artificial Intelligence (XAI) frameworks to enhance the diagnosis accuracy of malaria.

Seminar Recap and Recordings

AMMnet Seminar Series

May 6, 2025, 15 hr UTC

AMMnet Theory of Change Discussion with Members

The session began with a brief presentation outlining the development of the Theory of Change and the process behind it.

Following the presentation, participants were divided into breakout rooms to engage in focused discussions on the activities outlined under the following key themes: Global Leadership, Continuous Learning for All, and Local Leadership.

The objective of these discussions was to gather valuable feedback and suggestions from members on how AMMnet can effectively achieve the intended impacts. In particular, we aimed to identify feasible, member-driven activities that align with and support the outcomes described in the Theory of Change.

You may find recordings of this seminar along with others on our website or YouTube channel.

Recordings in French, English and Portuguese are available.