Welcome to the February 2025 newsletter! |
Please contact info@ammnet.org if you would like to contribute any items to next month’s newsletter. |
AMMnet Hackathon: Mapping in R
March 6, 13hr UTC
Register at the link below before February 24!
Instructor: Punam Amratia, PhD, Technical Lead of Malaria Atlas Project (MAP) East Africa node, Ifakara Health Institute, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
This session will focus on Mapping in R, where you'll learn how to create publication-worthy and interactive maps using shapefiles. Over the two-hour session, we'll introduce key GIS concepts and explore the sf and tmap packages to develop compelling map visualizations.
This will be an interactive session with sample data, code, and exercises.
We will build upon previous learning from the two hackathons on data visualization and data wrangling. We recommend exploring those if you have time! You'll find these on our blog at the link here.
All experience levels are welcome!
All registered participants should expect to receive an email with the session materials and downloads by the week of February 24, a week prior to the hackathon.
The session will be recorded and made publicly available to all AMMnet members via the hackathon blog.
You may also find recordings and materials from all previously held hackathons on our blog.
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- Data Visualization in R
- Data Wrangling in R
Currently, the Hackathon Series is taught in English, but 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. |
Register for the AMMnet Monthly Seminar
March 4, 2025, 15 hr UTC
The Role of Therapeutic Pathways and Their Determinants in Malaria Control in Guinea
Presenter: Elhadj Marouf DIALLO
In recent years, significant progress has been made in the fight against malaria in Guinea. However, challenges such as delays in diagnosis, poor treatment quality, inappropriate use of preventive measures, and out-of-pocket costs for patients persist. When faced with a health problem, patients or their families choose different healthcare options, including biomedical care, the use of medicinal plants, and informal practices such as self-medication. The initial preference for healthcare facilities and early access to appropriate malaria treatment remain suboptimal. This behavior perpetuates local malaria transmission and hinders Guinea’s goal of pre-elimination of malaria by 2030.
In this context, understanding certain determinants is essential to guide recommendations for optimizing malaria control strategies. These determinants include factors associated with early and appropriate healthcare-seeking behavior, delays in accessing treatment at healthcare facilities, and the financial burden of seeking care. Statistical methods and qualitative approaches can help identify key interventions, which can then be integrated into predictive models to inform recommendations and support decision-making.
This webinar will present findings from the research thesis "Study of the Determinants of Therapeutic Pathways of Malaria Patients in Guinea." It will also explore the EMOD modeling approach applied to two additional interventions aimed at improving access to ACTs for malaria patients.
Bio: Elhadj Marouf DIALLO is an Assistant at the Faculty of Health Sciences and Technology at Gamal Abdel Nasser University of Conakry. He holds a Doctorate in Human Medicine from the University of Conakry, a Master’s degree in Health Evaluation from Clermont Auvergne University, and is currently a PhD candidate in Community Health and Health Engineering. As part of his PhD research, conducted jointly between the University of Conakry and Clermont Auvergne University, he focuses on the determinants of therapeutic pathways for malaria patients in Guinea. Throughout his professional career, Dr. DIALLO has worked in primary healthcare, malaria control, tuberculosis, and HIV programs.
PSA: The presentation will be in French. Real-time interpretation to English and Portuguese will be available. Make sure you set your Zoom interpretation setting to your preferred language! |
AMMnet Annual Meeting in Senegal Save the Date | Week of June 23, 2025
From Data to Decisions for Policy and Practice
It is our pleasure to announce the upcoming AMMnet Annual Meeting, which will take place in Senegal during the week of June 23, 2025 (exact dates to be confirmed).
This year we are partnering with the RBM Partnership to End Malaria 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.
To help us plan for the meeting, please let us know if you are planning or would like to attend by completing the interest form at the link below.
Please mark your calendars for this event and stay tuned for further updates and formal registration that will open soon. We look forward to your active involvement and contributions to make the 2025 AMMnet Annual Meeting a success.
Important Note: The Gates Foundation will NOT be covering participant travel and accommodation expenses. |
AMMnet Annual Meeting in Senegal: Travel Awards
A select number of travel awards for presenters and trainers will be offered by AMMnet. 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.
The Gates Foundation will NOT be covering participant travel and accommodation expenses. |
AMMnet Small Event Awards Reminder | March 1 Deadline
To be considered for the next funding cycle, submit your application to info@ammnet.org by March 1, 2025, 23:59 GMT.
This award has a budget range of $500 to $3,000, which must be expended within 12 months of the awarded date. Note: If your institution will collect a percentage of the award for facilities & administrative costs, you must account for this in your budget.
Mandatory Requirement:
We have replaced the proposal with the small grant award template here. The template is available in French and Portuguese. This document will act as your proposal. If you don't submit a template, we will not consider your application. |
AMMnet Large Event Awards
Look for an announcement with the selected awardees to come soon!
Applications are currently under review. The review task force aims to choose 1-2 awardees in the coming weeks. Thank you to everyone who has applied, and thanks for your patience as the task force reviews the proposals! |
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. |
Follow AMMnet on Bluesky
AMMnet is now on Bluesky! Help us build our Bluesky community and follow us. |
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. |
Jobs and Grant Opportunities
5 new Grand Challenges Requests for Proposals
We are pleased to announce five new Grand Challenges requests for proposals. We encourage you to apply to the Challenges for which you are eligible.
Links to all RFPs are below, but the Innovative Data and Modeling Approaches to Measure Women's Health RFP may be most interesting to members in this modeling and data analytics community.
Deadline: Mar 25, 2025, 11:30 am PDT |
The Gates Foundation: Senior Research Scientist, Vaccine-Preventable Diseases (LTE)
The Institute for Disease Modeling (IDM) is seeking for a Senior Research Scientist who will lead & support efforts to analyze data and develop models of vaccine-preventable disease transmission in one or more LMICs (Low & Middle Income Countries).
* This is a limited-term position for 9 months. Relocation to Seattle will not be provided.
* Application deadline: Friday, February 21 (11:59 PM PST) |
PhD Position Available in Health Analytics and Modelling at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine
The London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), Imperial College London and the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) are pleased to invite applications for up to 11 PhD studentships in Health Analytics, Epidemic Modelling and Health Economics, as part of the NIHR funded Health Protection Research Unit (HPRU). The studentships will start in September 2025 and come with 3.5 years of funding.
The awards will cover a tax-free stipend of £22,780 per year, tuition fees at home rates and research and travel expenses.
The applications deadline is 23:59 (GMT) 7 March 2025. |
Epiverse Fellowship Program: Call for applications
Supporting the adoption of Epiverse in Africa
On February 12, 2025, data.org is launching its Epiverse Fellowship Program. We are now accepting applications to support the adoption of Epiverse in Africa, particularly in 10 African countries: Côte d’Ivoire, The Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, and Togo.
Applications will be accepted until March 7, 2025.
The fellowship program is designed to empower early to mid-career professionals who are passionate about adopting and implementing tools and solutions in their communities and countries to address critical challenges in pandemic and epidemic response and preparedness. Our tools specifically support rapid data analysis and reporting capabilities and foster sustainable development.
Learn more about the eligibility criteria and how to apply by visiting the job posting at the link below.
If this sounds like you or a colleague you think would be a good fit, please apply! |
Workshops and Conferences
Call for Abstracts: 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, the Netherlands, is accepting abstracts for oral presentations. EpiMob aims to gather researchers working on the use of mobility or contact data for the study of, and response to, infectious disease epidemics. We welcome both methodological studies, aiming to integrate data and epidemic models, and applied projects, showing the potential of behavioral data for public health action and epidemic response.
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.
We encourage researchers of all career stages to submit abstracts. Abstracts submitted by February 20, 2025, will be prioritized, with additional submissions evaluated on a rolling basis after February 20. Please note the NetSci early bird registration deadline is February 24, 2025. |
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; find more details at the link. |
Subgroups, Working Groups, and Regional Activities
Congratulations to the two latest established local chapters -- AMMnet Uganda Chapter and Applied Malaria Modeling Network Zambia!
AMMnet currently has three established local chapters.
If you would like to be connected with local chapters in Liberia, Uganda or Zambia, you may send email using the respective addresses below.
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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:
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- 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.
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
Local Chapter Application Received and Under Review
Establishment in Process
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- Nigeria
- Tanzania
- Burkina Faso
- Senegal
- Malawi
- Guinea
- Central African Republic
- Benin
- Djibouti
- Kenya
- DRC
- Ghana
- Horn of Africa-Ethiopia
- Mali
- Togo
- Niger
- Guinea-Bissau
- Mozambique
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. |
Seminar Recap and Recordings
AMMnet Seminar Series
2025 February 4
To Target Malaria Elimination in Ghana: Myth or Reality?
Speaker: Dr. Frank Baiden
In this session, we had two presenters. Saratu Abiola delivered a talk titled A Short Introduction to the Sauki AI Tool, where she outlined what Sauki is, how it operates, and its potential to assist researchers and professionals in their work.
Dr. Frank Baiden’s presentation focused on Ghana’s Malaria Elimination Efforts. Below is a summary of his key points:
Ghana aims to eliminate malaria by 2028 through strategic interventions such as improved diagnostics, vector control, and vaccination. The country is concentrating on 21 districts that have demonstrated significant progress in reducing malaria cases. While notable advancements have been made, challenges persist, including funding constraints, climate change, and the need for enhanced surveillance. Malaria remains a major health threat in Sub-Saharan Africa, particularly for children under five and pregnant women. Effective control measures include the use of insecticide-treated nets, indoor residual spraying, and environmental management. The introduction of malaria vaccines and specialized treatments for pregnant women represents a significant milestone in the fight against the disease. Despite progress, obstacles remain. Only 40% of Ghanaian households consistently use insecticide-treated nets, and vaccine supply is still limited. Climate change is altering malaria transmission patterns, necessitating adaptive strategies. Sustained external funding and donor support are crucial for maintaining malaria elimination programs. Success stories from countries like Algeria and Morocco, as well as the significant reduction of malaria cases in Zanzibar, highlight that elimination is achievable. Ghana’s targeted approach in select districts, coupled with improved surveillance, strengthens its position toward reaching the 2028 elimination goal.
You may find recordings 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. |
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