Malaria Modeling Field-Strengthening: MaModAfrica

Wilfred Ndifon of the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences - Next Einstein Initiative Foundation in Rwanda together with Luc Djogbénou from the Université d'Abomey-Calavi, Benin, and Jeanine Condo from the University of Rwanda, will collaborate with academic institutions, operational partners and national malaria control programs (NMCPs) from Benin, Rwanda, Senegal, Burkina Faso, Mozambique, Côte d'Ivoire, Switzerland, Australia, Kenya and Ghana to create a sustainable ecosystem of mathematical modelers, translational specialists, and decision-makers to support malaria interventions in Africa. They will develop curricula in modeling, epidemiology, and infectious disease biology for MSc and PhD students. They will also bridge the gap between academic modeling and the operational needs of NMCPs across English, French and Portuguese-speaking countries by developing targeted training for researchers and NMCP staff. This cultural shift in educational approaches is designed to teach the language of data scientists while focusing research on providing data-driven evidence relevant for policy making.