Dear AMMnet,

Welcome to the June 2022 issue of the AMMnet newsletter, where we share announcements, opportunities, and recent and upcoming AMMnet activities. Please contact info@ammnet.org if you would like to contribute any items to next month’s newsletter!

Contents:

1. Special announcements
2. Jobs, workshops, conferences, and opportunities
3. Working group announcements
4. Committee announcements
5. Monthly seminar recap
6. Celebrations

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1. Special announcements

Welcome to 101 new AMMnet members!

AMMnet francophone: Vous êtes membre de notre communauté AMMnet et vous êtes intéressé par des activités 100% en français, venez nous rejoindre pour créer ce sous-groupe. Pour être membre, c’est simple, il suffit juste d’indiquer votre intérêt par un email à info@ammnet.org. Nous serons ravis de savoir nombreux.

AMMnet logo contest: vote HERE if you haven’t voted yet on Slack!

The Northwestern University Malaria Modeling team is conducting a study to identify strategies to enable local modelers to have deeper involvement in modeling activities to support National Malaria Control Program priorities. We are seeking malaria researchers, modelers, aspiring modelers, epidemiologists, and statisticians to participate in interviews. The findings from these interviews will enable the research team and its collaborators to identify the priorities of modelers and researchers in malaria-endemic countries who may be interested in modeling training and scientific development. If you are interested in participating in this study, or know someone who is interested, please visit this link to review the full study overview and provide your consent to participate.

2. Jobs, workshops, conferences, and opportunities

The Department of Epidemiology and Public Health (EPH), within the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, is seeking a highly motivated senior disease modeler with strong analytical skills. The modeler will work within the Analytics and Intervention Modelling group to help design evidence-based strategic plans by providing analytical evidence and support execution of high-impact programs to ensure countries reduce their malaria burden. In this position the modeler will lead the technical work for the methodological development and application of the modelling activities aimed at providing support to National Malaria Control Programmes in endemic countries as well as to their partners including donors and NGOs. For additional information about the position contact Dr. Emilie Pothin. More information here.

The Global Fund is in the process of re-establishing the M&E TA Pool for the coming 3-5 years, aligned with the new Global Fund strategy. We are currently receiving applications in response to the requests for information (RFI) we launched for both individual experts (RFI TGF-22-33 here); and organizational TA providers(RFI TGF-22-34 here).

More job opportunities available at https://iddjobs.org/

AMMnet member Bob Verity is organizing a workshop on molecular surveillance in Addis Ababa in August 2022. Closing date for applications is June 30th. Register here: http://shorturl.at/sxAB0

3. Working group announcements

AMMnet member Maciek Boni is looking to organize a working group around drug resistance. Get in touch if you are interested!

4. Committee announcements

Membership

Please forward the sign-up link to anyone you think may be interested in AMMnet:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfW1su4kM_jtdah_JrnGahCe8_KnTl7cQP1slp1NHqmA3o1tg/viewform

Website/Social Networking

Follow AMMnet on Twitter at @AMMnetwork

Have suggestions for our website https://ammnet.org/? Send them to info@ammnet.org

Training and Exchange Program

The Committee would like ideas from AMMnet members about trainings you would like to be arranged in the network. We have created a whiteboard where anybody can add their ideas (see link below). We hope we will soon have opportunities to arrange trainings (online or in person)!

https://jamboard.google.com/d/1fc9Sha5E2KIn172vro6mLOcPF_6oDvQ_lvK9IL6ui6I/edit?usp=sharing

AMMnet francophone

Vous êtes membre de notre communauté AMMnet et vous êtes intéressé par des activités 100% en français, venez nous rejoindre pour créer ce sous-groupe. Pour être membre, c’est simple, il suffit juste d’indiquer votre intérêt par un à info@ammnet.org. Nous serons ravis de savoir nombreux.

Reminder: list of committees open for members to join:

• Membership
• Website/Social Networking
• Monthly Zoom Seminars
• In-Person Meetings and Workshops
• Data and Technical Resource Organization and Management
• Training and Exchange Programs
• Values and Guidance for Effective Country Support
• AMMnet francophone (new committee: email info@ammnet.org to indicate interest)

5. Monthly seminar recap

In the June AMMnet seminar, Arnaud Le Menach and Bradley Didier from the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI) presented on “Use of modeling for decision making by national malaria programs: CHAI perspective.” They outlined CHAI’s mission and approach to supporting malaria control programs, provided examples of projects with modeler engagement, and shared lessons learned to improve the applicability and usefulness of modeling work to country programs in Mozambique and Haiti. Examples of past projects illustrated how switching from pursuing externally-driven questions to having the program drive the process supported by modelers and operational staff embedded within the country programs improve the uptake of analytics and modeling for decision-making. Arnaud and Bradley emphasized that, in CHAI’s experience, coordinating modeling activities with the NMCP planning cycle and decision deadlines, communicating, and iterating on the modeling process and outputs have been key for the successful integration of models: beginning modeling activities sufficiently in advance of deadlines allows for unrushed, high-quality modeling work and iterative discussions with feedback from the NMCP. Looking to the future of modeling work, Arnaud and Bradley highlighted several areas where modeling may be of particular assistance to decision-makers. These include further exploring P. vivax modeling, assessing the impact of case management, linking costing with epidemiological outcomes, and optimizing resource allocation of new and existing tools.

At our next seminar on July 5, 2022, Lisa White from Oxford will present on lessons learned from the COVID-19 Modelling (CoMo) Consortium. The seminar will take place as usual via Zoom here at 3pm UTC. 

6. Celebrations

Member publications, 01 May – 16 June 2021

• Champagne C, Rajkumar AS, Auxila P, Perrone G, Plötz M, Young A, et al. (2022) Improving access to care and community health in Haiti with optimized community health worker placement. PLOS Glob Public Health 2(5): e0000167. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgph.0000167
• de Cola MA, Sawadogo B, Richardson S, et al. Impact of seasonal malaria chemoprevention on prevalence of malaria infection in malaria indicator surveys in Burkina Faso and Nigeria. BMJ Global Health 2022;7:e008021.
• Golumbeanu, M., Yang, GJ., Camponovo, F. et al. Leveraging mathematical models of disease dynamics and machine learning to improve development of novel malaria interventions. Infect Dis Poverty 11, 61 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40249-022-00981-1 
• Ouattara, A.; Dwivedi, A.; Adams, M.; Niangaly, A.; Laurens, M.B.; Nyunt, M.M.; Plowe, C.V.; Djimde, A.; Takala-Harrison, S.; Silva, J.C. An In Silico Analysis of Malaria Pre-Erythrocytic-Stage Antigens Interpreting Worldwide Genetic Data to Suggest Vaccine Candidate Variants and Epitopes. Microorganisms 2022, 10, 1090. https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms10061090 
• Menze, B.D.; Mugenzi, L.M.J.; Tchouakui, M.; Wondji, M.J.; Tchoupo, M.; Wondji, C.S. Experimental Hut Trials Reveal That CYP6P9a/b P450 Alleles Are Reducing the Efficacy of Pyrethroid-Only Olyset Net against the Malaria Vector Anopheles funestus but PBO-Based Olyset Plus Net Remains Effective. Pathogens 2022, 11, 638. https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens11060638
• Connolly, J.B., Mumford, J.D., Glandorf, D.C.M. et al. Recommendations for environmental risk assessment of gene drive applications for malaria vector control. Malar J 21, 152 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12936-022-04183-w 
• Mfisimana, L.D., Nibayisabe, E., Badu, K., Niyukuri, D., 2022. Exploring predictive frameworks for malaria in Burundi. Infectious Disease Modelling 7, 33–44. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.idm.2022.03.003
• and Asmare, G. 2022. Willingness to accept malaria vaccine among caregivers of under-5 children in Southwest Ethiopia: a community based cross-sectional study. Malar J. 21:146 doi:/10.1186/s12936-022-04164-z
• Asale, A., Kassie, M., Abro, Z., Enchalew, B., Belay, A., Sangoro, P.O., Tchouassi, D.P., and Mutero, C.M. 2022. The combined impact of LLINs, house screening, and pull-push technology for improved malaria control and livelihoods in rural Ethiopia: study protocol for household randomised controlled trial. BMC Public Health. 22:930 doi:/10.1186/s12889-022-12919-1 
• Mulamba, C., Williams, C., Kreppel, K., Ouedraogo, J.B., and Olotu, A.I. 2022. Evaluation of the Pfs25-IMX313/Matrix-M malaria transmission-blocking candidate vaccine in endemic settings. Malar J. 21:159 doi:/10.1186/s12936-022-04173-y
• Kalkman, L.C., Hänscheid, T., Krishna, S., Grobusch, M.P., 2022. Fluid therapy for severe malaria. The Lancet Infectious Diseases 22, e160–e170. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1473-3099(21)00471-0
• Marino A, Bivona DA, Bonacci P. Updates in central nervous system malaria: literature review and considerations. Curr Opin Infect Dis. 2022 Jun 1;35(3):255-261. doi: 10.1097/QCO.0000000000000829. PMID: 35665720.

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