Malaria Research in Africa:Building the Network and Connecting the Dots

By Julia RoyallChief, International ProgramsU.S. National Library of Medicine

Presented toInternet2 International WorkshopArlington, Virginia April 22, 2004

A Brief Overview of MIMCom

Mandate from Malaria Researchers at seminal meeting in Dakar, Senegal in 1997

Full access to Internet

Access to medical literature

Internet Access

19 sites in 9 countries VSAT shared bandwidth Local ISPs New broadband solutions

Training Workshops: Technical TrainingSearching for Researchers

Kilifi, Kenya: June 2002

Document Delivery Service

Websites Supporting Research Agendas

MIMCom Partnerships

MIMCom Web Site Advisory Committee

Abdoulaye Djimde Mali Andrew Githeko Kenya Louis Gouagna Kenya Saadou si. Issifou Gabon Moses Kamya Uganda Fred Kironde Uganda Kojo Koram Ghana Martha Lemnge Tanzania Wilfred Mbacham Cameroon Michel Missinou Gabon David Ofori-Adjei Ghana

Internal & External Evaluations

Independent Panel charged by MIM Secretariat at NIH in September 2002 with conducting an independent review of the Multilateral Initiative on Malaria.

MIM Secretariat Evaluation, survey of researchers working in Africa conducted in December 2002.

NLM Evaluation

Evaluation Conclusions

MIMCom is making a significant difference in the professional performance of individual researchers

Collaborations with colleagues Short courses Proposals written and funded Papers written and published Clinical trials E-mail access Counteracting isolation & self-esteem issues

Africa-to-Africa connection needs strengthening

The MIMCom Network Today

Locations of MIMCom Sites

Potential MIMCom Network

Potential MIMCom Network

Technical How to connect the sites?

Behavioral Usage like a gas

expanding to fill space Appropriate use of a limited

resource

Refocusing MIMCom on Medical Informatics

Dots on a Map

Successful Outcomes

Professor Ayoade Oduola Functional CoordinatorWHO/TDR

“We have to connect the dots.”

Professor Ayoade Oduola, Functional Coordinator: Basic

and Strategic Research and Manager: Committee on

Pathogenesis and Applied Genomics at WHO/TDR; former

Director of the Institute for Advanced Medical Research

and Training at the College of Medicine.

Dr. C.T. Happi Malaria Researcher

“The most important part of these experiments is analysis of the data generated. And we cannot perform this analysis if we don’t have strong internet connectivity, because we definitely need access to the databases.”

Fundamental Considerations

Can IT intervention make a difference in the morbidity & mortality of malaria?

Is the goal more dots on a map or a change in health?

Is the network an internet café or a scientific tool?

How do we use the tool?

What actions need to be performed in order to reach the desired outcome (better health)?

Information Technology

A challenge

A responsibility

Not an answer

Scientific Aims

Antimalarial Drug Resistance Network: To share raw data

Severe Malaria in African Children Network: To get large samples

Process Aims

To develop collaborations with other MIM PI’s

Vector Resistance Network: To coordinate 8 African institutes

Noguchi & Buea: regular consultation with collaborators

Outcomes

Strong researchers

Strong research sites

Improvement in health & medicine

As a result of this, this happened As a contribution to this, this happened

Goals

Supporting research agendas

Africanizing MIMCom leadership

Identifying talented individuals Providing means to increase relevant skills

Malaria Research Network

Enhanced Connectivitydirectly to the satellite or via ISP

Information Resources

TrainingIT WorkshopsPI Workshops

Searching/Information access

ToolsWebsites

FTP serversAgentsCaching

EvaluationQuantitative/Qualitative

End to End Network Performance

Research AgendasAntimalaria Drug Resistance NetworkSevere Malaria in African Children

Better Health

Communication Links Between Partners in Research

DecisionMakers

Communities

Health Workers Researchers

Schematic by Andrew Kitua

Network Snapshots

Dr. Andrew Githeko Senior Scientist& Climatologist

Kenya

“Now we have a system that uses scientific facts to predict the system. Before we were just guessing and we had no idea what was going to happen.”

“Then you ask yourself as a young person, ‘Well, people have made it in Navrongo, why don’t you stay there?’”

Nathan Mensah Data managerGhana

Tom Oluoch Systems OperatorKenya

“We look at a project that is of interest and just use that to enlighten the scientific community about the benefits of using the IT to improve the project.”

“We are talking of empowering our communities, empowering individuals in Africa with appropriate information so that they can take decisions about their own health. About their well-being.”

Regina Shakakata Medical librarian

“The internet is a reflection of our society and

that mirror is going to be reflecting what we

see. If we do not like what we see in that

mirror the problem is not to fix the mirror, we

have to fix society.”

—Internet pioneer Vint Cerf

MIMCom

MIMCom

“When spider webs unite, they can tie up a lion.”

- Ethiopian adage

Picture by: Gerry Killeen