On October 4, 2021, Professor Rose Gana Fomban Leke (co-Chair of the Board for Harvard’s Defeating Malaria Initiative), Dean Michelle Williams (Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health), presented at the WHO’s 20th Meeting of the Malaria Policy Advisory Group on the progress and summation of the recent "Rethinking Malaria in the Context of COVID–19" global engagement.
The Malaria Policy Advisory Group (MPAG) provides independent, strategic advice to WHO on all technical areas relating to malaria control and elimination. MPAG brings together some of the world’s foremost experts on malaria and convenes twice a year in Geneva.
Leke is an Emeritus Professor of Immunology and Parasitology at the University of Yaoundé I. Her primary research interests center on the immunology of parasitic infections, and in particular, malaria.
On September 28-29, 2021, the Harvard Defeating Malaria Initiative, co-sponsored by the Harvard Center for African Studies, held a two-day webinar focused on thematic topics stemming from the "Rethinking Malaria in the Context of COVID–19” global engagement—Malaria Governance, Integrated Service Delivery, Training & Capacity Building for Malaria. In keeping with a longstanding academic tradition, and in partnership with a committed network of co-sponsors, we assembled a diverse group of stakeholders to share multidisciplinary perspectives in a neutral and inclusive learning environment. Together, we identified and discussed needed actions—including ideas and findings from the "Rethinking Malaria" global engagement—to overcome the recent plateau in malaria progress and enable the most effective and innovative response to control and eliminate malaria worldwide.
Here are some of the key messages from Professor Leke’s presentation:
Nine Manuscripts are freely available.
Professor Rose Leke’s presentation is available here.