Glocal Fellows 2017-2018 | UC Global Health Institute

Gbenga Abiodun

Foundation for Professional Development (FPD)

Matthew Bramble

UCLA

Elisa Juarez Chavez

Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia (UPCH)

Noah Kojima

UCLA

Tariro Mawoza

University of Zimbabwe (UZ)

Michael Mwachiro

Tenwek Hospital / Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI)

Clotilde Nhatave

Universidade Eduardo Mondlane (UEM)

Ogechukwu Agatha Offorjebe

Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences (MUHAS)

Adriane Wynn

UC San Diego

Gbenga J. Abiodun, PhD is a young scientist whose research interest focuses on biomathematics, epidemiology and mathematical modelling of the impacts of climate (variability and change) on vector-borne and infectious diseases. He completed his Masters and Doctoral degrees in Mathematics at the University of the Western Cape (UWC) in 2012 and 2016, respectively. During his PhD studies, he was selected for the Young Scientist Summer Program (YSSP) at the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) in Austria. He has also visited some international research centers like the International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) in Italy, and the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC) for research collaborations. He actively participated in the Japan and South Africa joint project on infectious Diseases Early-Warning System (iDEWS). Dr. Abiodun has worked extensively on infectious diseases and published peer-reviewed papers in high-profile international journals.

Project

Investigating the influence of climate variability and change on malaria transmission in southern Africa using a mosquito-human malaria model

Malaria is one of the oldest and most devastating diseases in the world. It is estimated that approximately half of the world's population is vulnerable to malaria as Sub-Saharan Africa carries an unduly high share of the global malaria burden. The reasons for the prevalence in Africa in the last few years are yet to be well-established. Although the causes are often linked to both climate change and control failure, it is important to understand the impact of climate (variability and change) on the dynamics of the disease. Such understanding may foster an effective control of this deadly disease. For this reason, this project seeks to explore the potential impacts of climate variability and change on malaria epidemics in Southern Africa. It aims to evaluate and apply a climate-malaria model to examine the impact of climate variation on malaria transmission, and investigate how global warming could alter the malaria zone over Southern Africa in the future.

Mentors: Kevin Njabo, PhD (UCLA), Andrew Medina-Marino, PhD (FPD), Peter Witbooi, PhD (UWC)

abiodun234@gmail.com

Michael Mwachiro, MBChB, is currently a surgical endoscopist at Tenwek Hospital in Bomet, Kenya whose area of interest is early detection, surgical treatment and palliation of esophageal cancer. He successfully carried out the first endoscopic screening for esophageal cancer with Lugol's chromoendoscopy in Africa. He has also been working on efforts to make palliative esophageal stenting available at affordable costs. He has been studying risk factors for esophageal cancer that are particular to East Africa, to identify factors that can be targeted in prevention studies. He recently received the 2017 Merit Award for excellence in research from the Surgical Society of Kenya. He is a member of the inaugural class of the African Cancer Leaders Institute (ACLI) of the African Organization for Research and Training in Cancer (AORTIC) and is also a founding member of the African Esophageal Cancer Consortium (AfrECC). He has multiple publications on his esophageal cancer work.

Project

Genomic analysis of Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma in Bomet County, Kenya

Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma (ESCC) is the dominant histological subtype of esophageal cancer in most high risk areas globally. It is one of the top causes of cancer morbidity and mortality in both men and women in Eastern Africa. In Kenya, it is the 3rd most common cancer in females and the 2nd most common cancer in males. ESCC is the most common cancer seen at Tenwek Hospital, which is a 300-bed referral facility. The hospital offers both curative and palliative care for ESCC. Dr. Mwachiro's GloCal project will perform whole genome sequencing and RNA sequencing of tumor samples to identify molecular determinants of ESCC in Kenya. It will evaluate the somatic mutational rate, mutational pattern, and copy number profiles. It will identify recurrently mutated genes, and look for evidence of pathogens in tumor specimens obtained from ESCC patients at Tenwek Hospital. The proposed study will also form the foundation for a unique biospecimen repository for newly diagnosed cases of ESCC in Kenya.

Mentors: Katherine Van Loon, MD (UCSF), Elizabeth Bukusi, MBChB, MMed, MPH, PhD (KEMRI), Sanford Dawsey, MD (National Cancer Institute)

deche2002@yahoo.com

Melissa Salm is a sociocultural anthropologist whose research areas include anthropology of global health, science & technology studies, multi-species ethnography, and health informatics. Salm's academic training in the social sciences is interdisciplinary: she is currently a PhD candidate in the anthropology department at UC-Davis; an MSc in critical & creative analysis from the sociology department at the University of London - Goldsmiths College; and a BA from the Gallatin School of Individualized Study at New York University. Her interests in global health governance and epistemologies of epidemiology were formed during her experiences as a research assistant to epidemiologists and physicians at the HIV Center for Clinical & Behavioral Studies at Columbia University. As the field of global health becomes increasingly interdisciplinary, Salm is committed to the possibility that anthropologists can contribute valuable ethnographic insights into the social processes by which global health develops agendas and networks around the world.

Project

Towards a Global Concept of Global Health - Definitions, Practices, and Goals among NIH Fogarty Researchers in Latin America & the Caribbean

Salm will conduct a qualitative health study to compare how health practitioners in Latin America define and practice what comes to count as "global health". This study will use three ethnographic data-gathering methods: semi-structured & open-ended interviews; on-site participation-observations; and analysis of documentary sources. Ethnographic analysis of global health practices at different local levels will provide an empirical basis for better understanding the priorities and concerns for those who are closest to (global) health problems. This will provide a much-needed compliment to one-size-fits-all, top-down models for determining global health agendas. The project will generate robust qualitative data that can help guide the creation of an empirically demonstrable definition of the global health concept – one that recognizes the plurality of differences in enactments of global health, and in that sense, is truly more global.

Mentors: Joseph Dumit, PhD (UC Davis), Andrés (Willy) Lescano, PhD (UPCH), Patricia Conrad, DVM, PhD (UC Davis), Kelika Konda, PhD (UPCH)

msalm@ucdavis.edu

Catherine Shari, MD, MMED, is among few emergency medical physicians in Tanzania, completing her training in September, 2016, at MUHAS. She served as a chief resident, leading fellow residents and graduated with the highest marks in her class. She received awards as the best student in her class. Currently she is based at MUHAS as a faculty member doing clinical and academic research in different capacities. Her research interests include pediatric global health, trauma and health education. She has been receiving research mentorship since her residency from a UCSF-led consortium of visiting academic faculty from the USA, South Africa and local faculty members. She was able to develop and execute her own research which won the African Federation for Emergency Medicine (AFEM) best African Poster Award at the International Conference on Emergency Medicine in2016. She is a member of the Emergency Medicine Association of Tanzania and the AFEM.

Project

The feasibility and efficacy of nasal bubble continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) in the management of children under the age of five years presenting with respiratory distress at a tertiary urban public emergency department in Tanzania.

Dr. Shari will conduct a research project to assess the feasibility and efficacy of nasal bubble CPAP among children less than five years of age presenting with respiratory distress at the emergency department (ED) in Tanzania. At the first full capacity ED in Tanzania, respiratory distress is a common pediatric presentation with substantial mortality. Ventilatory support is not readily available and these patients die due to lack of appropriate treatment options. Dr. Shari's research will look into non-invasive ventilation using nasal bubble CPAP as a cheap alternative since it has been proven to improve survival rates and vital signs in pediatric ICU and inpatient settings. The results of this study will help to bridge a knowledge gap to find out whether this mode of treatment is feasible and efficacious in EDs of hospitals in low income countries to prevent deterioration and avoid intubation in these children.

Mentors: Ellen Weber, MD (UCSF), Hendry Sawe, MD, MMed, MBA (MUHAS), Heike Geduld, MBChB, FCEM (University of Cape Town)

catherinereuben50@yahoo.com