Press

September 1, 2021

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Uganda Ready to launch full war against Malaria–President Museveni

School of Public Health College of Health Sciences, Makerere University

Uganda’s President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has made a commitment on behalf of Uganda in efforts towards the end of Malaria in Uganda. The president said in absence of a vaccine against malaria, community mobilisation, political will and strengthening research capacity will be prioritized in the fight against Malaria. “I have never known why the vaccine (against plasmodium) is impossible. But we are ready. I am ready to launch a full war against the mosquito and the plasmodium so that we are free from Malaria,” said President Museveni at the virtual webinar titled Rethinking Malaria in the Context of COVID-19 on Wednesday September 1, 2021.... Read more

September 2, 2021

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Museveni: Uganda ready to launch full war against Malaria

By Davidson Ndyabahika

President Museveni alongside Dr Specioza Naigaga Wandira Kazibwe,former Vice President and currently Senior Presidential Advisor on Population & Health and Dyann F. Wirth, Professor of Infectious Diseases at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health during a global virtual discussion to ‘take stock’ of the global malaria situation and offer insights on the most effective and innovative response to control and eliminate malaria across the globe.... Read more

September 3, 2021

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Global health experts share findings from year-long “Rethinking malaria” consultation

Dr Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa. speaking during the virtual forum on 1 September

In 2017, WHO warned that the global response to malaria had reached a crossroads. After 15 years of success in global malaria control, progress had levelled off, and many countries with a high burden of the disease were losing ground. According to the latest World malaria report, published in November 2020, progress continues to plateau and – without urgent action – the 2030 targets of the WHO global malaria strategy will be missed. The COVID-19 pandemic poses a serious additional challenge to the delivery of malaria prevention, detection and treatment services worldwide. In view of these worrying trends, WHO has called for new approaches to global malaria control that are shaped, first and foremost, by the voices and perspectives of frontline health workers and communities. One such approach, “High burden to high impact,” is being led by 11 countries that carry the highest share of the global malaria burden. Launched in 2018 and supported by WHO, this approach aims to reignite progress in the fight against malaria through 4 key actions: political will to reduce malaria deaths; strategic information to drive impact; better guidance, policies and strategies; and improved coordination.... Read more

September 3, 2021

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Museveni to launch war against malaria

By Monitor Reporter

President Museveni has vowed to launch a full war against mosquitoes and malaria saying the focus has been on curative side and not so much on prevention and elimination. “We were used to mainly the curative side. Prevention is not emphasised. We need to study data, what do we gain if we shift from curative to prevention or elimination. Can we develop vaccines, eliminate vectors and promote behaviour change? If we aim at elimination, we need to study how successful countries did it,” he said... Read more

September 3, 2021

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A Call to Shift the Center of Gravity of the Malaria Fight Towards Endemic Countries

The consultative process ‘Rethinking malaria in the context of COVID-19’ concluded with a call to integrate malaria services into strengthened health services, empower local communities, rely on scientific data for strategic decision making and shift the malaria governance structure so as to give malaria endemic countries enhanced leadership... Read more

September 2, 2021

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Museveni to Launch Decisive war against Malaria amidst COVID19 Pandemic

State Lodge, Nakasero

President Yoweri Museveni has vowed to launch a full war against mosquitoes and malaria saying the focus has been on curative side and not so much on prevention and elimination. “We were used to mainly the curative side. Prevention is not emphasized. We need to study data, what do we gain if we shift from curative to prevention or elimination. Can we develop vaccines, eliminate vectors and promote behaviour change? If we aim at elimination, we need to study how successful countries did it,” he said. President Museveni was yesterday one of the panellists at a webinar organised by the Harvard University to highlight findings from a year-long global engagement on the theme, “Rethinking Malaria in the Context of COVID-19.”... Read more

January 22, 2019

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Can repurposing the drug ivermectin help control malaria?

Researchers are increasingly intrigued by the prospect of using ivermectin, a drug normally used to treat parasitic worms, as a way of controlling mosquito populations to drive down malaria rates, according to news reports. Regina Rabinovich, ExxonMobil Malaria Scholar in Residence at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, recently co-authored a guide to help researchers who are interested in studying ivermectin as a novel approach to thwarting the spread of malaria. “The results of several studies and recent trials have positioned ivermectin as a first-in-class drug to enhance malaria vector control,” Rabinovich said. Read more

October 21, 2019

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Can the world eradicate malaria by 2050?

For public health practitioners, malaria is a daunting foe. More than 200 million people become sick with it annually, and more than 400,000 people die from it each year, many of whom are children under the age of 5. On top of that, the parasites that cause the disease can rapidly evolve to become resistant to available medications. Read more

September 17, 2019

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Could wildfires in the Amazon drive malaria rates up?

Current wildfires burning in the Amazon could have a widespread impact on public health, according to experts. Marcia Castro, Andelot Professor of Demography at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, said one potential hazard is that the deforestation caused by the burning could result in ideal conditions for mosquitos to breed. “Deforestation is directly connected to malaria,” Castro said. Read more

July 4, 2019

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Malaria: collaborating to succeed

“Collaboration” was probably the word most heard when asking the participants of the 8th edition of the Science of Eradication: Malaria course how they thought the fight against malaria could be improved. Even though progress has stalled, as highlighted by the head of the Global Malaria Programme, Pedro Alonso, in the opening lecture, participants left Barcelona with a shared feeling of optimism and a perception that with commitment, a multidisciplinary approach to the disease and data-driven decisions; malaria control, elimination, and eradication are indeed achievable goals Read more

June 5, 2019

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New method to block malaria transmission identified

A new study shows that natural human immune responses can recognize and kill malaria parasites before they can spread to mosquitoes. The work forms a starting point for a new line of vaccine research, according to a team of scientists from the University of Glasgow, Radboud University Medical Center, The Netherlands, and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Read more

June 3, 2019

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A former malaria patient takes on her wily foe

Lọla Fagbami, PhD ’19, is pursuing a novel approach to understanding how the malaria parasite becomes drug-resistant. During her rotations, Fagbami worked in the lab of Dyann Wirth, Richard Pearson Strong Professor of Infectious Diseases at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and one of the world’s leading experts on malaria. For her thesis work, Fagbami worked with Wirth’s labs at Harvard Chan School and the Broad Institute, as well as with Ralph Mazitschek at Massachusetts General Hospital, to study how the metabolism of P. falciparum may contribute to the formation of drug resistance. Read more

February 27, 2019

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Promising new bed net strategy to zap malaria parasite In mosquitoes

Research published in the journal Nature proposes a new approach — kill the parasite that causes malaria while it's inside the mosquito instead of killing the mosquito itself. Catteruccia's lab at Harvard University demonstrated that an antimalarial drug can be transmitted to mosquitoes through brief, direct contact and effectively halt the transmission of the parasite. Read more

July 16, 2018

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Seeking new momentum in malaria fight

Experts, program heads, and present and future leaders in the fight against malaria gathered at Harvard Business School in June for a weeklong workshop aimed at supporting global eradication efforts. The program is an annual event that rotates among locations chosen by the three host organizations: Harvard University, the Barcelona Institute for Global Health at the University of Barcelona, and the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute at the University of Basel. Read more

December 5, 2017

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Exploring the vexing world of malaria control

Malaria is a complicated disease to tackle from a public health perspective. Its complexity stems in part from the two organisms that conspire to transmit the disease: the single-celled Plasmodium parasite and the mosquitoes that ferry them to their hosts. Thankfully, there are tools that can help control this two-pronged threat — insecticides for the mosquitoes and drugs for the parasites — but they too have vulnerabilities, and can be overcome. Read more

November 30, 2017

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New drugs, tools, innovations needed to rid world of malaria

New medicines to help counter drug resistance and tools like gene drive technologies to curb parasite transmission are among the innovations needed to rid the world of malaria, according to a new research agenda published as a special collection in PLOS Medicine on November 30, 2017. The papers were authored by over 180 scientists, malaria program leaders, and policy makers —including Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health researchers — who collaborated for over a year to update a research agenda for eradicating the disease. Read more

November 1, 2017

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Preparing in ‘peacetime’ for the next infectious disease outbreak

Although the recent outbreaks of Zika in Brazil and Ebola in West Africa have subsided, it would be a mistake for public health practitioners to lower their defenses, according to a panel of experts convened at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. There is still much more work to be done, they said. Survivors struggle with the health and social consequences of their illnesses—and the next outbreak of these or other viruses may be right around the corner. Read more

October 25, 2017

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Multifaceted approach key to eradicating malaria

Throughout the twentieth century, researchers hoped to discover a “magic bullet” to cure malaria. But today experts realize that efforts to curb or eradicate the mosquito-borne disease must be multifaceted, from research to policy efforts to use of on-the-ground tools such as pesticides and bed nets. That was the key takeaway from panelists at a Harvard Worldwide Week event titled “Looking Back, Moving Forward: The Evolution of Malaria,” held October 24, 2017 at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Read more

October 25, 2017

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Assessing the impact of climate change on malaria

Climate change may lead to an increase in malaria in certain spots around the world. But in other places, it may have little or no impact on the mosquito-borne disease, according to an expert panel convened at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Read more

June 8, 2017

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Genetically engineered mosquitoes to eradicate disease

As scientists explore the potential application of gene editing, they’re beginning to discover the many uses — and pitfalls — of the technology. In the case of malaria and other vector-borne illnesses, it’s become clear that gene editing could be a powerful new tool for mosquito control and disease eradication. At a live panel recorded at The Forum at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, four experts discussed gene editing and how it might influence global and human health. Read more

April 25, 2017

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#WorldMalariaDay: MalariaX Course Explores Ways to Eliminate Malaria

Did you know that nearly half of the world’s population is at risk of malaria? In recognition of World Malaria Day, HarvardX is excited to announce the launch of MalariaX: Defeating Malaria from the Genes to the Globe, a new online course that explores cutting-edge science and technology, and examines policies needed to control and eliminate malaria. Read more

December 15, 2016

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Battling infectious diseases takes a village

Regina Rabinovich, the ExxonMobil Malaria Scholar in Residence at Harvard University, has her sights set on how to address pressing health issues. And she’s in a unique position to do so: She was recently named president-elect of the American Society of Tropical Medicine & Hygiene (ASTMH). Read more

June 17, 2016

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The Director-General of the World Health Organization, Margaret Chan, visits ISGlobal

The Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), Margaret Chan, made a surprise visit to the Barcelona Institute of Global Health (ISGlobal) and the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Barcelona, where the course Science of Eradication: Malaria is taking place. Dr. Chan accepted the invitation made by Pedro Alonso, Director of the WHO Global Malaria Programme and ISGlobal founder, who is participating as lecturer in the course organized by ISGlobal, the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health and the Swiss TPH Institute. Read more

June 16, 2016

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Student recognized for genetic research on malaria

As an undergraduate working in malaria researcher Dyann Wirth’s lab at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Caleb Irvine was curious why malaria transmission was on the uptick in the Thiès region of Senegal, in spite of efforts to control the disease there. Read more

June 14, 2016

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Inside Harvard’s hot and humid mosquito lab

Deep in Harvard’s public health school, behind three secure-access doors, hundreds of thousands of mosquitoes hatch and buzz in the school’s insectary. There, in the heat and high humidity, graduate student Andie Smidler runs experiments using a powerful, controversial tool called gene drive, which hijacks evolution to force an altered gene to be passed down to offspring. Read more

April 18, 2016

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Campus Assassins game targets malaria

Across the College, 400 students have signed up to play Assassins—a live action game in which players receive human targets and attempt to eliminate them—with a particular focus on malaria prevention and awareness. The game is sponsored by Malaria Assassins, a group of members of the Global Health Forum who won the 2015 Harvard Malaria Challenge. Read more

April 12, 2016

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Researchers optimistic about malaria vaccine progress

While the world is as close as it has ever been to having a malaria vaccine, the fight to eradicate the disease is far from over. That was the consensus among experts in the field who gathered at a forum hosted by Harvard’s Defeating Malaria: From the Genes to the Globe initiative on April 6, 2016. Read more

February 10, 2016

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Politics biggest threat to malaria effort

Rear Admiral Timothy Ziemer, U.S. global malaria coordinator for the President’s Malaria Initiative was the keynote speaker at "The Quest to Eradicate Malaria: A Progress Report,” a campus event hosted by the Harvard University Global Health Institute in February 2016. Adm. Ziemer laid out key achievements and reminded a packed auditorium of the audacity of eradicating a disease as ancient and widespread as malaria. He believes malaria eradication is an audacious, yet achievable goal and emphasized the need for continued government support to fully eradicate malaria. Read more

October 8, 2015

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At HUBweek, experts focus on global health threats

HUBweek, a series of events celebrating “big ideas and bold solutions,” was held throughout Boston and Cambridge October 3–10, 2015. The Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health hosted a series of panels on October 5 at the Joseph B. Martin Conference Center highlighting four major global health threats: infectious diseases, harmful environments, humanitarian crises, and failing health systems. Read more

June 16, 2015

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Coordinating against malaria

A group of scientists, government officials, nonprofit leaders, malaria-control program directors, and others gathered at Harvard Business School this week sought to draw lessons from past eradication efforts as they embarked on a weeklong leadership program focused on eradicating another age-old scourge: malaria. Read more

May 15, 2015

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Alpert Prize recognizes malaria breakthroughs

The 2015 Warren Alpert Foundation Prize will be awarded to Ruth S. Nussenzweig and Victor Nussenzweig, both faculty at the NYU Langone Medical Center, and Tu Youyou of the China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, for their pioneering discoveries in chemistry and parasitology, and their personal commitment to translating these discoveries into effective chemotherapeutic and vaccine-based approaches to controlling malaria. Read more

April 27, 2015

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In attempt to break world record, students host malaria awareness event

With the goal of raising awareness about malaria, Harvard College Students Against Malaria attempted Saturday to break a world record for the longest chain of glowsticks by linking more than 10,000 glowsticks together in the Science Center Plaza. The event, entitled the "Harvard One Campaign," coincided with World Malaria Day. Read more

April 24, 2015

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World Malaria Day forum explores public-private partnerships

The global community has made gains in fighting malaria, but those advances are tenuous and multi-sector partnerships are needed to eradicate the disease. That was the consensus among experts in the field who gathered at a forum co-hosted by Harvard’s Defeating Malaria initiative on April 24 to mark World Malaria Day. The event, Partnerships for Malaria Elimination: Lessons and Opportunities, focused on the need to build partnerships between governments, academic researchers, and the private sector. Read more

February 26, 2015

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Malaria parasite can hide in bone marrow

Researchers at the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health and University of Perugia, Italy published new findings in Science, on February 26, 2015 that may provide explanations as to why certain mosquito species can transmit the disease to humans. Read more

December 19, 2014

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Sharing ideas on public health education

On December 10-11, 2014, the Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health welcomed a delegation of 16 academic leaders from Nigeria and Ghana. The meeting, hosted by Professors Phyllis Kanki and Dyann Wirth, aimed at sharing ideas about public health education. Read more

December 17, 2014

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A cross-disciplinary approach to eradicating malaria

On December 4, 2014, Harvard's Defeating Malaria initiative convened a cross-disciplinary symposium titled "The Last Mile to Malaria Eradication." The event featured faculty experts from across the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, discussing the path to global malaria eradication. Read more

July 28, 2014

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Malaria pioneer sees a brighter, multi-sector path forward

In an interview in the Lamp, an ExxonMobil publication, Dr. Regina Rabinovich, the ExxonMobil Malaria Scholar in Residence, discusses the cross-sectoral collaboration needed to eradicate malaria, and Harvard's role in reaching this goal. Read more

July 24, 2014

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The malaria parasite can hide in bone marrow

A research team led by Professor Matthias Marti from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, have confirmed that parasites that transmit malaria are able to hide in their host's bone marrow during development. Read more

July 9, 2014

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Malaria parasite 'gets down to the bone'

A recent publication by Professor Matthias Marti, describing the ability of the malaria parasites to hide inside the bone marrow and evade the immune system, received coverage on BBC News. Read more

June 6, 2014

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Infection in malaria-transmitting mosquito discovered

In a recent article published in Nature Communications, Harvard Professor Flaminia Catteruccia and an international group of researchers describe evidence of an intercellular bacterial infection in natural populations of two species of Anopheles mosquitoes. The infection, called Wolbachia, has been shown in laboratory settings to reduce the incidence of pathogen infections in mosquitoes and has the potential to be used in controlling malaria-transmitting mosquito populations. Read more

May 22, 2014

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A passion for science - and fighting malaria

PhD candidate Perrine Marcenac describes her research on mosquito biology and exploring the interplay between reproduction and immunity in Anopheles gambiae, the primary vector for malaria transmission in sub-Saharan Africa. Read more

May 5, 2014

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An American doctor may have solved a deadly mystery about malaria

Professor Terrie Taylor's research into the use of Magnetic Resonance Imaging as a novel treatment method for malaria is described in this article on Public Radio International. Terrie Taylor is a Medical Professor at Michigan State University and collaborates with researchers at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Read more

May 2, 2014

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Student raise malaria awareness with flash mob

Harvard's Defeating Malaria initiative, spearheaded by the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, sponsored a student-led ever called "Mob Malaria" in commemoration of World Malaria Day on April 25. Read more

May 2, 2014

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Students raise malaria awareness with flash mobs

Harvard's Defeating Malaria initiative and partners at Malaria No More sponsored two fun, student-led activities to raise awareness of malaria across Harvard. Read more

April 28, 2014

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Students Organize International 'Mobs' To Raise Awareness of Malaria

Occupancy at the Science Center Plaza swelled above its usual levels last Friday afternoon when curiously large crowds milled about the tables, benches, and food trucks, poised to take part in a synchronized flash mob to raise awareness of the need to eradicate malaria. Read more

April 25, 2014

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Of Moses, Me, and Malaria

In an article published in the Harvard Crimson on World Malaria Day 2014, Harvard College Sophomore and neurobiology concentrator Dominic Akandwanaho shares his experiences growing up with malaria in Uganda. Read more

April 25, 2014

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Harvard students hope a mob mentality can raise malaria awareness

Mob Malaria, a malaria awareness campaign led by two Harvard College freshmen, is featured on global health news website Humanosphere. Read more

December 6, 2013

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Experts share global health stories

At the recent Global Health Summit, a joint effort of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH), and Harvard Medical School (HMS), a dozen experts discussed health care challenges ranging from delivering humanitarian aid to making surgery safer. Read more

October 29, 2013

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New molecular target for malaria control identified

A new study led by the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and University of Perugia (UNIPG) researchers has shown that egg development in the mosquito species primarily responsible for spreading malaria depends on a switch in the female that is turned on by a male hormone delivered during sex. Read more

October 24, 2013

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100 Years of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

The Launch of the School's Capital Campaign

Harvard Magazine spoke with several current Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health professors about achievements of the past and directions for the future: combating malaria, stopping pandemic flus, improving humanitarian aid, and more. Read more

October 23, 2013

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CNN 10: Thinkers - Caroline Buckee

CNN honors Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health epidemiologist Caroline Buckee as one of ten visionaries whose ideas are shaping our future in the fields of science and technology. (Illustration by Michael Manisa) Read more

August 22, 2013

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Getting a Handle on Malaria

An article published by Brevia, a Harvard College Undergraduate Research Association publication, discusses recent developments in malaria research, as well as collaborations between researchers from different fields that provide new insights into the biology of the malaria parasite. Read more

August 21, 2013

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Buckee named an ‘Innovator Under 35’

The MIT Technology Review has named Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health epidemiologist, Professor Caroline Buckee as one of this year's Innovators under 35. Read more

May 28, 2013

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Infectious research

A Profile of the Department of Immunology & Infectious Diseases

In this interview Professor Dyann Wirth, Chair of the Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases discusses the role of the department in strengthening our understanding of how and why viruses, bacteria, parasitic organisms and other infectious agents cause disease and epidemics, why epidemics spread the way they do, and what Harvard can do to control and prevent that spread. Read more

May 9, 2013

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Monkey malaria parasite poses increasing risks to humans

An new Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health study has shed light on why a monkey malaria parasite that typically caused only mild infection in humans is now beginning to cause severe disease and death—and how it has the potential to become a dangerous human-to-human pathogen. Read more

April 1, 2013

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Defeating Malaria: From the Genes to the Globe Symposium

Progress, Puzzles in Halting Malaria

Coverage of the Defeating Malaria: From the Genes to the Globe Symposium in the Harvard Gazette. Read more

February 3, 2013

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Harvard Malaria Forum

Hitting Malaria From All Sides

Coverage of the inaugural Harvard Malaria Forum in the Harvard Gazette. Read more

December 13, 2012

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Malaria Parasite Transforms Itself to Hide from Human Immune System

Professors Manoj Duraisingh and Dyann Wirth have uncovered details about the mechanism by which the malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum, avoids detection. Read more

October 8, 2012

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Using Cell Phone Data to Curb the Spread of Malaria

Led by Professor Caroline Buckee, new research that combines cell phone data from 15 million people in Kenya with detailed information on the regional incidence of malaria has revealed, on the largest scale so far, how human travel patterns contribute to the disease’s spread. Read more

October 3, 2012

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Dr. Regina Rabinovich named the ExxonMobil Malaria Scholar in Residence at Harvard University

The ExxonMobil Malaria Scholar in Residence Program is designed to bring established individuals with diverse experiences and expertise in malaria to spend a year at Harvard University where they will connect with faculty, mentor students and foster the integration of the goals of Defeating Malaria. Read more

August 15, 2012

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The Many Faces of Malaria

Drs. Dan Neafsey and Danny Park from the Broad Institute are harnessing genomic information to attack malaria from many angles, looking for new ways to target this neglected disease. Read more

June 8, 2012

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2012 Science of Eradication: Malaria Leadership Development Course

Training Leaders For Malaria Fight

Coverage of the inaugural Science of Eradication: Malaria Leadership Development Course in the Harvard Gazette. Read more

January 21, 2011

Rethinking Malaria: The Science of Eradication Symposium

Plotting the Demise of Malaria

Coverage of the Rethinking Malaria Symposium in the Harvard Gazette. Read more