Since in-person conferences have started coming back, there’s been a few meetings circled on our calendars. And the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene meeting is by far the biggest.
We see the meeting as an opportunity to meet with partners we haven’t seen in a while, find out about the latest research, and make new connections. For some members of the community, it will be their first introduction to the global malaria research scene, while for others it will be like returning home, to a familiar and much-missed circle of collaborators.
There is such a large program with so many concurrent sessions that it can be a bit overwhelming. So here is what a few MalariaGEN staff and collaborators have circled on the conference schedule so far:
Vikki Simpson – Head of Strategic Partnership & Engagement, MalariaGEN Community Team
What I’m excited for: 17 – Alan J. Magill Malaria Eradication Symposium: Limitations and Challenges in Malaria Elimination
When? Monday, October 31, 12:45pm
Where? Room 611/612
Why? “Alan Magill was the Director of Malaria Programs at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. He was a formidable leader, encouraging everyone to believe as he did that eradication was the only option. Since the symposium is in his name, it’s always been an important part of ASTMH to me.”
Deus Ishengoma – National Institute for Medical Research, Tanzania
What I’m excited for: 93 – Malaria Molecular Surveillance in Africa — Experience and Lessons Learned with a Focus on Establishing Genomics Capacity in Tanzania.
When? Wednesday, November 2, 8am
Where? Room 602/603/604
Why? “We will share our story of the journey we have taken for the past two and a half years in Tanzania. There are exciting results to share and I want to invite colleagues to join us for presentations and a panel discussion. See you all there!”
“This is the first time we are meeting in person since 2019. It has been two years of many challenges but yet a lot of lessons for the Global Health community. It will be exciting to re-unite and take things up from where we left them. It’s time to look back and reflect on the hard times we went through and move forward with more energy to fight the many challenges ahead. We need to face the ongoing threats of COVID-19 and other potential epidemics as well as climate change. We are proud of ASTMH which is our strong platform that has led us through good and bad times.”
Georgia Whitton – Data Scientist, Genomic Surveillance Unit (Wellcome Sanger Institute)
What I’m excited for: 91 – Emergence of Artemisinin Resistance in East Africa
When? Wednesday, November 2, 8am
Where? Room 6C
Why? “I can’t wait to spend time at the ASTMH conference; to dive into an extraordinary breadth and depth of knowledge in fighting tropical disease.”
“As a data scientist mainly working on plasmodium falciparum, I’m particularly looking forward to the session on Emergence of Artemisinin Resistance in East Africa. We’ve seen mutations in the propeller domain of the gene kelch13 take over in South East Asia conferring resistance to Artemisinin. Understanding the mutation dynamics now potentially arising in Africa in the parasite is fundamental to fighting this awful disease and critical to building surveillance systems that can be used in real-time with public health impact.”
Nhien Nguyen Thanh Thuy – Oxford University Clinical Research Unit, Vietnam
What I’m excited for: Workshop: Introduction to Spatial Analysis for Infectious Diseases
When? Sunday, October 30, 7:30am
Where? Room 204
Why? “To improve the skills I need for my work.”
“It is difficult to choose just one session to highlight because I find so many sessions of interest in ASTMH! In each session, there is information I am looking forward to hearing: for example new drugs, strategies for elimination, updates in P. vivax research, malaria surveillance, drug resistance in Africa. ASTMH is also a great opportunity to meet the malaria researcher community in person after 2 virtual years because of the COVID-19 pandemic.”
If you’re going to be in Seattle for ASTMH 2022 and want to talk to someone at MalariaGEN, reach out to us on Twitter (@MalariaGenomics) or by email (support@malariagen.net). We’ll be monitoring the inboxes and will be sure to find you for a coffee, a chat, and to point you in the right direction.
