Despite decades of progress, malaria and other vector-borne diseases continue to kill about 700,000 people and sicken hundreds of millions each year. The acceleration of climate change has only increased the threat of these diseases in the United States and across the world.
With that sobering backdrop, the Institute for Global Health Sciences at UCSF launched a new Center for Malaria and Vector-Borne Diseases. Designed to serve as a hub of innovation and collaboration, the Center is focused on eliminating some of the world’s most enduring diseases. Learn more about the new Center.
Center co-directors Michelle Hsiang, Isabel Rodriguez-Barraquer, Phil Rosenthal, and Allison Tatarsky, will initially be focused on fundraising to establish catalytic seed grants, a fellowship program, and career development awards, among other priorities.
“Our network of researchers, clinicians, and public health leaders are working from the lab to the clinic to the village on diseases including malaria, arboviral infections, Chagas disease, onchocerciasis, leishmaniasis, and schistosomiasis,” said Rosenthal. “We envision the Center as a means of harnessing this expertise to accelerate scientific discovery and train the next generation of scientists for real world impact.”
Launch Event and Symposium
The event, held on September 29 at UCSF’s Mission Bay campus, was part launch party and part research symposium. It brought together more than 120 researchers, trainees, and scientific and public health leaders from UCSF, UC Berkeley, Stanford, the Chan Zuckerberg Biohub, Novartis, Bay Area mosquito abatement districts, and others. The launch event received financial support from Chevron, Novartis, IGHS, and private donors.
During the day-long event, Fredros Okumu, of the University of Glasgow/Ifakara Health Institute, Tanzania, and Catherine Maiteki-Sebuguzi from the Uganda Ministry of Health provided inspirational and thought-provoking keynote addresses. In addition, trainees and early-mid career investigators presented new research in 26 lightning talks.
Later, Erika Flannery from Novartis, Justin McBeath from the Innovative Vector Control Consortium, and Linus Upson from Google’s Verily offered insights from private sector partners, while scientists from UCSF and UC Berkeley shared reflections on future research and training priorities.
“Plans for the Center have been in the works for over a year,” said Hsiang. “Seeing a packed room and witnessing the engagement from those who attended the Launch event provide a positive jolt of energy for our team, as we move to the next stage – from concept to reality.”