Center for Malaria and Vector-Borne Diseases Research Symposium

Date: October 15, 2026
Time: 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. PT

Please register below to attend UCSF’s Center for Malaria and Vector-Borne Diseases (CMVBD) research symposium on October 15. The event will be held in person at the UCSF Mission Bay Campus from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

The CMVBD Research Symposium brings together Bay Area malaria and vector-borne disease researchers, industry leaders, public health professionals, and funding partners to exchange ideas, foster collaboration, and celebrate scientific achievements.

Attendees will have the opportunity to hear from leading researchers and early stage-investigators, learn about innovative approaches to malaria and vector-borne disease control and elimination, and connect with colleagues from academia, industry, public health, and philanthropy.

A light breakfast will be available beginning at 8:30 a.m., the symposium program will start promptly at 9:00 a.m., lunch will be provided, and the day will conclude with a poster session and reception with refreshments from 3:30 to 5:00 p.m., directly following the symposium.

Registration is now closed.
If you are still interested in attending, please email Avery (avery.seefeld@ucsf.edu) to inquire about available space. We will be happy to let you know if we are able to accommodate additional attendees.

Symposium agenda

8:30 to 9 a.m. — Sign-in, breakfast and networking

9 to 9:15 a.m. — Opening remarks

Phil Rosenthal, UCSF
Payam Nahid, UCSF

Theme 1: Immunology and diagnostics

Moderator: Bryan Greenhouse, UCSF

9:15 to 9:30 a.m. — Scientific talk and Q&A

Maggie Feeney, UCSF

9:30 to 10:15 a.m. — Lightning talks and panel

Jaime Andrés Cardona-Ospina, UC Berkeley
Dengue and Zika: unraveling mechanisms of pathogenesis

Meagan Olive, UCSF
Exploring naïve Vγ9Vδ2 T cells present in malaria-exposed children

Alea Delmastro, Stanford University
Longitudinal VAR2CSA-specific antibody tuning after repeated Plasmodium falciparum infections in pregnancy

Anneka Hooft, UCSF
CHILD study: point-of-care biomarkers and malaria

Jeff Whitman, UCSF
Evaluation of regional serological reactivity to Trypanosoma cruzi antigens

Amy Sturt, Veterans Affairs Health Care System, Palo Alto and Stanford University
Integrating female genital schistosomiasis into antenatal parasitic infection screening: acceptability and low prevalence in Bagamoyo, Tanzania

Keynote address and Q&A

10:15 to 11 a.m. — More Than Warming: Impacts of Climate Change on Mosquito-Borne Diseases

Erin Mordecai, Stanford University
Moderator: Michelle Hsiang, UCSF

Theme 2: Vector biology, surveillance and control

Moderator: Edward Thomsen, UCSF

11 to 11:15 a.m. — Scientific talk and Q&A

Fredros Okumu, University of Glasgow / Ifakara Health Institute

11:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. — Lightning talks and panel

Ingrid Chen, UCSF
Sustaining the effectiveness of spatial emanators: screening for new volatile active ingredients

Franck Langevin, Maïa Africa
MAÏA, addressing the “outdoor gap” through daily skincare habits

Victor Mero, UC Berkeley
Malaria resurgence following gene drive-induced tansmission suppression: the role of waning population immunity

Mercy Opiyo, UCSF
Pilot evaluation of the Comprehensive Larviciding Evaluation and Assessment Framework (CLEAR) in Uganda and Ghana

Joelle Rosser, Stanford University
Dengue, drones, and deep learning

Elodie Vajda, UCSF
Characterizing human-Anopheles exposure to inform targeted malaria vector control in the Senegambia border region

Paul Krezanoski, UCSF
Human and malaria vector interaction in Uganda

Networking, lunch and platform sharing

12:15 to 12:45 p.m. — Networking activity

Moderator: Jessica Briggs, UCSF

12:45 to 1:45 p.m. — Lunch

1:45 to 2:10 p.m. — Update on tools and training platforms

Bryan Greenhouse, UCSF
Jessica Briggs, UCSF
Allison Tatarsky, UCSF
Roly Gosling, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine / UCSF
Moderator: Jennifer Smith, UCSF

Theme 3: Therapeutics for treatment and prevention

Moderator: Michelle Roh, OHSU / UCSF

2:10 to 2:25 p.m. — Scientific talk and Q&A

Grant Dorsey, UCSF

2:25 to 2:45 p.m. — Lightning talks and panel

Oriana Kreutzfeld, UCSF
Susceptibility of Ugandan and Burkina Faso P. falciparum field isolates to the antimalarial drug pipeline

Anna Nguyen, Stanford University
Time-dependent effects of perennial malaria chemoprevention on infant growth

Sydney Fine, UCSF
FLAME safety and acceptability in 2 rounds of focal mass drug administration

Global to local: panel, awards and closing remarks

2:45 to 3:30 p.m. — Global to Local – Bay Area Vector-Borne Diseases Panel Discussion

Rachel Curtis-Robles, Communications Director, San Mateo County Mosquito and Vector Control District
Eric Haas-Stapleton, Laboratory Director, Alameda County Mosquito Abatement District
Andrea Lund, Vector-Borne Disease Epidemiologist, California Department of Public Health
Paula Macedo, General Manager, Contra Costa Mosquito and Vector Control District
Kavita Trivedi, Director for Clinical Guidance and the Communicable Disease Controller, Alameda County Department of Public Health

Moderator: Allison Tatarsky, UCSF

3:30 to 3:35 p.m. — IGHS Affiliate Program

Esbeydy Pardo, UCSF

3:35 to 3:45 p.m. — CMVBD Awards, Updates, and Closing Remarks

Michelle Hsiang, UCSF

3:45 to 5 p.m. — Poster session, networking and reception

Poster presentations

Abraham Soto, UCSF
Prospective analysis of Chagas dsease serology testing for clinical populations presenting to a San Francisco-based hospital system

Alea Delmastro, Stanford University
Longitudinal VAR2CSA-specific antibody tuning after repeated Plasmodium falciparum infections in pregnancy

Alexandra Probst, UC Berkeley
Anopheles circadian rhythm influences mosquito activity and susceptibility to Plasmodium infection

Anna Nguyen, Stanford University
Effects of perennial malaria chemoprevention with dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine on infant growth

Brianna Parrington, UC Berkeley
Investigating daily rhythms in P. berghei sporozoites and Anopheles mosquito vector

Chhaminder Kaur, Stanford University
Host cell responses to Plasmodium falciparum infection of erythroid precursor cells

Gia Fisher, Novartis
A human proteasome reporter to assess compound selectivity for Plasmodium vs. host

Isabelle Hoang, UCSF
Evaluation of regional antibody reactivity to Trypanosoma cruzi antigens for improving Chagas disease serology

Liusheng Huang, UCSF
Advanced methods for quantification of dugs using volumetric dried-blood spots

Max McClure, UCSF
Estimation of Anopheles longevity in the field with a mechanistic model of mosquito aging

Nana Akua Afriyie Duah, Stanford University
T cell immune responses and Plasmodium falciparum infection dynamics in a Ugandan seasonal malaria chemoprevention cohort

Natasha Glendening, Santa Clara University
Corporate tech and public trust in U.S. mosquito control

Priscila Brandao, Novartis
Rapid fire mass apectrometry-based orthogonal validation of proteasome inhibitors

Sydney Fine, UCSF
Safety and adherence to focal mass drug administration using chloroquine with tafenoquine or primaquine: preliminary results from FLAME, a cluster-randomized controlled trial in Peru

YunHung Jordy Tu, UC Berkeley
Impact of environmental oxygen tension on Plasmodium falciparum


UCSF welcomes all participants to our events. If you need a reasonable accommodation to participate in this event because of a disability, please contact pilar.deer@ucsf.edu as soon as possible.