Center for Malaria and Vector-Borne Diseases Research Symposium

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.

Please register to attend. If you would like to give a research talk and/or present a research poster during this symposium, please submit your talk and/or poster via the registration link by Friday, August 28.

Symposium agenda

Thursday, October 15, 2026
8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Fisher Banquet Room
1675 Owens Street, Mission Bay, San Francisco

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

Margaret 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
Functional diversification of γδ T cells in the immune response to childhood malaria

Alea Delmastro, Stanford University
Longitudinal VAR2CSA-specific Antibody Tuning after Repeated Plasmodium falciparum Infections in Pregnancy

Anneka Hooft, UCSF
Use of point-of-care biomarkers in children with acute malaria in Tanzania

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

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

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

Ingrid Chen, UCSF
Spatial emanator active ingredient pipeline

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

Victor Mero, UC Berkeley
Malaria Resurgence Following Gene Drive-Induced Transmission 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
Using drones and AI to map Aedes aegypti habitat

Elodie Vajda, UCSF
Human behavior directs spatial and temporal exposure to Anopheles bites along the Senegambian border

Paul Krezanoski, UCSF
When and where does malaria exposure occur? Evidence from a large-scale study of human-vector interaction in Uganda

Stephen Muhwezi, Former Isingiro District Local Government, Uganda
Beyond the Mosquito: Lessons from District-Level Malaria Vector-Control Implementation

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, LSHTM / UCSF
Moderator: Jennifer Smith, UCSF (TBC)

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
Activity of novel antimalarials against Ugandan P. falciparum isolates

Anna Nguyen, Stanford University
Effects of Perennial Malaria Chemoprevention with Dihydroartemisinin-Piperaquine on Infant Growth

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

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

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

TBC, TBC, Alameda County Department of Public Health

Angie Nakano, Laboratory Director, San Mateo County Mosquito and Vector Control District

Moderator: Allison Tatarsky, UCSF

3:30 to 3:35 p.m. — IGHS Affiliates Program and Poster Awardee

Teresa Kortz, 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 Disease 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, University of California, Berkeley
Investigating daily rhythms in P. berghei sporozoites and Anopheles mosquito vector

Gia Fisher, Novartis
A Human Proteasome Reporter to Assess Compound Selectivity for Plasmodium vs Host

Isabelle Hoang, UCSF IGHS
Evaluation of Regional Antibody Reactivity to Trypanosoma cruzi Antigens for Improving Chagas Disease Serology

Liusheng Huang, UCSF
Advanced Methods for Quantification of Drugs 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 US Mosquito Control

Priscila Brandao, Novartis
TBC

Stephen Muhwezi, Independent / Former Isingiro District Local Government, Uganda
From Evidence to Action: The District Implementation Pathway for Malaria Vector Control

Sydney Fine, UCSF MEI
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, University of California, Berkeley
Impact of environmental oxygen tension on Plasmodium falciparum