The Mind the Gap (MTG) Fellowship Program aims to strengthen the next generation of scientists working to improve malaria vector surveillance and control in Africa. The program is led by the Malaria Elimination Initiative (MEI) at the UCSF Institute for Global Health Sciences.
The fellowship supports nine early- to mid-career public health and medical entomologists through advanced academic training, mentored research, professional development, and opportunities to build international scientific networks. Nearly all MTG fellows are using the fellowship to support their pursuit of a PhD. Fellows come from the DRC, Ghana, Mozambique, Nigeria, and Uganda, and many are public health professionals already embedded within their country’s national malaria program (NMP).
The main goal of the program is to build the expertise needed to identify critical gaps in malaria vector surveillance and to translate entomological evidence into better public health decision-making. Fellows design, implement, and analyze research addressing country-specific priorities while developing skills in scientific communication, leadership, and professional development. The fellowship also provides opportunities for national and international training, conferences, and workshops, alongside mentorship focused on leadership and career development. Through these combined opportunities, the MTG program aims not only to strengthen individual scientists, but also to contribute to resilient and sustainable malaria entomological surveillance systems in endemic countries.
The impact of this approach is already evident in the work of the fellows.
Generating Evidence for Better Malaria Control
Mohammad Bala Masu, a PhD fellow from Nigeria, is investigating the relationship between rice cultivation and malaria, comparing malaria prevalence, mosquito ecology, and human behavior across rice-growing and non-rice-growing communities. He says the fellowship’s combination of “skills development, community engagement, mentorship, and collaboration” has strengthened his critical thinking and leadership and helped him understand how research can inform malaria policy and implementation.
In Mozambique, Albertina Chihale is evaluating whether adaptive sampling can improve malaria vector surveillance, while Kulssum Dade Faque Mussa is examining the combined impact of malaria vaccination and insecticide-treated nets among children under five in Zambézia Province. Both highlight the fellowship’s role in strengthening research skills and providing mentorship and collaboration, with Kulssum describing it as an “essential component of doctoral training.”
Marvious Kiwanuka, a PhD fellow from Uganda, is examining how vector-control interventions and environmental factors shape mosquito diversity, behavior, and insecticide resistance. The fellowship has broadened his understanding of “gaps in protection” contributing to residual transmission and strengthened his practical skills in entomological surveillance and evidence-based decision-making.
Narcisse Basosila, PhD fellow from the DRC, is investigating how vector and human behavior affect insecticide-treated nets (ITNs) effectiveness while evaluating complementary approaches to larval control. He says the fellowship has strengthened his entomological expertise, expanded his international network, and enhanced his ability to apply entomological evidence to surveillance and decision-making within the DRC’s NMCP. By the time Narcisse completes his PhD (expected in 2028), he will be the first PhD entomologist within the DRC’s NMP.
Advancing Malaria Research and Innovation
Lilian Namuli Kayondo, a PhD fellow from Uganda, is investigating how genomic surveillance can be integrated into vector-control trials to better understand and manage insecticide resistance. She has published her first first-author paper, developed new bioinformatics skills through MTG training, has and has been encouraged to pursue independent grant funding and a career as an independent scientist through the fellowship’s mentorship scheme.
Dulcisária Jotamo Marrenjo, from Mozambique, is studying malaria and lymphatic filariasis vectors in Zambézia Province, including whether the AI-based tool VectorCam can improve mosquito identification and surveillance. Having recently successfully defended her PhD proposal, she credits MTG with strengthening her research and scientific writing skills and connecting her with researchers at institutions including UCSF and Johns Hopkins University.
Otubea Owusu Akrofi, a PhD fellow from Ghana, is investigating how interactions between insecticide resistance mechanisms could be leveraged to improve the effectiveness of indoor residual spraying against malaria vectors. Her work will help inform the selection and deployment of insecticides for malaria control, while the fellowship’s mentorship and professional development opportunities have strengthened her confidence and capacity as a researcher.
Nana Yaw Peprah, also a PhD fellow from Ghana, is using artificial intelligence and machine learning to develop predictive maps of insecticide resistance and identify where and when resistance is most likely to threaten vector-control interventions. He says the fellowship’s combination of mentorship, technical training, and collaboration has strengthened his ability to translate research into analyses that can directly inform malaria program decisions and reinforced his career direction in data-driven malaria control.
From Individual Training to Stronger Malaria Surveillance Systems
Across the fellows’ projects, a common theme emerges: each addresses practical questions facing malaria programs, from improving entomological surveillance and understanding insecticide resistance to assessing malaria interventions and applying artificial intelligence. Through their research, fellows are generating locally relevant evidence to strengthen malaria surveillance and control in their own countries.
The MTG Fellowship is building a growing community of scientists equipped to translate this evidence into action. By strengthening the technical skills, networks, and leadership capacity of those closest to these challenges, MTG is helping ensure that malaria control strategies are grounded in local evidence and responsive to the needs of the programs and communities they serve.