As part of efforts to strengthen the capacity of low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) to undertake a leadership role in the control of infectious diseases of poverty, TDR provides postgraduate training grants with a focus on implementation research. Here, we share a selection of fellows’ research projects on neglected tropical diseases.
The TDR postgraduate training scheme has evolved from a focus on individuals to a partnership with leading public health institutions in LMICs, selected by an external committee of public health experts.
The scheme provides a full academic scholarship toward a Master of Public Health degree. The training is specifically focused on research on the implementation of health products or strategies to tackle infectious diseases of poverty. Since 2015, 546 students have been trained globally through the programme. Fellows generally go on to establish careers in research or public health in LMICs.
Below is a selection of research on neglected tropical diseases conducted by recent fellows.
| Disease | Fellow (country of origin) | Host training institution | Research topic |
|---|---|---|---|
| dengue | Essy Sakya Gracia Agnegue (Togo) | University of Sciences, Techniques and Technologies of Bamako, Mali | Implementation of dengue epidemiological surveillance in the District Sanitaire de Golfe in Togo in 2024: barriers and facilitators |
| dengue | Yosi Duwita Arinda (Indonesia) | BRAC University - James P. Grant School of Public Health, Bangladesh | Assessing facility readiness for timely diagnosis, management and prevention of dengue transmission within Savar Upazila Health Complex in Dhaka, Bangladesh |
| leishmaniasis | Ruth Yesenia Centeno Pilaguano (Ecuador) | University of Antioquia, Colombia | Influence of contextual determinants on the implementation of treatment follow-up and therapeutic response to cutaneous leishmaniasis in two provinces of Ecuador |
| leprosy | Sudip Nepal (Nepal) | Universitas Gadjah Mada, Indonesia | Implementation fidelity in leprosy care and support for disability prevention and management in Rupandehi, Nepal |
| noma | Sibdou Sandrine Ouedraogo (Burkina Faso) | University of Sciences, Techniques and Technologies of Bamako, Mali | Factors influencing the detection of noma cases in the centre-west region of Burkina Faso |
| schistosomiasis | Samou Dembele (Mali) | University of Sciences, Techniques and Technologies of Bamako, Mali | Barriers and facilitators of mass treatment against schistosomiasis in the Health District of Bla, Mali |
| schistosomiasis | Harriet Kusiima (Uganda) | University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa | Exploring barriers and facilitators to uptake of mass drug administration for schistosomiasis in Bugoto community, Mayuge district, Uganda |
| soil-transmitted helminthiases | Lansana Barry (Guinea) | University of Ghana | Community perspectives on anti-helminthiasis mass drug administration for school-age children in Ghana |
| soil-transmitted helminthiasis | Rolande Nsimire (Democratic Republic of Congo) | University of Sciences, Techniques and Technologies of Bamako, Mali | Factors Influencing the Compliance with Mass Drug Administration for Soil-Transmitted Helminthiasis in Adolescent Girls and Women of Reproductive Age in Bukavu, Democratic Republic of Congo |
| soil-transmitted helminthiases | Ximena Cuevas (Colombia) | Universidad de Antioquia, Colombia | Determinants influencing the implementation of preventive chemotherapy for the control and elimination of soil-transmitted helminthiases in two municipalities of La Guajira Department, Colombia |
For more information, please contact Dr Mahnaz Vahedi.