September 13, 2024

After nearly 3 decades of living and working in Malawi at MLW, the Gordons have bid farewell, as they plan to relocate to the UK with their family. The Gordons have been instrumental in setting up and leading MLW to its current success. From participating in life changing studies, to securing funding for studies, and training up and coming researchers, they have diligently given their best efforts, knowledge and guidance to the success of the institution. In honor of their contribution to the institution, SMT organized a farewell party for them where colleagues could come and celebrate them together, with the Gordons delivering their final lectures. In her farewell lecture, Dr. Melita shared on the importance of continued efforts, indicating that progress of health research such as vaccine development for iNTS diseases to Typhoid, are ‘marathons and not sprints’. “Looking at my work exhausts me; it represents massive amount of work which is all necessary to provide evidence to move the work forward. And most of this work took years just to get to where we are now”. Dr. Melita went on to share some of her most memorable moments over the last 28 years of working and living in Malawi. “It does strike me that in the last few years things have really accelerated. There has been a lot of crises and a lot to deal with but look at the things that have come through. So many amazing high moments that Malawi has seen in the last 4 years. One triumph I would like to highlight was during the Covid-19 pandemic because of the role the hospital (QECH) played. We came together to create this campaign called “bump it forward” where people in the UK who had received their covid vaccine could donate funds to be used to buy PPE here in Malawi as we waited for the vaccine to arrive. We raised a little more than a quarter million British pounds, which came in handy for the QECH operations during that time to date. This was an inspirational movement which kept healthcare workers safe.” Stephen’s lecture, which he titled “It’s Even Better than I Thought”, was a glimpse into his life’s experiences in Malawi over the past three decades. “Many of you don’t know this, but I failed my PhD the first time. Not every PhD is a success, but I got it eventually. And you must know, you can get it done too. That is why even though I was not always successful, I was joyful in my work”. “I absolutely bless Henry as he goes forward with leading MLW; I think it’s a fantastic job leading such a terrific group of people,” he said.

During the August episode of Emerging Insights, MLW’s flagship Television Programme Anthony Chirwa, a physician under the Malawi Accelerated Research in Vaccines Experimental Laboratory Systems (MARVELS) said after establishing a robust model for testing pneumococcus and vaccines, and they are now expanding to include special populations, particularly people living with HIV. This work aims to shape future vaccination policies for at-risk groups. MLW is conducting a controlled human infection model (CHIM) study under the MARVELS project, an innovative approach that involves deliberately introducing an infectious organism to healthy volunteers to study the disease process and immune responses. Over the past five years, the MARVELS project has developed a pneumococcal CHIM to study the pneumococcus bacterium, which causes diseases like pneumonia, ear infections, and meningitis. The project collaborates closely with the government of Malawi through the Blantyre District Health Office, various communities in Blantyre, community leaders, and health workers at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital. The team conducted consultations with stakeholders in 2017 to ensure the model’s acceptability in Malawi, and by 2019, initial trials with 24 participants demonstrated the model’s safety and feasibility. In 2021, the team successfully used this model to evaluate the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13) in 204 participants. Edward Mangani, a research nurse with MARVELS, outlined the eligibility criteria for participants: “Eligible participants include those aged between 18 and 45, living within an hour’s walking distance from Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital, not pregnant, and having a cellphone for communication. We also conduct HIV tests as we are currently only working with those who are HIV-negative.” Mangani further emphasized the importance of participation in the CHIM study, likening it to past volunteer efforts for drugs like ibuprofen and ARVs. By volunteering, participants help test vaccine efficacy, ultimately contributing to a healthier population in Malawi and beyond. To learn more about the study watch the video on this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LIVduAGeHLU&t=560s

During the August episode of Emerging Insights, MLW’s flagship Television Programme Anthony Chirwa, a physician under the Malawi Accelerated Research in Vaccines Experimental Laboratory Systems (MARVELS) said after establishing a robust model for testing pneumococcus and vaccines, and they are now expanding to include special populations, particularly people living with HIV. This work aims to shape future vaccination policies for at-risk groups. MLW is conducting a controlled human infection model (CHIM) study under the MARVELS project, an innovative approach that involves deliberately introducing an infectious organism to healthy volunteers to study the disease process and immune responses. Over the past five years, the MARVELS project has developed a pneumococcal CHIM to study the pneumococcus bacterium, which causes diseases like pneumonia, ear infections, and meningitis. The project collaborates closely with the government of Malawi through the Blantyre District Health Office, various communities in Blantyre, community leaders, and health workers at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital. The team conducted consultations with stakeholders in 2017 to ensure the model’s acceptability in Malawi, and by 2019, initial trials with 24 participants demonstrated the model’s safety and feasibility. In 2021, the team successfully used this model to evaluate the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13) in 204 participants. Edward Mangani, a research nurse with MARVELS, outlined the eligibility criteria for participants: “Eligible participants include those aged between 18 and 45, living within an hour’s walking distance from Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital, not pregnant, and having a cellphone for communication. We also conduct HIV tests as we are currently only working with those who are HIV-negative.” Mangani further emphasized the importance of participation in the CHIM study, likening it to past volunteer efforts for drugs like ibuprofen and ARVs. By volunteering, participants help test vaccine efficacy, ultimately contributing to a healthier population in Malawi and beyond. To learn more about the study watch the video on this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LIVduAGeHLU&t=560s

The 12th annual Global Health Bioethics Network (GHBN) Annual Summer School took place from 19 to 23 August bringing together a diverse group of academics, ethicists and community engagement professionals to deep dive on bioethical issues in research. With topics ranging from Mental Health, Artificial Intelligence and emerging technologies, the 40 plus multinational delegates including four from the Malawi Liverpool Wellcome Research Programme (MLW) convened in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The GHBN Summer School, deliberately aims to spotlight bioethical complexities and dilemmas often faced in research work, creating and promoting open and honest dialogue on such issues. Participants come together ready to share their experiences from their line of work from the bioethics perspective and engage in discussions with their peers in the GHBN network. Dr. Deborah Nyirenda, Associate Group Head of the Community Engagement and Bioethics group and MLW shared about the “Responsive Dialogues: Engaging communities to address AMR in Malawi” community engagement project which took place from 2020 to 2021. She spoke about the experience conducting the project at the height of the COVID19 pandemic. Blessings Kapumba, a social scientist and postdoctoral research associate at MLW, shared his experiences navigating ethical challenges as an ethnographer under the Shire Vec study in Chikwawa. Living with community members within the location of the upcoming government funded irrigation project in the Shire Valley, Blessings is investigating key behavioural practices within smallholder farming communities related to vector-borne disease risks in Malawi. Lindiwe Mafuleka, Communications and Public Engagement Manager at MLW, described the key community engagement initiatives which create and sustain two-way dialogue and lasting relationships between researchers and the community; an ethical requirement in research. She also highlighted a recent collaborative community engagement project with the New York Based Center for New Democratic Processes (CNDP) that took place in May 2024. The project brought together a ‘Citizen Jury’ of 18 community members to dialogue about anti-microbial resistance. The deliberations from the citizen jury will be presented at the 2024 United Nations General Assembly in the United States of America. Wezi Lora, Post-doctoral Research Associate at MLW shared her work on investigating the acceptability of COVID-19 self-testing in Blantyre Malawi focusing on the nuances involved in rolling out this health innovation. Each year, the Summer school is organized by the Ethox Center, a coordinator of the GHBN network under the University of Oxford. This year the summer school was co organized with the University of Malaya in Malaysia.  

The 12th annual Global Health Bioethics Network (GHBN) Annual Summer School took place from 19 to 23 August bringing together a diverse group of academics, ethicists and community engagement professionals to deep dive on bioethical issues in research. With topics ranging from Mental Health, Artificial Intelligence and emerging technologies, the 40 plus multinational delegates including four from the Malawi Liverpool Wellcome Research Programme (MLW) convened in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The GHBN Summer School, deliberately aims to spotlight bioethical complexities and dilemmas often faced in research work, creating and promoting open and honest dialogue on such issues. Participants come together ready to share their experiences from their line of work from the bioethics perspective and engage in discussions with their peers in the GHBN network. Dr. Deborah Nyirenda, Associate Group Head of the Community Engagement and Bioethics group and MLW shared about the “Responsive Dialogues: Engaging communities to address AMR in Malawi” community engagement project which took place from 2020 to 2021. She spoke about the experience conducting the project at the height of the COVID19 pandemic. Blessings Kapumba, a social scientist and postdoctoral research associate at MLW, shared his experiences navigating ethical challenges as an ethnographer under the Shire Vec study in Chikwawa. Living with community members within the location of the upcoming government funded irrigation project in the Shire Valley, Blessings is investigating key behavioural practices within smallholder farming communities related to vector-borne disease risks in Malawi. Lindiwe Mafuleka, Communications and Public Engagement Manager at MLW, described the key community engagement initiatives which create and sustain two-way dialogue and lasting relationships between researchers and the community; an ethical requirement in research. She also highlighted a recent collaborative community engagement project with the New York Based Center for New Democratic Processes (CNDP) that took place in May 2024. The project brought together a ‘Citizen Jury’ of 18 community members to dialogue about anti-microbial resistance. The deliberations from the citizen jury will be presented at the 2024 United Nations General Assembly in the United States of America. Wezi Lora, Post-doctoral Research Associate at MLW shared her work on investigating the acceptability of COVID-19 self-testing in Blantyre Malawi focusing on the nuances involved in rolling out this health innovation. Each year, the Summer school is organized by the Ethox Center, a coordinator of the GHBN network under the University of Oxford. This year the summer school was co organized with the University of Malaya in Malaysia.  

During the August episode of Emerging Insights, MLW’s flagship Television Programme Anthony Chirwa, a physician under the Malawi Accelerated Research in Vaccines Experimental Laboratory Systems (MARVELS) said after establishing a robust model for testing pneumococcus and vaccines, and they are now expanding to include special populations, particularly people living with HIV. This work aims to shape future vaccination policies for at-risk groups. MLW is conducting a controlled human infection model (CHIM) study under the MARVELS project, an innovative approach that involves deliberately introducing an infectious organism to healthy volunteers to study the disease process and immune responses. Over the past five years, the MARVELS project has developed a pneumococcal CHIM to study the pneumococcus bacterium, which causes diseases like pneumonia, ear infections, and meningitis. The project collaborates closely with the government of Malawi through the Blantyre District Health Office, various communities in Blantyre, community leaders, and health workers at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital. The team conducted consultations with stakeholders in 2017 to ensure the model’s acceptability in Malawi, and by 2019, initial trials with 24 participants demonstrated the model’s safety and feasibility. In 2021, the team successfully used this model to evaluate the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13) in 204 participants. Edward Mangani, a research nurse with MARVELS, outlined the eligibility criteria for participants: “Eligible participants include those aged between 18 and 45, living within an hour’s walking distance from Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital, not pregnant, and having a cellphone for communication. We also conduct HIV tests as we are currently only working with those who are HIV-negative.” Mangani further emphasized the importance of participation in the CHIM study, likening it to past volunteer efforts for drugs like ibuprofen and ARVs. By volunteering, participants help test vaccine efficacy, ultimately contributing to a healthier population in Malawi and beyond. To learn more about the study watch the video on this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LIVduAGeHLU&t=560s  

After nearly 3 decades of living and working in Malawi at MLW, the Gordons have bid farewell, as they plan to relocate to the UK with their family. The Gordons have been instrumental in setting up and leading MLW to its current success. From participating in life changing studies, to securing funding for studies, and training up and coming researchers, they have diligently given their best efforts, knowledge and guidance to the success of the institution. In honor of their contribution to the institution, SMT organized a farewell party for them where colleagues could come and celebrate them together, with the Gordons delivering their final lectures. In her farewell lecture, Dr. Melita shared on the importance of continued efforts, indicating that progress of health research such as vaccine development for iNTS diseases to Typhoid, are ‘marathons and not sprints’. “Looking at my work exhausts me; it represents massive amount of work which is all necessary to provide evidence to move the work forward. And most of this work took years just to get to where we are now”. Dr. Melita went on to share some of her most memorable moments over the last 28 years of working and living in Malawi. “It does strike me that in the last few years things have really accelerated. There has been a lot of crises and a lot to deal with but look at the things that have come through. So many amazing high moments that Malawi has seen in the last 4 years. One triumph I would like to highlight was during the Covid-19 pandemic because of the role the hospital (QECH) played. We came together to create this campaign called “bump it forward” where people in the UK who had received their covid vaccine could donate funds to be used to buy PPE here in Malawi as we waited for the vaccine to arrive. We raised a little more than a quarter million British pounds, which came in handy for the QECH operations during that time to date. This was an inspirational movement which kept healthcare workers safe.” Stephen’s lecture, which he titled “It’s Even Better than I Thought”, was a glimpse into his life’s experiences in Malawi over the past three decades. “Many of you don’t know this, but I failed my PhD the first time. Not every PhD is a success, but I got it eventually. And you must know, you can get it done too. That is why even though I was not always successful, I was joyful in my work”. “I absolutely bless Henry as he goes forward with leading MLW; I think it’s a fantastic job leading such a terrific group of people,” he said.