The Infectious Disease Epidemiology (IDE) Research Group organised a writing retreat on September 8 and 9, 2026.
The retreat aimed at bringing the group members together to work on their different writing projects while creating an opportunity for team building and collaboration.
Held at Bliss and Honey in the misty weather of Thyolo, the retreat attracted 15 participants from both Blantyre and Lilongwe campuses. They included master’s students, PhD students and post-doctoral researchers.
The retreat followed a resolution made during the group’s monthly meeting where group members highlighted the need for activities such as seminars and writing retreats to create dedicated opportunities for members to develop their research and writing skills in the process of strengthening networking within the group.
Blessings Chiepa and Richard Kamwezi, PhD students in the group organised the retreat. Among others, the two-day retreat involved presentations, reflections, and protected writing sessions.
“This retreat was a timely opportunity for early career researchers to learn from seasoned researchers within the group, particularly in areas of grant as well as manuscript writing.
“I would like to thank the MLW Training and Development Team for their support in pulling this very important activity together. It speaks to the broader aim of training the next generation of researchers and leaders,” Kamwezi said.
The retreat opened with a seminar on approaching writing across the research process, from proposals and grants to manuscripts. The seminar was handled by Dr Lauren Cohee from LSTM . The session covered identifying the target audience, when to begin writing, version control, and the use of AI, with a particular discussion around the dos and don’ts of AI in research writing.
Following the opening seminar, participants turned to the main purpose of the retreat: writing. Protected sessions of one and a half to two hours provided dedicated time to work without the usual distractions. Phones were put away and participants were paired with accountability partners to set and review writing goals. Writing was balanced with opportunities to interact and unwind, alongside presentations from Dr James Chirombo and Dr Donnie Mategula, the group Lead.
Team-building activities, including games such as 30 Seconds, provided a lighter break from the concentrated writing sessions.
“The writing retreat gave me the time and space to really focus on my paper without the usual distractions. I also really benefited from the discussions and learnt a lot from others. It helped me see my work differently and gave me the push I needed to move it forward,” Olive Mbekwani-Kalata, a second-year PhD student based in Lilongwe, said.
The Group Lead, Dr Mategula, said: “I am glad that we could make this writing retreat a reality amidst our busy schedules. We almost always need to write, but the demands of everyday work can make it difficult to find the time to focus. We should strive to have more of these activities to enhance our skills, productivity, and collaboration within the group.”
IDE group members are already looking forward to the next activity.
