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NEWRISK project awarded RIGHT 5 NHIR funding

Awards & Appointments KWTRP NDM-CGHR

Led by Benjamin Tsofa and Jacob McKnight, the project named "A Novel Extreme Weather Risk Insurance System for Kenya (NEWRISK)” will focus on using the latest methods to provide focused data on extreme weather, population vulnerability, and health system capacity readiness across various climatic zones in Kenya.

School Leavers Attachment Scheme

KWTRP Public Engagement

KWTRP hosted 153 students for the Annual School Leavers Attachment Scheme (SLAS) Open Day. The SLAS open day targets top performing students in Kilifi to give them an opportunity to information from various stakeholders and scientists that would help them firm up or redefine their career aspirations. It is an opportunity to give the students information about the need to take science and health related careers with the focus on creating the next pool of researchers in Kenya, Africa and beyond.

12 Remarkable African Life Scientists– An inspirational book for young people

KWTRP Public Engagement

Dr Tabitha Mwangi, a former KWTRP scientist now working in the UK, has written an inspirational book targeted at High school going children but also useful in shaping students already in university in shaping their career journeys.

New interim director for the KEMRI Wellcome Trust Research Programme

Awards & Appointments KWTRP

It is a bittersweet moment for the KWTRP family as we make changes to our Leadership team. After 10 years of tremendous growth and change in the Programme, Professor Philip Bejon officially steps down as the KWTRP Programme Executive Director. Professor Edwine Barasa takes over as the Interim Executive Director.

KWTRP Consultative Workshop on Data Access and Use for Public Health Planning and Decision-making

Conferences & meetings KWTRP

The KEMRI Wellcome Trust Research Programme (KWTRP) convened stakeholders for a follow-up session on data access and use for public health planning and decision-making. This forum focused on discussing pathways to implementing priority recommendations generated during the first consultative workshop.

Celebrating World Pneumonia Day 2023

KWTRP

We commemorate World pneumonia Day on the 12th of November annually, a reminder that pneumonia remains a preventable and curable disease.

Bohemia: exploring ivermectin for malaria control in Kwale county

KWTRP

The Broad One Health Endectocide-based Malaria Intervention in Africa project (BOHEMIA) begins its mass drug administration (MDA) activities in Kenya’s Kwale County. The MDA in Kenya is being implemented by the KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research Programme and led by co-principal investigators Dr Marta Maia and Dr Joseph Mwangang

R21 Phase III trial results

KWTRP

After the successful completion and positive results from the Phase I (Kenya) and II (Burkina Faso) R21 vaccine trials, researchers have now published the results of the Phase III trial ahead of peer review.

Three CTMGH researchers awarded Professorships

Awards & Appointments KWTRP MORU OUCRU

We are delighted to announce that three of our researchers have been awarded the Professor title, in recognition of their research achievements, contribution to teaching, and contribution to the general work of the Nuffield Department of Medicine.

New collaboration to tackle antibiotic-resistant sepsis in African newborns

KWTRP

The KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research Programme from NDM has participated in a new European-African consortium to improve the way infections in newborns are treated. This project, called SNIP-AFRICA, aims to reduce mortality among neonates in hospitals with sepsis in Africa, in an era of increasing antimicrobial resistance.

KWTRP Media Engagement

Conferences & meetings KWTRP

KWTRP hosted journalists from South Africa, Zambia, Rwanda, Uganda, and Kenya who visited the programme for a tour that aimed to enrich the journalists’ training experience as part of a science communication training workshop for journalists in Mombasa. The team interacted with Dr Eunice Nduati who presented on IAVI work and they toured the research labs. The training will empower the journalists to communicate scientific concepts accurately and effectively to a broader audience.

Hypertension Control in Rural Africa(IHCoR) NIHR Global Health Research Group meeting

Conferences & meetings KWTRP

KWTRP hosted the Improving Hypertension Control in Rural Africa (IHCoR) NIHR Global Health Research Group meeting dubbed the Kilifi Dialogues. The meeting brought together more than 30 leading researchers from various parts of the world to discuss the landscape of hypertension research in sub-Saharan Africa.

KWTRP School Leavers Attachment Scheme

KWTRP Public Engagement

This year’s School Leavers Attachment Scheme (SLAS) cohort have successfully concluded. The cohort included 9 students drawn from secondary schools in Kilifi who scored highest in aptitude tests and interviews. The 3-month attachment, which started from 1st March to 31st May, involved two-week long rotations in the HSRE, Neuro, ICT, Labs, Wards and ED departments and bi-weekly tutorials.

Achieving maternal, newborn, and child health

Conferences & meetings KWTRP NDM-CGHR

KWTRP and HSC researchers attended the International Maternal and Newborn Health Conference 8-11 May 2023 in Capetown, South Africa. This conference is held biannually to track progress made towards achieving maternal, newborn, and child health SDG targets as we get to 2030.

KWTRP Gender, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Policy

KWTRP

KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research Programme (KWTRP) has put in place the Gender, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Policy to provide guidelines to be followed in the management of the Programme human resources to ensure consistency and compliance with the labour laws in the application of all policies across the Programme.

How mathematical modelling can support policy decision making

KWTRP

Researchers at the Kemri Wellcome Trust in collaboration with colleagues from various modelling groups and the World Health Organization have designed a framework to guide the use of mathematical modelling in evidence-based policy decision making.

Four CTMGH researchers awarded Associate Professorships

Awards & Appointments KWTRP MORU OUCRU

We are delighted to announce that four of our researchers have been awarded the Associate Professor title, in recognition of their research achievements, contribution to teaching, and contribution to the general work of the Nuffield Department of Medicine.

Global team of humanities and social science researchers to explore Just Transitions for antimicrobial resistance

KWTRP MORU NDM-CGHR OUCRU

'Just Transitions to mitigate antimicrobial resistance' is a multidisciplinary social science and humanities programme funded by the British Academy. Led by Dr Sonia Lewycka and Professor Phaik Yeong Cheah, its team of 20 researchers will convene global and regional dialogues, engaging with key stakeholders to co-create equitable and sustainable solutions to manage antimicrobial resistance.

Human Resource for Health Stakeholder Engagement

KWTRP

The KEMRI Wellcome Trust Research Programme hosted various stakeholders for a discussion on Human Resource for Health in Kenya. The meeting discussions centered on themes around health workforce production, the impact of health workforce on quality of care and health workforce governance and management.

Kilifi Health and Demographic Surveillance System 20th Anniversary

KWTRP

The Kilifi Health and Demographic Surveillance System, housed within the Epidemiology and Demography Department of the KEMRI Kilifi Wellcome Trust Research Programme, celebrated two decades of its existence. The event was an opportunity for the team to reflect on its values, strengths and connect with the future.

Webinar: African country experiences with institutionalizing Health Technology Assessment

KWTRP

Health Economics Research Unit, based at the KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research Programme, in collaboration with Africa Health Technology Assessment Network and Africa Health Economics Association, hosted a webinar on African country experiences with institutionalizing Health Technology Assessment. This approach to evidence-based priority setting provides a mechanism for making choices about purchasing decisions in the health system.

Rift Valley fever vaccine trial shows positive results

KWTRP

Researchers from the Nuffield Department of Medicine’s KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research Programme and the University of Oxford have recently reported promising results from a phase 1 clinical trial of their ChAdOx1 RVF vaccine against Rift Valley fever in humans.

KWTRP Advanced workshop for Bioinformatics workflows

KWTRP

KWTRP hosted the 2nd Advanced workshop for Bioinformatics workflows between 27th -31st March with 28 participants from Kenya, Uganda, DRC-Congo, Malawi and Nigeria, with support from NGS Academy for the Africa Pathogen Genomics Initiative.

KWTRP NeoSep trial site initiation visit

KWTRP

The NeoSep1 trial team hosted a site initiation visit which included a training conducted by the Trial Management Group that includes St. George’s Hospital in London and the UK Medical Research Council’s Clinical Trial Unit. NeoSep1 trial is a randomised controlled trial to improve antibiotic treatment for babies.

DELTAS Africa II Launch

KWTRP

The Science for Africa Foundation launched the Developing Excellence in Leadership Training and Science in Africa (DELTAS Africa II) on 14th March 2023 in Nairobi Kenya. DELTAS Africa II brings together 14 grantees from across the continent including The Initiative to Develop African Research Leaders (IDeAL), based at the KEMRI – Wellcome Trust Research Programme.

Celebrating Women and Girls in Science

KWTRP

Women have made significant contribution in research despite the numerous challenges they face. To celebrate the women and girls in science we asked some women at KEMRI Wellcome Trust Research programme to share their journey in research, their achievements, and a word of advice to fellow women in science.

VAnguard Launch

KWTRP

KWTRP hosted the launch of the VAnguard research project. The NIHR Funded Project Builds Knowledge-base on Factors Influencing Vaccine Impact among Communities in Kenya and Uganda. The project aims to strengthen collaborations between national and international stakeholders in the identification of social and biological factors that impair vaccine impact in African communities, to develop integrated strategies and recommendations to optimize vaccine impact, and to contribute to health equity in Africa. The launch concurrently took place in Kenya and Uganda from 28th – 30th November 2022.

Four CTMGH researchers awarded full professorships

Awards & Appointments KWTRP MOCRU MORU

We are delighted to announce that four of our researchers have been awarded the title of Professor, in recognition of their research achievements, contribution to teaching, and contribution to the general work of the Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford.

Quality of care, health workers’ well-being and COVID-19

KWTRP

Nurses are central players in the provision of quality health care globally. Although neonatal units have not been at the epicenter of the current COVID-19 pandemic, challenges have also been raised for neonatal nurses. KWTRP share their COVID-19 related experiences and challenges, highlight strategies they used to manage the challenges and show how elements of the communication skills and emotional competence course helped them cope.

High prevalence of antibodies against COVID-19 within the general population: Evidence from Nairobi and Kilifi

KWTRP

By May 2022, 69% of individuals residing within the Kilifi Health and Demographic System (HDSS) and 91% residing within the Nairobi Urban HDSS had evidence of an immune response to COVID-19 resulting from natural infection and/or vaccination, i.e., anti-spike IgG antibodies.

Taking relationships seriously

KWTRP Public Engagement

Community Engagement (CE) is a critical aspect of health research because of its potential to make research more ethical, relevant, and well implemented. Many research programmes now aim to incorporate CE activities at all stages of their work. This KWTRP brief summarises key findings from a malaria trials, and provides an illustration of how CE works more generally. It highlights facilitators and challenges to engagement, and the ethical issues that are particularly relevant in LMIC settings with under resourced health systems.

Congratulations to our new Associate Professors

Awards & Appointments KWTRP OUCRU

Our heartfelt congratulations to Melissa Kapulu, Francis Ndungu and Emelda Okiro from KWTRP, and to Hoa Thi Ngo and Sophie Yacoub from OUCRU who have been awarded Associate Professorships

Congratulations Professor Kathryn Maitland, awarded an OBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours

Awards & Appointments KWTRP

Kathryn Maitland, Professor of Paediatric Tropical Infectious Diseases and based at the KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research Programme in Kilifi, Kenya, was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the Queen’s Birthday Honours

Modelling the Cost-Effectiveness of COVID-19 Vaccination Strategies in Kenya

KWTRP

The KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research Programme today released the results of its latest modelling on COVID-19 vaccine scale-up within the country. The analysis found that the country’s COVID-19 vaccination campaign can achieve greater value for money if it focuses on the elderly, rather than a strategy that pursues scaling up vaccines to the whole population.

Emelda Okiro awarded Wellcome Senior Research Fellowship

KWTRP

Dr Emelda Okiro has been awarded the prestigious Wellcome Senior Research Fellowship. Emelda’s fellowship is the first African Senior Research Fellowship awarded in the KEMRI-Wellcome Research Programme and among the less than five SRFs awarded to researchers in Africa.

Large African and South Asian research network finds half of deaths among children admitted to hospital happens after discharge

KWTRP

Young children in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia who become sick or malnourished continue to have a high risk of death in the six months after being hospitalized, according to findings by researchers in the Childhood Acute Illness & Nutrition (CHAIN) Network. Appearing in The Lancet Global Health, the study of 3,101 acutely ill children at nine hospitals in six countries across sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia found that 48% of the 350 deaths recorded occurred within six months after discharge from hospital.

Community and Public Engagement at KWTRP

KWTRP Public Engagement

Monitoring and Evaluation helps us keep track of our public engagement activities and outcomes. KEMRI -Wellcome Trust recently completed a report detailing our experiences and learning.

Potentially life-saving treatment is safe to use for babies with neonatal sepsis

KWTRP

Results from a clinical trial completed in Kenya have determined that a safe dose of the antibiotic, fosfomycin, can be used to treat babies with neonatal sepsis. This is a significant development, as there are very few antibiotics specifically licensed to treat multidrug-resistant infections in babies. This research was lead by Dr Christina Obiero and Professor Jay Berkley.

Cross-species vaccination by Professor George Warimwe

Awards & Appointments KWTRP Video

Royal Society 2021 Africa Prize lecture from Professor George Warimwe. More than 70% of emerging infectious diseases (including viruses) are zoonotic, meaning they are acquired from animals, with some causing serious illness and death in humans as well as the animal host. But, what if we could immunise both humans and animals with the same vaccine?

New! A learning framework about antimicrobial resistance for children and young people

KWTRP MORU OUCRU Public Engagement

A downloadable resource for educators, health & research professionals to help develop young peoples’ understanding of AMR and positive actions they can take to mitigate it.

Peter Macharia wins RSTMH Emerging Leader Award

Awards & Appointments KWTRP

Peter Macharia is a spatial epidemiologist and a postdoc interested in disease mapping, healthcare access and mapping population vulnerabilities at KEMRI Wellcome. He received the RSTMH 2021 Emerging Leader Award, which recognises significant contributions in leadership, mentoring and capacity building in those who are early in their careers.

Congratulations new Associate Professors

Awards & Appointments KWTRP MORU OUCRU

Following the meeting of the Medical Sciences Divisional Committee to consider applications for the conferral of the title of Associate Professor, we are pleased to announce that Rashan Haniffa, Dorcas Kamuya, Isabella Oyier, Le Van Tan and Timothy Walker have been awarded the title Associate Professor

Reducing children’s exposure to malaria in their early years substantially cuts the risk of hospitalisation.

KWTRP

For the first time in more than two decades, a team from the KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research Programme and University of Oxford have quantified the risk of children suffering severe outcomes from malaria - which can have a devastating impact on tens of thousands of children who are admitted to hospital with severe malaria every year.

Royal Society Africa Prize 2021 awarded to George Warimwe

Awards & Appointments KWTRP

The Royal Society Africa Prize 2021 is awarded to Professor George Warimwe for his work on zoonoses vaccine development, capacity building in Africa, and his innovative research proposal. This Prize recognises research scientists based in Africa who are making an innovative contribution to the sciences.

Tracking the introduction and spread of SARS-CoV-2 in coastal Kenya

KWTRP

A team of KWTRP scientists carried out a major genomic epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2 infections in Kenya during the early phase of the epidemic (March – July 2020). Researchers provide evidence for at least 35-40 unique introductions of the virus in the coast region – specifically the epidemic that was largely observed in Mombasa County.

Simple blood tests may help improve malaria diagnosis in clinical studies

KWTRP MORU

About one-third of children diagnosed with severe malaria may instead have an alternative cause of illness, but simple blood tests could help researchers distinguish between the two and speed up research on new treatments.

We gathered rich insights into child survival in Kenya by mapping patterns over 22 years

KWTRP

Although improvements in child survival globally have been remarkable, 5.2 million children still died in 2019, over half of these in sub-Saharan Africa. A range of factors likely include disparities in childhood immunisations, supplements and breastfeeding practices, antenatal care, skilled birth attendants working in healthcare facilities. Kenya needs to prioritise its child care plans, based on localities and populations with the greatest need. Two KWTRP studies give granular insights into the situation in regions across Kenya.

What it takes to reach zero malaria

KWTRP

Interview with KWTRP Malaria immunologist Dr Francis Ndungu. Francis grew up in central Kenya where malaria is not prevalent but is interested in understanding of how semi-immune individuals control malaria parasite growth and the associated inflammation symptoms. His current work is in understanding how we develop immunity to Malaria. He is also interested in the potential translation of that knowledge in the development of effective malaria vaccines.

Celebrating women in ICT: connected girls, creating brighter futures

KWTRP Public Engagement

The International Girl’s in ICT day is commemorated to create awareness on the critical need for more girls and women in the ICT sector, encourage and inspire young girls to actively pursue careers in STEM as well as engage the community to promote collaboration through partnerships. Kathreen Wafula, an ICT Support Technician in Kilifi, joins a strong team of techies and is one of the 4 women in the department.

Community and Public Engagement at KWTRP

KWTRP Public Engagement

KWTRP initial community and public engagement strategy was developed in 2005 with three goals: build understanding and trust between researchers and communities, enhance ethical conduct of research, and disseminate research findings to promote uptake into policy. Our programme has since developed and now includes engagement with media, radio programme, media engagement workshops, various meetings and forums, and a fully-fledged school engagement programme that was awarded the 2019 Oxford VC Public Engagement with Research Award.

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