Global Efforts to Eliminate Disease: Nigerian Researcher Selected for Prestigious Fellowship
In a significant boost to global disease elimination efforts, Nigerian researcher Martins Imhansoloeva has been selected for the Global Institute for Disease Elimination’s 2024-2025 Injaz Fellowship for Disease Elimination program. Imhansoloeva, a PhD candidate at the Kirby Institute at the University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia, will join three other fellows in the program, which aims to equip future leaders with the necessary knowledge, skills, and leadership strategies to make critical progress in tackling Neglected Tropical Diseases, malaria, and polio.
The fellowship will support Imhansoloeva’s research on river blindness in Angola, a disease caused by the parasitic worm Onchocerca volvulus. In its early stages, the disease causes painful skin irritation, inflammation, and itching, but if left untreated, it can lead to irreversible sight loss. The World Health Organisation estimates that over 246 million people worldwide are at risk of the disease.
Imhansoloeva’s research will focus on gathering data on the blackflies that spread the disease, which will be crucial in measuring progress towards eliminating it. The Injaz Fellowship will provide Imhansoloeva with the opportunity to expand his knowledge and skills in disease elimination through courses that provide knowledge, skills, and leadership strategies.
As part of his previous research, Imhansoloeva has investigated approaches to improve the reporting of mass drug administration data for Neglected Tropical Diseases, increasing awareness of and improving treatment for female genital schistosomiasis in Nigeria, and studies to improve trapping methods for the blackfly that spreads river blindness in various African countries.
According to Imhansoloeva, Angola continues to grapple with river blindness, a disease that can lead to permanent blindness. He plans to use the Injaz Fellowship to close this knowledge gap and provide critical insights into the transmission dynamics of the blackfly that spreads the disease.
Simon Bland, CEO of GLIDE, expressed enthusiasm for the program, saying, “The Injaz Fellowship provides future leaders with an opportunity to expand their research and build on their knowledge and specialist skills in disease elimination. Developing future leaders is an essential component of disease elimination, and I look forward to seeing how the winning individuals advance efforts in their countries and become agents of change in their respective fields.”
The Injaz Fellowship is an innovative program designed to advance global efforts to eliminate and eradicate infectious diseases. By concentrating efforts on diseases that significantly affect underserved populations, the program aims to promote global health equity and achieve the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. The fellowship is strategically aligned with GLIDE’s mission to address the critical demand for skilled professionals in disease elimination to achieve ambitious elimination goals for 2030 and beyond.
The three other winning projects will focus on rabies, trachoma, and enhancing the delivery of Neglected Tropical Diseases projects for women and vulnerable populations in regions spanning Australasia and Africa.
