Gillian Eastwood - England

What I Did

The overall goal of the funded activity was to facilitate a new global partnership with the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine [LSTMH], with prospective research focused on mosquito vector ecology in The Gambia. LSHTM has an established on-going malaria project in that region in conjunction with the Medical Research Council Unit - The Gambia.  This particular CALS Global Faculty Partnership came under the theme of Healthy People, Animals, and Planet, since the outcome of the proposed partnership focuses on the reduction of infectious disease.

I travelled from Virginia Tech to London (United Kingdom) in April 2019 to visit LSHTM. The London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine is renowned for its research and continuing education in public and global health, and is one of the highest-rated research institutions in the UK.  The mission of LSHTM is to improve health and health equipment worldwide.   My visit was focused with the Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, and The Malaria Center, which facilitates interdisciplinary research at the School as well as links with research in malaria endemic countries.

Short-term accomplishments and long-term goals

Meetings were held with the key researchers at LSHTM including Dr. Marta Moreno (Infectious & Tropical Diseases), Prof. Chris Drakeley (Professor of Infection & Immunity), and Dr. Kim Fornace (Centre on Climate Change & Planetary Health). The award enabled me to develop a future partnership with both LSHTM and fellow organizations.

An invited seminar was also delivered whilst at LSHTM, presenting awareness of both Virginia Tech and vector-borne disease ecology research. This talk was well received, with several LSHTM researchers following up with me afterwards.  This included interactions with Global Vector Hub (a community-led, online, open-access resource for information on vector control and vector biology, to be launched in the summer of 2019; and a global study called FIEBRE (Febrile Illness Evaluation in a Broad Range of Endemicities) which has multiple sites in Africa and Asia to investigate non-malarial causes of febrile illness which aligns with my interests in arboviruses and tick-borne pathogen ecology and epidemiology. 

A key goal of forming this CALS Global-sponsored partnership with LSHTM is to establish a joint-research proposal submission. This is planned in the theme of Vector-borne Disease Ecology, with the aim of investigating non-malarial pathogen transmission in mosquitoes of The Gambia. Once funded, this is potential research that could involve students of both Virginia Tech and local universities.

The benefit of the established partnership would be to enhance global engagement and scientific discovery. In conclusion, the CALS Global Faculty Partnership Initiative was a success, enabling me to discuss mutual interests with overseas partners, engage novel global connections and initiate a path to funding effective research.