Rethinking malaria leadership

Last week, Harvard University hosted the Rethinking Malaria Leadership Forum. Focusing on developments over the past five years, leaders working in malaria and related sectors discussed lessons learned, obstacles, “what-if” scenarios, emerging opportunities, and progress towards malaria control and eradication goals. Harvard first convened this Forum in January 2011.

The ultimate goal of the Forum’s renewed effort was to update an analytical framework for malaria that 1) assesses progress, including the changing global context and leadership landscape, and 2) explores key challenges (i.e., leadership, products and innovation, epidemiology and geography, new approaches to behavior change, etc.). The framework’s timelines and milestones for control and eradication, training and leadership goals, and research and development targets will reflect and complement the Global Technical Strategy for Malaria 2016-2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals.

The first session of the Forum provided an overview of the global malaria challenge and was presented by WHO’s Global Malaria Programme Director, Dr. Pedro Alonso. The MEI’s Lead, Dr. Roly Gosling, and the Elimination 8 Ambassador, Dr. Richard Kamwi, also spoke as part of a panel about health systems strengthening to support malaria eradication.