Kenya

Dr. Juma spent her fellowship year at Kenyatta National Hospital in Nairobi under the mentorship of Anne Kurth, AB, MPH, RN, MSN, CNM, PhD and Trene Tnwani, MD, MMed, MPH. Her research focused on the development of a clinical algorithm for the management of people living with HIV admitted with Community Acquired Pneumonia at a public hospital in an urban setting. Dr. Juma is a physician based at the Tnfectious Diseases Unit of Kenyatta National Hospital. She is also a fellow in Clinical Tnfectious Disease at the University of Nairobi. She looks forward to a career in research geared towards reducing the burden of infectious diseases in the African setting.

Dr. Macharia will spend his fellowship year at Kenyatta National Hospital in Nairobi, Kenya under the mentorship of Cyrus Mugo, MBChB, MPH, PhD and Christine Ngaruiya, MD, MSc, DTMH. His research will focus on a user-centered approach to designing a social media app to foster interaction, peer learning and HIV awareness among adolescents and young adults. Dr. Macharia is a Human-Centered Design Researcher at Kenyatta National Hospital. Guided by human-centered design approach, his research will focus on designing a social media app fostering interaction, peer learning and HIV awareness among adolescents and young adults in urban, peri-urban and rural settings in Kenya. As a computer scientist by training, he has spent the last 14 years leveraging digital health technologies to improve access and quality of healthcare in resource-limited settings.

Dr. Matifary will spend her fellowship year at Kenyatta National Hospital in Nairobi, Kenya, under the mentorship of Dr. John Kinuthia, MBChB, MMed OB/GYN, MPH Dr. Christine Ngaruiya, MD, MSc, DTMH, and Dr. Irene Inwani, MBChB, MMed, MPH. Her research will focus on assessing the feasibility of implementing a trauma registry at the emergency department of a national hospital in Kenya. Dr. Matifary is a family physician at the African Leadership University. Her career goals are to improve her quantitative and qualitative research skills and grant writing, and to improve the management of trauma patients in the ED.

Fellowship Site: Kenya Medical Research InstituteUS Institution: Stanford UniversityDengue virus (DENV) is the most widespread arboviral disease worldwide, causing 390 million infections annually. Incidence of this potentially life-threatening infection has increased 30-fold in the last 50 years (WHO, 2012) due to urbanization, climate change, water insecurity, and inadequate vector control. Chikungunya virus (CHIKV), which causes post-infectious arthritis or neurologic sequelae in up to half of infected individuals, has also emerged recently. These arboviruses are spread by Aedes aegypti, an efficient vector that thrives in urban settings, particularly slum-like conditions with poor water infrastructure. Transmission is affected by human behaviors and environmental conditions. Mosquito density and vector competence for viral transmission are particularly influenced by rainfall and temperature. Recent laboratory models suggest the optimal temperature for DENV and CHIKV in Aedes aegypti is 29 °C, much higher than the 25 °C optimum modeled for malaria. A shift towards higher global temperatures could contribute to a shift from malaria to more arboviral infections across the African continent. LaBeaud recently validated the model of optimum temperature for malaria in Kenya. Under LaBeaud’s mentorship, I aim to evaluate the impact of temperature on DENV and CHIKV transmission at the GHES field sites in Kenya, comparing these empirical findings to Mordecai’s ecological model and potentially validating the important impact temperature has on vector-borne disease transmission in Kenya. Potential impact: Identifying optimal temperature ranges for DENV and CHIKV can help predict where these viruses may emerge in coming years with climate change. This would allow for increased surveillance, vector control planning, and medical provider training.