by Jamie Bay Nishi
April-May 2024 were busy months for ASTMH in Washington, DC, with the Society engaged in several policy-related meetings and events focused on a range of topics, from neglected tropical disease to pandemic preparedness and response. Policymakers and advocates were particularly engaged in conversations around malaria.
On World Malaria Day (April 25), ASTMH hosted its annual Alan J. Magill Policy Forum with a broad discussion on the trends being seen in the migration of malaria, followed by a panel examining to what extent climate change is a factor. The event included representatives from CDC, President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI), Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and University of Maryland. We were delighted to host ASTMH President Linnie Golightly, MD, and Board member Winter Okoth, PhD, for this event and a series of meetings with key partners and policymakers during their visit to Washington.
ASTMH members can view a recording of the 2024 Alan J. Magill Policy Forum on
GOTropMEd.
Photos courtesy of Winter Okoth/ASTMH
On May 1, the Malaria Roundtable, which ASTMH co-chairs, organized a World Malaria Day reception on Capitol Hill that brought together key Congressional leaders, U.S. government agencies and malaria champions. Senators Chris Coons (D-DE), pictured left, and Angus King (I-ME) joined the event to reiterate the importance of continuing the fight against malaria.
Photo by Jamie Bay Nishi /ASTMH
As we shifted from World Malaria Day to World Immunization Week, on May 7, ASTMH served as a co-host of A Global Health Relay: the Race to Immunize All Children, a Congressional briefing with a particular focus on rollout of the RTS,S and R21 malaria vaccines. The briefing included remarks from leaders at PMI, Pediatric Association of Tanzania, USAID, WHO, Gavi, UNICEF and Friends of the Global Fight.
Pictured left, from the left, Heather Ignatius of PATH, Dr. David Walton of PMI, and Dr. Theopista Jacob Masenge of Pediatric Association of Tanzania.
Photo by Jamie Bay Nishi/ASTMH