Global Initiative Funds Nine Winning Projects from Eight Countries to Advance Climate-Infectious Disease Research for COP28 Showcase

• Nine winning projects were selected from eight countries: Ghana, Madagascar, Mozambique, Nepal, Peru, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
• Each winner will receive a grant of up to US$50,000 to undertake a formative research project to advance the evidence base on the climate-infectious disease nexus which will be showcased during COP28, UAE.

Abu Dhabi, 16 May 2023: The Global Institute for Disease Elimination (GLIDE) has announced the winners of its second iteration of its Falcon Awards for Disease Elimination.

This year’s edition, ‘the Climate Edit’, launched in December 2022 and received 79 applications from 44 countries across 6 continents in a push to expand the evidence base on the intersection between climate change and infectious diseases.

GLIDE will support this year’s Falcon Award winners by funding formative research in new and under-explored areas of the climate and infectious disease nexus, including issues both produced and exacerbated by the intersection of these global challenges. The outcomes of the winners’ research will be showcased in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) at COP28 in November 2023.

The winning projects of this year’s Falcon Awards for Disease Elimination – the Climate Edit are:

• Examining the relationship between climate change and transmission of lymphatic filariasis and malaria (Ghana): led by Dr Mustapha Immurana PhD, Research Fellow at the University of Health and Allied Sciences.
• Influence of climate change on rainfall patterns and its effects on malaria incidence and elimination (Zambia): led by Dr Theresa Shema Nzayisenga, Director and Founder of the Climate Justice Foundation and Dr Nyuma Mbewe, Case Management Specialist at the Zambia National Public Health Institute.
• Use of novel, low-cost technologies to reduce barriers of vector-borne disease forecasting in the Peruvian Amazon (Peru): led by Gabriel Carrasco-Escobar, Assistant Professor at Cayetano Heredia University.
• Accelerating malaria elimination in the face of extreme weather disruptions (Madagascar): led by Dr Benjamine Rice PhD, Associate Research Scholar at Princeton University.
• Projecting impacts of environmental and climate change on transmission dynamics of visceral leishmaniasis and implications for regional elimination (Nepal): led by Dr Caroline Vegvari, Modelling and Simulation Lead at Oriole Global Health.
• Identification of Mozambique Ministry of Health climate data needs (Mozambique): led by Judite Pinto, Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Lead at PATH.
• The impacts of climate change on spatiotemporal distribution of dengue and malaria and its implications for control and elimination (Nepal): led by Dr Meghnath Dimal, Chief Research Officer at the Nepal Health Research Council.
• Combining earth observation, secondary data, and citizen science for exploring the nexus between climate change and malaria (Zimbabwe): led by Walter Musakwa PhD, Professor of Geography, Environmental Management and Energy Studies at the University of Johannesburg.
• Community-led surveillance and responses to eliminate lymphatic filariasis under climate change (Tanzania): led by Salum Azizi, Research Entomologist at Kilimanjaro Christian Medical University College.

The winners were selected by a Scientific Panel comprised of global health experts: Marina Maiero, WHO Climate Change and Health Partnerships and Advocacy Officer, Dr Alan Dangour, Wellcome Trust Director of Climate & Health, Dr Ngozi Erondu, GLIDE Technical Director, Dr Githinji Gitahi, AMFREF Health Africa Group CEO, and Dr Renzo Guinto, St Luke’s College of Medicine Associate Professor of Global Public Health.

Simon Bland, Chief Executive Officer of GLIDE, said: “Climate change is one of the most significant health challenges we are facing right now. The quality, innovation and passion behind all submitted applications demonstrate a shared desire to support current and future disease elimination efforts by studying the health impacts of a changing climate. We are thankful to our jury of professional health experts for selecting nine leading projects across eight countries. We look forward to working with the Falcon Awards - Climate Edit winners to foster and develop formative research projects in the run up to COP28 and expand our knowledge on the relationship between health and climate.

For more information on The Falcon Awards for Disease Elimination – the Climate Edit and the winners, please visit: https://glideae.org/awards