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Project Coordinator

Duke Global Health Institute & Nicholas School of Environment

Research Context

Malaria is a vector borne disease causing an estimated 219 million infections and 435,000 deaths annually. Since 2011, no other region in the world has experienced a larger increase in malaria cases than the Amazon. Cases doubled in Peru and Venezuela in less than two years; cases in Colombia doubled by 2016 (total of 83,227) and increased 5-fold in Ecuador. In 2017, more malaria was reported in Amazon-basin countries than any other year in the past 15 years (773,503 cases), the highest increases in Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, and Colombia, with Brazil historically reporting the most cases until recent outbreaks in Venezuela. Although there is no single underlying cause, malaria incidence began increasing after the 2011-12 Amazon flood and withdrawal of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria (GF). These events have occurred on a backdrop of policies expanding resource extraction (i.e., logging, mining, etc.) and continued human migration, all correlated with malaria risk.

During this period of rapid increases in malaria risk in the Amazon, malaria in Panama and most of Central America was plummeting. In fact, El Salvador was declared malaria free in 2021 and several countries joined the Regional Malaria Elimination Initiative in 2017. However, similar to the problem in the Amazon, Panama has experienced a rebound of malaria cases since 2017, increasing from just 689 total cases to almost 6000 cases in 2022. Migration is believed to have played a major role in the increased malaria incidence, but also continued challenges with managing climate/seasonal risk, policies that have limited testing and diagnostics in indigenous areas where over 75% of cases are reported, and conflicting reports about the introduction of new malaria vectors (Anopheles darlingi moving northward from Colombia potentially replacing An. albimanus as the primary vector) and new malaria strains (due to international migration). All of these factors represent major threats to health security in the region, and must be addressed to achieve malaria elimination.

To address these challenges, we have ongoing research in Peru, Ecuador, Brazil and Panama to better understand the relationship between human and vector behavior impacting malaria risk, with a key focus on the underlying roles of climate and environmental (land use) change. Our research is supported by NIH, NASA and the Duke Climate-Health Initiative, and we pursue the following types of research questions: (1) how do migration networks along border regions of Peru-Ecuador and Brazil-Peru contribute to malaria transmission; (2) how can we effectively implement a malaria early warning system that was validated in Peru and expand the modeling system into Ecuador, Brazil and Panama; (3) what malaria interventions would be most effective at slowing malaria transmission in different socio-environmental contexts as defined by agent-based models; (4) what types of climate-health visualizations are most effective at communicating forecasted malaria risk to program managers and community-based health care workers; and (5) how can we better characterize malaria ecology (vector density, human risk) across different spatial and temporal scales (climate and land cover scales). Our research team is highly interdisciplinary, representing epidemiology, demography, climate and atmospheric sciences, biostatistics, economics, geography, entomology, and international development. However, we also represent scientists and policy-makers from over ten institutions and speak 4 primary languages (English, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian).

Work performed

The project coordinator will work closely with the PI and research manager in coordinating all malaria and vector-borne disease research for the team. This includes the following activities:

• Assist in development of survey tools, data management, and analysis for field data collection of social network data and census data – relevant for Peru, Ecuador and Brazil field sites – and assist in managing logistics of field activities, including survey data collection, vector surveillance, and access to international migrant camps, etc. (25%)
• Draft and oversee submission of IRB for field data collection in Panama and participate in field data collection activities, if travel allows (25%)
• Review data transfers from partners and ensure data are homogenized – relevant for all sites (Peru, Ecuador, Brazil, Panama) (20%)
• Coordinate and schedule monthly team meetings as well as sub-project meetings (10%)
• Draft annual grant renewals and assist in submission of new proposals (10%)
• Develop and maintain malaria project website, which will include malaria forecasts, climate-health visualizations, project goals, and project team (10%)

We will expect the project manager to visit field sites and in many cases participate in field data collection with our collaborators.

Education and Experience

Minimum work requires communication and analytical skills normally acquired through a 4 year college education. Advanced working knowledge of Spanish or Portuguese is required.

Work requires a general knowledge of research methods, procedures and activities normally acquired through at least 1 year of social science, public health, data analytics or environmental sciences research experience.

Preferred: Two years of experience in infectious disease epidemiology, land use science, climate sciences or a related position. A related master's degree (in public/global health, statistics, environmental sciences, or a related quantitative sciences discipline) may offset required years of experience on a 1:1 basis, e.g. a two year master's degree in lieu two years of experience. Previous field experience in Panama and the Amazon region strongly preferred.

The successful applicant must have experience designing, programming, and/or fielding surveys, with additional experience with migrant populations strongly preferred.

OR AN EQUIVALENT COMBINATION OF RELEVANT EDUCATION AND/OR EXPERIENCE

Skills

The following skills are required for this position:

• Strong attention to detail
• Ability to manage multiple consecutive projects
• Excellent writing skills
• Good time management and ability to shift tasks during the time
• Strong teamwork and team communication skills
• Experience working with international collaborative teams
• Strong language skills (e.g. Spanish or Portuguese)

Minimum Qualifications

Education

Work requires analytical, communications and organizational skills generally acquired through completion of a bachelor's degree program.

Experience

Work requires one year of experience in program administration OR AN EQUIVALENT COMBINATION OF RELEVANT EDUCATION AND/OR EXPERIENCE involving academic, instructional or counseling activities to acquire skills necessary to plan, coordinate and implement a variety of program activities and events.

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