More than £100,000 in grants were recently awarded for clinicians and scientists across the field of tropical medicine and hygiene through small grants and travel scholarships from the RSTHM. Dr Leopold Tientcheu, postdoctoral immunologist with Vaccines and Immunity Theme at MRC Unit The Gambia (MRCG) is one of the proud winners of the small grants. The […]
MRCG’s systematic review of several studies in sub-Saharan Africa aimed to consolidate existing data on pulmonary NTM in sub-Saharan Africa, review the existing gaps in our knowledge of pulmonary NTM and identify future research priorities was published in Scientific Reports on the 20th of September 2017. According to lead author Catherine Okoi, the findings suggested […]
Lamin Sillah is a Scientific Officer working in the Genomics Laboratory with a strong interest in next-generation sequencing techniques and their application in infectious diseases research. He is a product of the Unit’s commitment to training young Africans to become scientists. His dual skills in molecular techniques and basic bioinformatics are precisely suited to the […]
Dr Jobe’s research interests are in the epidemiology and prevention of cardiovascular disease, especially in developing countries. He is seeking to understand the link between metabolic problems like obesity and insulin resistance, and the development of cardiovascular diseases. His current project, a randomised placebo-controlled trial, is a recall-by-genotype study which seeks to investigate the effect […]
The first Gambian Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) unit was opened at EFSTH recently by the first Lady of The Gambia, Fatoumatta Barrow. The unit is for the management of preterm/low birth weight babies. The project is a partnership between Edward Francis Small Teaching Hospital (EFSTH), The Gambia Government Ministry of Health and Social Welfare (MOHSW), […]
On the occasion of the first Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Summit on Science & Technology, held in Astana, MRC Unit The Gambia’s Dr Assan Jaye, was presented with the OIC S&T Achievement Award. Dr Jaye, Senior Manager, Research Training and Careers, was honoured with this award in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the […]
Given their important relationships with medium- and long-term outcomes, adolescent nutritional behaviours are assuming considerable importance in nutrition interventions. A study on delivering an action agenda for nutrition interventions addressing adolescent girls and young women: priorities for implementation and research, was recently published in the Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences. The study […]
Dr Nuredin Mohammed joined MRCG as a Biostatistician in August 2016. Before joining The Unit, he worked as a research fellow for the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) design services at the University of Birmingham where he completed his PhD training. His thesis looked into the potential acute health effects of air pollution in […]
A community-based vaccination campaign trial, as part of the global effort to eradicate polio, was conducted by MRC Unit The Gambia in partnership with The Ministry of Health and Social Welfare and the WHO. The trial, which took place from September 2016 to March 2017, vaccinated 2,720 infants and children intradermally (ID) in 3 days […]
The implementation of a joint Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) with the MRC Centre Cambridge contracts team in The United Kingdom has successfully streamlined research contracts review. This is the first joint SOP between MRC Unit The Gambia (MRCG) and the Medical Research Council Centre, Cambridge, United Kingdom and a step forward towards integrating council-wide support […]
With over 6,000 individuals included in this study, this represents to our knowledge the largest dataset on blood pressure (BP) across a healthy rural sub-Saharan population covering all ages above 5 years Hypertension is the term used for pathologically raised blood pressure. It constitutes a major health issue because it can lead to heart attack, […]
The West Africa Global Health Alliance (WAGHA) was formed to create a research and training hub in West Africa to undertake complementary and synergistic work on global health with particular attention to the regional priorities in the region. The alliance seeks to address the major health issues in West Africa, including the still unacceptably high […]