2016 Malawi

  • Most days, Andrea Buchwald, SOM walked 30 minutes to Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Blantyre.

    Most days, Andrea Buchwald, SOM walked 30 minutes to Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Blantyre.

  • From here, I get a ride to Mfera Health Center in south Malawi.

    From here, I get a ride to Mfera Health Center in south Malawi.

  • Cars are infrequent on the road, so children frequently wave and call hello as we drive by.

    Cars are infrequent on the road, so children frequently wave and call hello as we drive by.

  • Sometimes there is traffic on the road to the medical center.

    Sometimes there is traffic on the road to the medical center.

  • The Shire River is essential to life in the valley but also deadly due to floods and increased malaria transmission.

    The Shire River is essential to life in the valley but also deadly due to floods and increased malaria transmission.

  • At the Mfera Health Center, people wait for check-ups and women line up for well-child visit days.

    At the Mfera Health Center, people wait for check-ups and women line up for well-child visit days.

  • Staff member Patricia enrolls a young mother and her infant into the Mfera Cohort Study.

    Staff member Patricia enrolls a young mother and her infant into the Mfera Cohort Study.

  • Nixon, a lab tech in Mfera, reads malaria smears from participant visits.

    Nixon, a lab tech in Mfera, reads malaria smears from participant visits.

  • Cross-sectional surveys involve complex coordination of many people.

    Cross-sectional surveys involve complex coordination of many people.

  • Andrea Buchwald's workstation in Malawi

    Andrea Buchwald's workstation in Malawi

  • Beautiful Malawi

    Beautiful Malawi

All the above photos were taken by Andrea Buchwald

Infection dynamics of asymptomatic malaria infections in Malawi

Student: Andrea Buchwald

Andrea Buchwald, UMB third year student in the department of epidemiology PhD program, traveled to southern Malawi from May to June to work on her dissertation research project. She assists in running a study that is part of the Malawi International Center of Excellence in Malaria Research. Dr. Miriam Laufer of UMB's Institute for Global Health, her PhD advisor, is the Principal Investigator of the study. In the study, they are following adults and children in an area of high malaria transmission to learn more about malaria epidemiology and immunology. Andrea's PhD dissertation is specifically examining the dynamics of asymptomatic malaria infection.

"My time in Malawi is spent participating in and helping to trouble shoot the activities of the field studies, developing relationships with my colleagues in Malawi and assisting with data management and analysis. Working in Malawi gives me first‐hand experience running observational public health studies and allows me the opportunity to learn the necessary skills for working overseas and with other cultures. I learn about and am involved in all components of international research including study design, development, implementation, data collection, sample tracking, data monitoring, data cleaning, and sample analysis."

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