Learning from a Living Library in the Field of Medical Entomology

The Open Medical Institute would not be what it is today without the strong connections that have been maintained with partner institutions all over the world. Learning does not stop when participants leave Salzburg, and it is a privilege to help facilitate their continued growth in their field of medicine through things like access to online courses, satellite symposia, and observerships.

In August of this year, the OMI hosted an extremely successful Global Health seminar, specializing in Vector Borne Diseases. Following this course, in collaboration with Institut Pasteur (IP), the OMI was able to fly three fellows out to Paris to join course director Dr. Anna-Bella Failloux for a weeklong placement.

Institut Pasteur has been a longtime collaborator with the OMI. This partnership works based on a three-year rotating curriculum surrounding global health topics, including pandemics, vector-borne diseases, as well as viruses, liver and cancers. The partnership also allows Institut Pasteur to nominate 12 scientists from the Institut Pasteur International Network to participate in each OMI course.

The three nominees who went on to Paris were Idrissa Dieng, MSc, PhD, from Senegal, Christian Noël Malaka, PhD, from the Central African Republic, and Antsa Rakotonirina, DPhil, from Madagascar. Each fellow wrote a detailed report of their experience in the IP observership, which provided amazing insights into the work they were doing during their time in Paris.

When the researchers first arrived at the Institut Pasteur, they were greeted by Anna-Bella Failloux, who gave them an opportunity to debrief their time at the OMI seminar, and get an overview of what they would be doing during the time of their observership with IP. All three reported back that the seminar in Salzburg was greatly appreciated in terms of giving them fundamental information about current concepts affecting the field of vector-borne diseases, and that they were excited to implement this theoretical knowledge in a hands-on setting with Institut Pasteur. The fellows also had the chance to present their current research projects to the IP team, which came with feedback from leading experts focusing on vector borne disease research.

The three scientists were able to work in the various insectaries and arthropod study labs over the course of the week, where they heard presentations from leading researchers and scientists studying various aspects of the spread of infectious diseases from ticks, mosquitoes, and other vectors. They also met with members of the Philanthropy Department at IP, with researchers working in sequencing and bioinformatic analysis using state-of-the-art technology, as well as with faculty from Institut Pasteur to discuss options for further fellowships and collaborations on research projects. Dr. Rakotonirina shared her appreciation for this part of the observership and potential future opportunities in her report, writing:

“Acquiring stronger skills in sequencing and bioinformatics analysis would be highly relevant to my future research activities. I therefore considered the possibility of applying for fellowships to undertake such training at Institut Pasteur Paris and further develop my expertise in this area.”

Anna-Bella Failloux highlighted the opportunity the fellows received to work with Jean-Charles Gantier in the lab. Gantier is a leading mosquito identification expert and was more than happy to share his knowledge with the eager observers. These scientists learned a lot from Gantier, with Dr. Dieng describing him as a “living library in the field of medical entomology” and praised his knowledge in the field of vector identification.

Overall, this was a truly special experience for Drs. Dieng, Malaka, and Rakotonirina to be able to spend a week learning from field experts and colleagues from around the world in Salzburg, and then to follow it up with a week of practical demonstrations and opportunities for further collaboration with a very well-established institution in the world of vector borne diseases in Paris. Dr. Malaka described his takeaways from the two weeks with a powerful statement, writing:

“The principal value of the scholarship was its multiplier effect. Rather than providing only a short training experience, it connected learning about global health in an international setting with direct exposure to an advanced research environment.

For the Central African Republic, where increasing preparedness for emerging and re-emerging diseases is a priority, this combination of knowledge and exposure can contribute to stronger national expertise. The program’s benefits extend beyond individual professional development through knowledge transfer, improved laboratory epidemiology integration, stronger vector-borne disease surveillance, and better use of genomic and laboratory evidence for public-health decision-making.”

The OMI is thrilled to hear how successful these two weeks were for these three fellows. The field of Global Health is constantly evolving, and the OMI is grateful to be able to collaborate with institutions like Institut Pasteur, who share a commitment to spreading information and technology with scientists from all over the world. Thanks to Anna-Bella Failloux, Monica Sala and their teams for joining forces with the OMI on this new two-level educational effort. We hope to see many more observerships like this one in the future!

Click below to see each fellow’s individual report!