Eddie Thomsen completed a BSc in Ecology, Behaviour, and Evolution from the University of California San Diego, an MSc in Entomology from the University of California Davis, and a PhD in Life Sciences from the University of Warwick. Beginning in 2009, he studied the transmission dynamics and treatment of lymphatic filariasis (LF) and malaria in Papua New Guinea.
While in PNG, Eddie investigated the impact of long-lasting insecticidal bed nets on mosquito bionomics and LF transmission. He also led clinical trials to study the efficacy of new drug regimens to treat LF. This package of work has led to several changes in global policy, including the WHO recommendation of alternative drug regimens for mass drug administration to stop transmission of LF (Guideline: Alternative mass drug administration regimens to eliminate lymphatic filariasis. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2017. Licence: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO.) and the recommendation of including vector control in the LF elimination strategy (World Health Organization. (2016). A toolkit for integrated vector management in sub-Saharan Africa).
Since moving to Liverpool in 2013, he has managed several projects aiming to support vector control programmes in decision-making, including research on insecticide resistance, evaluating the use of information technology to support control programs, and capacity strengthening initiatives. Eddie is part of the Engaging Tools for Communication in Health (ETCH) team at LSTM. ETCH design and evaluate the impact of digital gaming to communicate best practices for vector control and insecticide resistance management. He is also involved in the implementation and evaluation of the Disease Data Management System (DDMS+) to support decision-making within vector control programmes. In particular, he has focused on how the tool can be used to support policy-change through better use of data. Eddie has led implementation and evaluation activities throughout 8 countries in sub-Saharan Africa, and is currently focused on improving data use for decision-making on Dengue control in the Philippines, where he leads a work package of the ECOMORE2 consortium on data systems for dengue control.
Currently, Eddie is the programme manager for the Partnership to Increase the Impact of Vector Control (PIIVeC). This programme aims to develop evidence-based strategies for the control of vector-borne disease in Africa, increase the utilization of this evidence in national decision-making, improve integration between disease-specific programmes, strengthen the resilience of African nations to respond to outbreaks of vector-borne disease, and increase the leadership role of African scientists and vector biologists in global policy making on vector-borne disease. PIIVeC is led by LSTM in partnership with research institutes, NGOs and national control programmes in Burkina Faso, Cameroon and Malawi, and global policy making bodies.
Teaching:
At LSTM, Eddie has contributed as a lecturer for TROP 939: Human Parasitology and Vector Biology, BIOL 481: Vector Biology: Theory, Research, and Implementation, TROP 741: Vector Population Biology and Control, and the Diploma in Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.
PhD Students
Current - Kwitaka Maluzi