Over the last academic year three MRes students, Lilly Atkins, Abigail Cawley, and Jordan White, and two MSc students, Guilleary Deles and Fatima Ahmed, have been valued members of the HUGS research team. On 9th December 2024 they all graduated with distinction or with honour.
All of them undertook themed research projects nested within the original HUGS study. Their topics included genetic analysis of Schistosoma hybrids, detection of female/male genital schistosomiasis (F/MGS) and general haematological inspections.
Much of their work started in the laboratory here at LSTM under the expert eye of Dr Lucas Cunningham. Within a short period of time, they mastered various molecular PCR techniques, each producing some fascinating and novel results.
Fatima Ahmed said: “Lab work at the CTID was tough but rewarding despite having a liquid-handling robot. I have gained a new appreciation for the skill and precision required for diagnostic PCR and wet-laboratory techniques.”
All students undertook fieldwork in Malawi, where they joined our partners at the Malawi-Liverpool-Welcome (MLW) Research Programme to conduct the final longitudinal follow-up in Nsanje and Mangochi, Malawi. This provided them with particularly formative experiences of teamwork and public health surveillance. We were especially delighted that each student absolutely threw themselves into the work, becoming invaluable members of the UK-Malawi team. Fatima, Guilleary and Jordan worked hard within the community, while Lilly and Abigail assisted in processing the many urine and faecal samples back at the field lab.
Lilly Atkins said: “I got to experience the challenging nature of a working in a field laboratory when visiting the local communities, and the transmission sites I saw provided greater insight into the complexities of schistosomiasis control relative to human behaviour and socio-economic factors.”
After their hard work in the field and labs, all of the students stayed behind to benefit from a vacation to sightsee along the lake, enjoying its natural history from a new perspective.
In September, all five students participated in the British Society of Parasitology (BSP) Autumn Symposium. The event took place at the Natural History Museum, London, and aimed to highlight female and male genital schistosomiasis across sub-Saharan Africa.
The symposium was jointly organised by Dr Seke Kayuni and Prof Janelisa Musaya, who also presented HUGS’ latest findings. Each student presented a poster of their work and participated in speed talks. We were all delighted that Jordan took home an award for best poster for his poster titled Eosinophil levels and their age-dependent decline during Schistosoma haematobium infection.
Early in December, our MSc students Fatima and Guilleary also presented their work at the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine & Hygiene’s “Research in Progress” in London. This event is designed to allow early career researchers to present unpublished work to peers and experts in global health. Once again, both students did exceptionally well, with Guilleary achieving a prize for best poster for her work onFGS, Trichomonas vaginalis & HPV- coinfection dynamics in Malawi. We are proud of all our students for going the extra mile, representing HUGS and showing the very real impact and significance of their work.
To our students: “The UK-Malawi teams are all extremely proud of you and your fantastic achievements over the last year, which have been thoroughly deserved due to your dedication and curiosity. Each one of you was a pleasure to teach and guide through your research, demonstrating that hard work really does pay off. We wish you all the very best of luck in your future endeavours and know that you will all be shining examples within your chosen fields.”
“My time with the HUGS_MLW research team and LSTM has been the most enlightening year of my academic journey. I would like to emphasise the connections I made with the humblest, most intelligent and passionate people. They have inspired me to be a future pioneer in tropical medicine” - Guilleary Deles (MSc Tropical Disease Biology).
“This project has been an incredible learning experience, and I’m grateful for how much I have grown as a researcher within the HUGS-MLW team. Looking forward, I’m eager to pursue a PhD focused on neglected parasitic diseases.” – Abigail Cawley (MRes Tropical Health and Infectious Disease Research).
“What stood out most was the collaborative nature of the HUGS team. Whether we were collecting samples in the field or analysing slides in the lab, everyone brought energy and expertise to the project. I’m proud to have been part of a study that could contribute to improving lives, and I’m excited to carry these lessons forward in my career – Jordan White (MRes Tropical Health and Infectious Disease Research).