Meet the team.
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Principal investigators.
Prof Victor Mwapasa, MBBS, MPH, PhD
Prof. Victor Mwapasa is a Public Health Expert and Professor of Epidemiology at Kamuzu University of Health Sciences (KUHeS), Malawi, with over 20 years of experience in HIV and malaria research, clinical trials, and implementation science. He co-led the RTS,S/AS01 malaria vaccine trial in Malawi, which contributed to the vaccine’s WHO approval. He has also made significant contributions to national health policy, including leading Malawi’s 2018 Revised HIV Prevention Strategy and 2023–2027 National Strategic Plan for HIV and AIDS, and chaired the Ministry of Health COVID-19 Expert Committee. Internationally, Prof. Mwapasa has served on scientific review panels for the UK Medical Research Council and Wellcome Trust and currently serves on the UK MRC College of Experts. He has authored over 150 peer-reviewed publications.
Jeffrey Imai-Eaton
Jeffrey Imai-Eaton is an Associate Professor of Epidemiology at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and a Senior Research Fellow at Imperial College London. His research focuses on mathematical modelling, statistical methods, and surveillance tools for understanding HIV epidemics, transmission, and demographic impacts, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. He leads the development of software used by national HIV programs to generate epidemiological estimates and guide HIV responses, working with organizations such as UNAIDS, PEPFAR, the Global Fund, CDC, and WHO. He also has expertise in demographic surveillance and longitudinal population studies. He co-chairs the UNAIDS Reference Group on Estimates, Modelling and Projections and serves on several international HIV and public health advisory groups.
Dr. Beth Tippett Barr
Dr. Beth Tippett Barr is an epidemiologist with over 20 years of research and public health experience in Southern and Eastern Africa. She played a key role in developing and implementing Malawi’s groundbreaking PMTCT Option B+ program, which provided lifelong antiretroviral therapy to pregnant and breastfeeding women living with HIV. She later served as CDC Country Director in Zimbabwe and Western Kenya Research Director. In 2022, she returned to Malawi and established the Nyanja Health Research Institute in Salima, focusing on high-impact research and training young researchers. Her current research focuses on population health, climate change, infectious and non-communicable diseases, and mental health, with an emphasis on developing evidence-based, scalable solutions for health systems in the Global South.
Researchers & analysts.
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Advisory & steering committee.
Representatives from the Ministry of Health, National AIDS Council, Public Health Institute of Malawi, and academic partners guide the initiative's strategic direction.