The Administrative Core based at the Johns Hopkins Malaria Research Institute (JHMRI) at the Bloomberg School of Public Health (JHSPH) will be responsible for the overall administration, coordination and management of the Center of Excellence for Malaria Research in southern Africa. Dr. Peter Agre, a Nobel Prize winning physician-scientist and Director ofthe JHMRI, will be the Principal Investigator and the Core Leader ofthe Administrative Core. Dr. Agre, in conjunction with the Research Area Project Leaders and the Core Leaders (Data Management/Biostatistics, Environmental Surveillance, and Genomics) will have overall responsibility for managing, coordinating and supervising Center activities, and ensuring that project milestones are met within the proposed timelines. Dr. William Moss, Research Area A Project Leader, will assist Dr. Agre in these activities as Project Co-investigator. In addition to Dr. Agre, the Administrative Core at JHMRI will consist of a Research Administrator, Genevieve Nixon, and a Senior Financial Analyst, Meredith Piplani. Dr. Clive Shiff will assist with the Training and Career Development Program as part ofthe Administrative Core. Utilizing existing recruitment structures and candidate selection process, the University of Zambia (UNZA) will recruit at least two post-doctoral candidates, junior faculty or established investigators to participate in a JHSPH- and UNZA-led training program designed to prepare scientists for careers in malaria research. Project activities will also be administered and managed at the Centers of Excellence established in southern Zambia, specifically the Malaria Institute at Macha (MIAM), Tropical Diseases Research Centre (TDRC) and University of Zambia (UNZA) in Zambia and the Biomedical Research and Training Institute (BRTI) in Zimbabwe. Each of these sites will have an overall project supervisor, administrative assistant and financial analyst. Communication between JHMRI and the sites in southern Africa will be facilitated through a project website that will allow for the rapid transmission of information and documents between all project scientists. Over the course ofthe project, and as a consequence of training, career development and capacity building, project administration and coordination will increasingly be based at the sites in Zambia and Zimbabwe. The goal is to build the capacity of endemic country scientists, to conduct high quality malaria research, to establish a sustainable Center of Excellence for Malaria Research, and to further malaria control. The Administrative Core is prepared to host all other Centers for the first Annual Workshop in Victoria Falls, Zambia.
Recent progress in malaria control suggests that malaria elimination may be possible in southern Africa, but further progress requires detailed understanding ofthe changing epidemiology, vector biology and parasite biology within different epidemiological contexts within the region. The Administrative Core will ensure the coordination and integration across these research and geographical areas to achieve the malaria control goals.
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