EPI Research Day 2023 was a great success! Thank you to all attendees who joined in person and all presenters who submitted an abstract. We had over 120 different abstract submissions from members and associate members from eight different UF colleges and 27 departments, as well as from EPI external affiliates. Dr. Amadou A. Sall gave a strong presentation about the emerging pathogens in Africa. His team in Senegal are currently working on various innovations for tracking pathogens across the continent and fighting infections. Our second speaker, Dr. Tulio de Oliveira, joined us virtually for his presentation to discuss the impact of important viral detection work in South Africa, where he and collaborators discovered the Omicron variant. His team published over 25 papers in high-volume publications and received much recognition in leading the world during the pandemic.

For the first time, EPI hosted two poster competitions during research day. We are proud to recognize four honorable mentions and two winners. Congratulations to our two winners, Rui Chen and Amanda Ojeda. And special recognition to the honorable mentions, Maclean Bassett, Andrea Ramirez-Mata, Bachir Assao and Luke Trimmer-Smith. Winners and honorable mentions will be posted on our website and social media in the coming weeks. 

For scientists who focus on quantitative data analysis, limited data can dictate the types of analyses that can, or cannot, be performed. Fortunately, there are now many online resources and data repositories that host a wide range of information on disease vectors, including mosquito surveillance data, pathogen testing, genetic sequencing and more. This online vector data ecosystem is invaluable for researchers looking to run analyses on new data or to supplement their own data collection efforts. However, the sheer number of platforms and the varying levels of accessibility can be daunting, especially for new users who may not know which resource best aligns with their research objectives. 

A new paper from UF’S Quantitative Disease Ecology and Conservation (QDEC) Lab provides a resource that will help to eliminate any confusion when choosing online databases, promoting greater use of existing data resources. Published in the Journal of Medical Entomology, "Characterizing the Vector Data Ecosystem" is an effort to provide the vector-borne disease research community with a comprehensive guide to existing online data resources. These range from fully accessible large data aggregators (think GBIF) to dedicated vector surveillance platforms (e.g., VectorSurv) and specialized databases (e.g., WingBank, an image database of mosquito wings). The study was led by CLAS Geography department and EPI postdoctoral researcher Dr. Cat Lippi (photographed), in collaboration with EPI member and QDEC founder Dr. Sadie Ryan, and Dr. Samuel Rund of the University of Notre Dame.

MotoMeds was launched in an urban community within Ghana on Nov. 16, 2022. When children are sick at night, their guardians can call MotoMeds and get connected to an EMT. The EMT screens for danger signs and refers emergent cases to emergency services. If danger signs are not identified, the EMT conducts a telemedicine assessment and generates a treatment plan. If the child lives within the study area, a MotoMeds EMT and driver are dispatched to the household. At the household, the EMT conducts an in-person assessment similar to that performed at the call center with additional anthropometric measurements. Based on the assessment, the EMT provides medications in accordance with physician-developed clinical guidelines.

MotoMeds seeks to provide gap care to children who fall sick at night in an effort to prevent the progression of pre-emergency conditions to emergency/life-threatening status. Further, MotoMeds is the cornerstone of the Improving Nighttime Access to Care and Treatment (INACT) studies. MotoMeds was designed to be country agnostic and adaptable to local survey assessments. The initial deployment of the telemedicine and medication delivery service was in Haiti in 2019. The innovation is now being evaluated for adaptability and portability in Ghana. Ghana was chosen because it forces a different model of implementation and clinical support. Unlike Haiti, Ghana possesses a National Ambulance Service and a high burden of malaria. The Ghana National Ambulance and the University of Florida have a long-standing, formalized partnership in education and research. Consequently, the National Ambulance Service is an ideal partner for the implementation of MotoMeds in Sub-Saharan Africa.

MotoMeds is staffed by National Ambulance Service Advanced EMTs, Korle Bu Teaching Hospital pediatricians, and local motorcycle drivers. Dr. Torben Becker serves as the principle investigator and clinical lead for MotoMed in Ghana while Katelyn Flaherty serve as the MotoMeds Director and operational lead. MotoMeds is one of many assistance projects supported by the American people through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).