Students Complete Honours
The first batches of the Global Infectious Disease Research Training Program (GIDRTP) Fogarty students have finally finished and handed in their honours thesis.
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| FOGARTY STUDENTS AT THE 42ND MEDICAL SYMPOSIUM IN MADANG LAST YEAR (2006) (L-R) ANNEMARIE LAUMAEA, SARAH JAVATI, DR JOSEPH NALE, LISOL LUKE, HELEN GENO AND STEVEN PANIU |
Annemarie Laumaea, Lisol Luke, Steven Paniu and Sarah Javati had all done a one year honours paper in the Fogarty program, (which was developed through the efforts of the director of PNGIMR Professor Peter Siba and Professor John Reeder (PNGIMR Director 2000 – 2006) and Peter Zimmerman, Principal Investigator, Case Western University) and have handed in their papers for marking.
The program was established in 2006 and works in cooperation with the University of Papua New Guinea, which is the country’s premier university.
The aim of the GIDRTP is to produce a critical mass of Papua New Guinean researchers (75 in 5 years) who are familiar with PNG culture and public health issues who must also be able to conduct independent infectious disease researches and can communicate effectively within national and International health and research networks.
Training Coordinator for GIDRTP Mrs Kate Beurze said that the first four have finally handed in their honours papers and are in the process of being marked in PNG, Australia and the USA.
She said that these were the first honours students to graduate under this very interesting program and that their success is due not only to their own hard work but also to the excellent teaching, guidance and unceasing support provided by all those staff members involved in the program at PNGIMR, UPNG and CWRU.
“It is quite a remarkable feat that all four students have completed their studies within a year and have also found time to guide and advise the 2007 Fogarty Students as they embark on their own Honours year,” said Mrs Beurze.
Mrs Beurze pointed out that the honors students will graduate from UPNG in April if their papers are marked on time and that all four students have been offered positions at PNGIMR.
Ms Annemarie Laumaea who was mentored by Professor Peter Siba and Research Fellow Dr Suparat Phuanukoonnon said that the Fogarty program was really good for her as it gave her good hands on experience and at the end of the day she got her honours.
“Though it is a PNGIMR victory for all four of us students to complete our honours in a year, we as students have also gained our personal achievements,” she said
“The program gave us exposure into the international research arena for example Professor Peter Zimmerman coming all the way from the USA to talk to us and we also had the opportunity to mingle with outside scientist,” said Ms Laumaea.
Ms Laumaea said that the highlights of the whole program was when the students did presentations at the 42nd Medical Symposium last year (2006) in Madang and also by being associated with an internationally acclaimed institute like PNGIMR.
“Fogarty is all positive,” said Ms Laumaea. “Its not hard to do the honours in one year. But given the local settings it may be considered difficult,” she said.
“We started our program in June but could finish, which shows that to do honours in one year is possible,” Ms Laumaea pointed out.
She said that it was quiet simple because she had top scientist like Research Fellow Dr Suparat Phuanukoonnon to teach her and she also learnt new things like epidemiology from Dr Phuanukoonnon.
She said that the only difficulty was that they couldn’t get articles online, but now that the broadband has been installed, this shouldnt be a problem.
Ms Laumaea’s thesis title is ‘Immunogenicity of A 7-Valent Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine (PCV) (Prevenar TM) in Papua New Guinean Chlidren. ‘Standardization of the Pneumococcal linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) Protocol and use in measurement of antibody responses in Papua New Guinea Chlidren.
Her research project was supported by the Pneumococcal Vaccine Trial and the Wellcome Trust.
Ms Lisol Luke’s thesis title is ‘Preliminary culture results of the distribution of tuberculosis and drug resistance in the hospital setting.'
Ms Luke was mentored by Dr Suparat Phuanukoonnon and James McCarthy. Her research project was supported by the epidemiology of Tuberculosis.
Both Lisol and Annemarie were based in PNGIMR Goroka during the time of writing their honours paper.
Mr Steven Paniu and Ms Sarah Javati were based in PNGIMR Madang
during the writing of their honours thesis.
Mr Paniu’s thesis title is ‘Potential role of human gene polymorphisms on clinical outcomes of uncomplicated malaria and antimalarial treatment efficacy in a drug trial in Papua New Guinea.
His research project was supported by the Intermittent Preventive Treatment for Infants (IPTI) project and AI52312.
Mr Paniu was mentored by Pascal Michon and Peter Zimmerman.
Ms Sarah Javati’s thesis title is ‘The age-specific prevalence of antibodies to Plasmodium vivax antigens in Madang, Papua New Guinea.
Her mentors were Danielle Stanisic and Christopher King.
Ms Javatis research project was supported by VA Grant on Duffy Binding protein polymorphism.
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