{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,3]],"date-time":"2026-08-03T22:24:08Z","timestamp":1785795848041,"version":"3.56.0"},"reference-count":10,"publisher":"Springer Science and Business Media LLC","issue":"1","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,4,10]],"date-time":"2025-04-10T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1744243200000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0"},{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,4,10]],"date-time":"2025-04-10T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1744243200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/100000865","name":"Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["INV-048039"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["INV-048039"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/100000865","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["link.springer.com"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Malar J"],"abstract":"<jats:title>Abstract<\/jats:title>\n          <jats:sec>\n            <jats:title>Background<\/jats:title>\n            <jats:p>Mathematical modelling plays a crucial role in understanding malaria epidemiology and evaluating anti-malarial interventions. In sub-Saharan Africa, National Malaria Control Programs are increasingly collaborating with modellers to optimize impact within constrained fiscal environments and evaluate the effectiveness of ongoing malaria control efforts. Despite Nigeria\u2019s National Malaria Elimination Program soliciting modelling expertise, there remains a significant capacity gap in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), including Nigeria. To address this, the Nigerian Malaria Modelling Fellowship (MMF) adopts a one-health approach within the Nigerian Field Epidemiology and Laboratory Training Program.<\/jats:p>\n          <\/jats:sec>\n          <jats:sec>\n            <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n            <jats:p>The MMF aims to enhance mathematical modelling capacity among Nigerian public health professionals by increasing the number of doctoral and postdoctoral graduates proficient in using modelling for planning, program evaluation, and outcome assessment. This paper highlights the initiative\u2019s innovative aspects and shares initial implementation insights.<\/jats:p>\n          <\/jats:sec>\n          <jats:sec>\n            <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n            <jats:p>Implemented using a human-centred design, MMF is a collaborative effort involving multiple public health stakeholders. The curriculum spans four courses\u2014Malaria, Mathematical Modelling, Evidence Translation, and Project Management\u2014each with targeted modules. The first cohort recruitment attracted 2173 applications, rigorously screened through a five-step process, selecting 33 Fellows from all geopolitical zones of Nigeria. The cohort applies a one-health lens and includes 48% female representation. Key findings highlight the importance of government leadership, gender mainstreaming, stakeholder co-creation, leveraging existing investments, adopting best practices, and expanding engagement to meet national needs.<\/jats:p>\n          <\/jats:sec>\n          <jats:sec>\n            <jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n            <jats:p>MMF demonstrates a collaborative effort to build modelling capacity among epidemiologists and healthcare professionals in LMICs, particularly for malaria. The rigorous recruitment process underscores a strong interest in mathematical modelling. The human-centred approach has fostered government leadership, multi-stakeholder engagement, and national ownership. This paper recommends increased commitments to local capacity strengthening in LMICs and advocates for evaluating the project, including assessing Fellows\u2019 competencies post-training to ensure effective capacity development.<\/jats:p>\n          <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1186\/s12936-025-05345-2","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,4,10]],"date-time":"2025-04-10T10:01:02Z","timestamp":1744279262000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1007\/springer_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":4,"title":["Strengthening local capacity for mathematical modelling in low- and middle-income countries: the process and lessons learnt in implementing the first cohort of Nigeria malaria modelling fellowships"],"prefix":"10.1186","volume":"24","author":[{"given":"Chijioke","family":"Kaduru","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Uche","family":"Ibe","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Shina","family":"Aladeshawe","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Adaeze","family":"Eche-George","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ganiyat","family":"Eshikhena","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Dumale","family":"Aadum","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Bassey","family":"Okon","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Emmanuel D.","family":"Iorkase","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Kesiye","family":"Leghemo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Oladipo","family":"Ogunbode","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Chukwu","family":"Okoronkwo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Onyebuchi","family":"Okoro","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ehimario U.","family":"Igumbor","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Abisoye","family":"Oyeyemi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Perpetua","family":"Uhomoibhi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Seye","family":"Babatunde","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"297","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,4,10]]},"reference":[{"key":"5345_CR1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e1000403","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pmed.1000403","volume":"8","author":"malERA Consultative Group on Modeling","year":"2011","unstructured":"malERA Consultative Group on Modeling. A research agenda for malaria eradication: modeling. PLoS Med. 2011;8:e1000403.","journal-title":"PLoS Med"},{"key":"5345_CR2","unstructured":"WHO. Roll Back Malaria Progress & Impact Series: Mathematical modelling to support malaria control and elimination. Geneva, World Health Organization, 2010"},{"key":"5345_CR3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"101","DOI":"10.1186\/s12936-020-03173-0","volume":"19","author":"M Runge","year":"2020","unstructured":"Runge M, Molteni F, Mandike R, Snow RW, Lengeler C, Mohamed A, et al. Applied mathematical modelling to inform national malaria policies, strategies and operations in Tanzania. Malar J. 2020;19:101.","journal-title":"Malar J"},{"key":"5345_CR4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"297","DOI":"10.1186\/1475-2875-13-297","volume":"13","author":"SP Silal","year":"2014","unstructured":"Silal SP, Little F, Barnes KI, White LJ. Towards malaria elimination in Mpumalanga, South Africa: a population-level mathematical modelling approach. Malar J. 2014;13:297.","journal-title":"Malar J"},{"key":"5345_CR5","volume-title":"World malaria report 2023","author":"WHO","year":"2023","unstructured":"WHO. World malaria report 2023. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2023."},{"key":"5345_CR6","unstructured":"National Malaria Elimination Program. National Malaria Strategic Plan, 2021-2025 [Internet]. Abuja, Nigeria; 2020. Available from: https:\/\/nmcp.gov.ng\/"},{"key":"5345_CR7","volume-title":"Global Technical Strategy for Malaria 2016\u20132030","author":"WHO","year":"2015","unstructured":"WHO. Global Technical Strategy for Malaria 2016\u20132030. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2015."},{"key":"5345_CR8","unstructured":"Silal S, Bardsley C, Menon R, Abdullahi L, White L. Epidemiological modelling for public health decision making in sub-Saharan Africa: a strategic plan for capacity strengthening. [Internet]. Oxford Policy Management. 2022. Available from: https:\/\/www.opml.co.uk\/files\/Projects\/a4964-epidem-modelling-capacity-strengthening.pdf?noredirect=1"},{"key":"5345_CR9","unstructured":"Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention. The Nigeria Field epidemiology training program. [Internet]. 2023. Available from https:\/\/ncdc.gov.ng\/training\/nfeltp."},{"key":"5345_CR10","unstructured":"Training Programs in Epidemiology and Public Health Interventions Network (Tephinet). Annual Report; 2019. The Task Force for Health [Internet]. Available from: https:\/\/www.tephinet.org\/training-programs."}],"container-title":["Malaria Journal"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/link.springer.com\/content\/pdf\/10.1186\/s12936-025-05345-2.pdf","content-type":"application\/pdf","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/link.springer.com\/article\/10.1186\/s12936-025-05345-2\/fulltext.html","content-type":"text\/html","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/link.springer.com\/content\/pdf\/10.1186\/s12936-025-05345-2.pdf","content-type":"application\/pdf","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,4,10]],"date-time":"2025-04-10T10:01:06Z","timestamp":1744279266000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/malariajournal.biomedcentral.com\/articles\/10.1186\/s12936-025-05345-2"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2025,4,10]]},"references-count":10,"journal-issue":{"issue":"1","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,12]]}},"alternative-id":["5345"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1186\/s12936-025-05345-2","relation":{},"ISSN":["1475-2875"],"issn-type":[{"value":"1475-2875","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2025,4,10]]},"assertion":[{"value":"25 April 2024","order":1,"name":"received","label":"Received","group":{"name":"ArticleHistory","label":"Article History"}},{"value":"22 March 2025","order":2,"name":"accepted","label":"Accepted","group":{"name":"ArticleHistory","label":"Article History"}},{"value":"10 April 2025","order":3,"name":"first_online","label":"First Online","group":{"name":"ArticleHistory","label":"Article History"}},{"order":1,"name":"Ethics","group":{"name":"EthicsHeading","label":"Declarations"}},{"value":"Ethics approval was obtained from the National Health Research Ethics Committee (NHREC) of Nigeria, granting expedited committee approval for the Nigeria Malaria Modelling Fellowship: Implementing mathematical modelling studies to support infectious disease control in Nigeria. The approval, assigned NHREC Protocol Number NHREC\/01\/01\/2007\u201327\/10\/2023, was issued on November 1, 2023, and was valid from November 1, 2023, to October 31, 2024. It authorized the research activities led by Dr. Chijioke Kaduru, along with co-investigators, under the supervision of Corona Management Systems in Abuja, Nigeria.","order":2,"name":"Ethics","group":{"name":"EthicsHeading","label":"Ethics approval and consent to participate"}},{"value":"The authors declare no competing interests.","order":3,"name":"Ethics","group":{"name":"EthicsHeading","label":"Competing interests"}}],"article-number":"116"}}