UNC Project Malawi

12/09/2025

This afternoon we held a team-building event for the PRISM studies and also took the opportunity to bid farewell to our core coordinator, Ms. Funny Kamanga, as she leaves for further studies in the United Kingdom.

12/09/2025

We took a moment to celebrate Associate Professor Lameck Chinula and Dr. Cornelius Munyanga on their recent milestones.
Chinula, has become the first Malawian to become a gynecologic oncologist from the IGCS Gynecologic Oncology Fellowship. Munyanga successfully passed the East, Central, and Southern Africa College of Physicians (ECSACOP) internal medicine examination and is now a fully qualified internal medicine specialist.

10/09/2025

Yesterday we held the 2025/26 Fogarty Fellows Orientation. It was a pleasure meeting the new fellows and learning about the exciting work they will be doing here in Malawi.

09/09/2025

Good news! Our associate scientific director and associate professor, Lameck Chinula, has become the first Malawian to graduate from the IGCS Gynecologic Oncology Fellowship. This 2-year global training program equips doctors in low-resource settings to combat cervical and gynecologic cancers.
With cancer cases rising, his achievement brings hope for building local expertise and training more specialists to care for women in Malawi and beyond.
Big milestone for Malawi!
https://globalhealth.unc.edu/2025/09/chinula-completes-igcs-gynecologic-oncology-fellowship/?fbclid=IwZnRzaAMsJqNleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHjF7EMZ3B2RmZUXQNM-3FMLIUlFl4CfSsPnix1XcsuO-hyCFSREgWl2yxHDY_aem_BFpQHWHMeI1Vs1Slj2Dlaw

Without access to subspecialty training, physicians in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) are unequipped to treat the high volume of patients presenting with cancer, who need subspecialized care for the prevention and treatment of cervical cancer and other gynecologic malignancies. With rising...

09/09/2025

PUBLICATION:
In Malawi, many people with illnesses like diabetes or high blood pressure also face depression, making treatment harder. The Friendship Bench—a simple counselling program—shows promise, but faces big challenges: low awareness about mental health, little acceptance, and weak hospital support. With the right backing, it could greatly improve care for patients.

We congratulate our mental health team!

Comorbid depression is common among people living with non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in Malawi and is associated with reduced treatment adherence and increased NCD and depression symptom severity. This bidirectional negative relationship between NCDs and depression necessitates an appropriate int...

02/09/2025

Congratulations to Dr. Cornelius Munyanga (left) on successfully passing the East, Central, and Southern Africa College of Physicians (ECSACOP) internal medicine examination! He is now a fully qualified internal medicine specialist. Your hard work has truly paid off!

02/09/2025

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is hard to cure in low-resource countries. To help, the International Society of Paediatric Oncology (SIOP) created special treatment guidelines in 2019. We are now testing these guidelines in Malawi through a study. This work also introduces a new research approach that can be used for many childhood cancer diseases in similar settings, helping teams improve care and find better treatment strategies.

Here is the latest publication with UNC Project Malawi representation:

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is most often incurable in low-resource settings. To address this challenge, the International Society of Paediatric Oncology (SIOP) developed an intensity-adapted AML pr...

01/09/2025

Hanna Kumwenda, our Assistant Pharmacy Manager, is representing us at the 83rd FIP (International Pharmaceutical Federation) World Congress of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Under the theme “Pharmacy Forward: Performance, Collaboration and Health Transformation,” she is presenting two posters - and proudly stands as the only Malawian at this global gathering

26/08/2025

A two-day meeting is currently underway in Lilongwe to address the management of pneumonia in children. Hosted by UNC Project Malawi, the gathering brings together delegates from Nigeria, Ethiopia, South Africa, and Sweden. The event is being held under the banner: “Optimizing Severe Pneumonia Management in Children through Scale-up of BCPAP Technology in Low-Resource Settings.

22/08/2025

As you enjoy your weekend, remember to stay safe and protect yourself from sexually transmitted infections (STIs).
Drug resistance is becoming a big global challenge. Gonorrhoea, for example, is showing resistance to common medicines like ceftriaxone, cefixime, and azithromycin. This makes treatment more difficult and risky.
While research continues, your best protection is prevention:
💡 Always use protection
💡 Get tested regularly
💡 Complete treatment if prescribed
💡 Encourage your friends and loved ones to do the same

Take care of yourself this weekend—and every day. Your health matters!

Here is our latest publication in The Lancet, as we congratulate our STI team at Bwaila Hospital:

Resistance to ceftriaxone, cefixime, and azithromycin is a major global concern, and expanded and improved resistance surveillance is essential. The WHO EGASP has been substantially expanded in the recent years. Additionally, resistance breakpoints have been harmonised and test-of-cure, whole-genome...

20/08/2025

We are pleased to share our published protocol paper for the LINK study. The study establishes a simple, scalable model, building on existing HIV and maternal and child health service delivery platforms, to accelerate efforts toward eliminating vertical transmission. If the LINK model is successful at improving PrEP usage among postpartum women, feasible, and cost-effective, we will have the knowledge to support quickly sustaining and scaling the intervention in Malawi and beyond.

Background Elimination of vertical transmission of HIV remains a major global public health priority. In Malawi, more than one-third of pediatric HIV acquisitions are attributed to perinatal HIV acquisition during breastfeeding. HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is a crucial biomedical tool to kee...

19/08/2025

Leadership and Organisational Change for Implementation (LOCI) Workshop for the ALIGN Study is in full swing at Tidziwe Lecture Hall! Today, we host an engaging workshop with ALIGN District Coordinators from Chiradzulu, Kasungu, Mangochi, Mzimba, Nkhata Bay, and Ntcheu, focusing on strengthening leadership and driving organizational change.