Dr Dr Palmer Masumbe Netongo

About: Dr Palmer Masumbe Netongo studied at the University of Yaounde I, in Cameroon where he obtained his BSc Biochemistry, two Masters degrees (Biochemistry and Molecular parasitology) and a PhD in Molecular parasitology completed in 2009. Between 2009 and 2011, he volunteered in capacity strengthening for health research in many countries in Africa while based in Geneva, Switzerland serving as a consultant for the World Health Organisation, Tropical disease Unit (WHO-TDR). During that time, he developed the Initiative to Strengthen Health Research Capacity in Africa (ISHReCA). He then went back to Cameroon at the end of 2011 to join the University of Yaounde I as Lecturer. He is a Senior Lecturer of Biochemistry, Immunology and Molecular Biology at the University of Yaounde I and currently on sabbatical as a Post-Doctoral Research Associate in the Department of Pathology, University of Utah, USA. His present research interest is on interactions between malaria and co-infecting pathogens, particularly Epstein Barr Virus, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Salmonella typhii and Schistosoma spp. His main projects seeks to understand the effect of gammaherpesviruses on suppression of anti-malarial humoral immunity and, how malaria predisposes mice to severe pneumococcal disease. Working on animals is a shift from his previous research on humans which sought to understand the role of co-infecting pathogens of the malaria disease severity as well as to develop a saliva-based method of malaria detection of Plasmodium spp. This work received supported by grants from Grand Challenge Canada and WHO/TDR. Palmer received other research support from TWAS-DFG Cooperation Visits Programme and ICGEB small grant. He has over 14 publications, 11 trained Masters students and 2 in PhD training. He is part of the network of excellence CANTAM (Central Africa Network on Tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS and Malaria) and ALERRT (African CoaLition for Epidemic Research, Response and Training) where he co-leads Work Package 5, Training and Capacity Building. Through volunteering for the Initiative to Strengthen Health Research Capacity in Africa (ISHReCA), he has accrued international experience in Project / Program Management and conference organisation/management. Involved with capacity building for health researchers across Africa through ISHReCA, he has worked in close collaboration with many funders including the Wellcome Trust in the UK, WHO/TDR in Switzerland, European Commission headquarters in Belgium Sida in Sweden and DFG in Germany. As volunteer Executive Secretary of ISHReCA, he organized a series of discussions, which led to the establishment of a document on Ethics of Research partnership, to serve as a manifesto to guide young researchers as the engage in long-term fruitful research partnerships. Palmer is passionate about helping others to navigate through the life’s journey. He has done so for many years in many ways to many people. Through ISHReCA workshops for instance, many young African scientists have gained skills needed for their career development in health research. He plans to do even more with CANTAM and ALERRT