The Parasitology Department’s Head, Dr. Fe Esperanza Espino was one of the five Filipino scientists nominated for the 2019 Newton Prize Award for the RITM-LSHTM team’s outstanding work in the Newton funded ENSURE Project. 

The Enhanced Surveillance for Control and Elimination of Malaria in the Philippines or ENSURE Project is a United Kingdom-Philippines research collaboration funded by Newton Agham that resulted in a novel approach to improve malaria surveillance for elimination of the disease. 

“Our Newton Agaham ENSURE project with the UK is making surveillance, or the monitoring of disease, more accessible to high-risk, migrant and mobile populations. In addition to the usual tests for malaria, patients who consult at rural health clinics are tested using more sensitive tools,” says Dr. Espino on the impact of the research collaboration. 

The 2019 Newton Prize Award is a £1 million fund (Php 66.8M) awarding Up to £200,000 (Php 13.4M) to the best research among those funded by the UK Government’s Newton Agham program in each of the three prize countries: China, Indonesia, and the Philippines. 

Dr. Espino, accompanied by RITM OIC Assistant Director, Dr. Beatriz Quiambao, and the research team attended the Newton Prize Philippines Award Ceremony on January 28, 2020 at the Manila Polo Club. 

“In the end, ENSURE Project wasn’t announced as the winner of the Newton Prize Philippines 2019 but the nomination in itself is a huge honor and recognition of the project’s impact in the global health landscape. We are very proud of the team’s accomplishment,” says Dr. Quiambao.

Congratulations Dr. Espino and ENSURE Team!  

by Reina Manongsong, Communication and Engagement Office