OUCRU scientists join global leaders at Oxford Tropical Network Meeting 2025 

With the theme “Networking for Science Discovery and Impact”, this year’s meeting highlighted opportunities to build on the strengths of the Network while exploring new areas of synergy. Discussions spanned discovery research, artificial intelligence, climate change, vaccine manufacture, and engagement with policymakers, alongside a rich programme of plenaries, spotlight talks, poster sessions, roundtable discussions, and networking events. 

OUCRU scientists from all four units actively contributed to the programme through oral presentations, posters, and session coordination. Their research reflected the breadth of OUCRU’s work across Asia and its commitment to improving health outcomes worldwide. 

Highlights included: 

• Prof Rogier van Doorn – ACORN2: A Clinically Oriented Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance Network 

• Nguyen Duc Manh – Barriers and Facilitators to Effective Advanced Warning and Response Systems for Climate-Sensitive Infectious Diseases in Vietnam 

• Dr Sonia Lewycka – Prevalence and determinants of antibiotic use and antibiotic resistance in the Red River Delta, Vietnam: a One Health perspective 

• Dr Ihsan Fadilah – Effect of higher primaquine doses for the radical cure of Plasmodium vivax in Indonesia: a systematic review and individual patient data meta-analysis. 

• Dr Ho Quang Chanh – D-SCAPE: a novel wearable device for dengue 

• Ashata Dahal – Motivations for vaccinating children in a phase-III vaccine trial in Nepal 

• Dr Leigh Jones – Perspectives on mentorship across MIPs  

• Dr Duc Hong Du – The effect of M. tuberculosis lineage on clinical phenotype 

• Dr Phan Nguyen Quoc Khanh – Blood-based host transcriptomic signatures to improve tuberculous meningitis diagnosis 

• Mai Thu Si Nguyen – The rise of carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae sequence type 16 in Vietnam. 

• Javi Raihan (presented by Dr Anuraj Shankar) – A Pipeline for Pathogen Surveillance Using PhIP-Seq: Epitope-Level Enrichment, Structural Mapping, and Data Interoperability 

• Prof Kevin Baird – Malaria vaccine trials at OUCRU Indonesia: Attenuated live sporozoites and R21/Rv21 

• Farizal Muharram (presented by Dr Anuraj Shankar) – Educational Attainment, Workplace Context, and Competency Gaps: Baseline Assessment of Indonesian Midwives under the Systematic Public Health Empowerment, Research, and Education Sites (SPHERES) Initiative. 

• Dr Nguyen Thanh Thuy Nhien – Genetic Epidemiology for Malaria Outbreak Characterization: A Pre-Elimination Priority in Vietnam 

OUCRU researchers also presented a number of scientific posters, contributing to lively discussions during the dedicated poster sessions.

A special congratulations goes to OUCRU Indonesia DPhil student Edward Sutanto, who was awarded a poster prize for his outstanding work. Reflecting on his experience, Edward shared:  

“For me personally, the most valuable part was the opportunity to present my poster and engage directly with the audience, which gave me new insights to incorporate into my work. The strong interest our team received for the SPHERES project suggests its relevance globally, and I am really excited by the recognition of the importance of north-south partnerships, including in emerging areas such as AI applications for health.”  

Ashata Dahal, Public Engagement Manager – OUCRU Nepal added:  

“The most valuable part of OTN 2025 for me was the chance to share a part of my DPhil work and receive thoughtful feedback from a global community. Engaging with colleagues across Africa and Asia gave us fresh perspectives on community engagement and trial design. What excites me most are the ideas and collaborations that emerged around strengthening trust and community engagement in health research.” 

The OTN Meeting 2025 reaffirmed the importance of global partnerships in tackling today’s health challenges. OUCRU’s active participation reflected its commitment to fostering collaboration, nurturing emerging leaders, and sharing knowledge for impact across the Network. We look forward to continuing this momentum in the years ahead, building stronger partnerships to drive innovation in Tropical Medicine and Global Health.