London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine

The LSHTM Malaria Centre hosted its annual retreat on 1–2 July 2026, bringing together colleagues from across the malaria research community for two days of scientific discussion, collaboration and networking. 

Held at the Coppid Beech Hotel in Bracknell, the retreat welcomed in-person attendees from LSHTM and partner institutions, alongside online participation from colleagues at the MRC Unit The Gambia at LSHTM. 

The programme featured cross-centre research talks with guests from Imperial College London, presentations highlighting malaria research taking place at MRCG, early-career researcher turbo talks, grants discussion sessions, and a keynote lecture from Professor David Schellenberg titled Opportunities for impact: reflections from academia, WHO and the private sector. 

Attendees also heard from incoming MRCG Director Professor Ed Clarke, who reiterated his support for malaria research at the Unit, particularly welcoming vaccine-related research. Presentations covered topics including malaria vaccines, malaria in pregnancy, zoonotic malaria, genomics, vector control, diagnostics, and health economics. 

In his opening remarks, Associate Professor Michael Delves, Co-Director of the Malaria Centre, said: 

“The entire goal of this retreat is to celebrate and showcase the breadth of our research, which spans many scientific disciplines and geographical locations. We hope the retreat will strengthen links with malaria research teams at Imperial College and help identify new opportunities for collaboration.” 

Founded in 1998, the Malaria Centre is a global network of more than 300 researchers, students and professional services staff working across around 40 countries. The Centre supports interdisciplinary research spanning epidemiology, clinical studies, genomics, vector biology, modelling, health economics and implementation science, with the aim of reducing the burden of malaria worldwide. 

A major hub of the Centre’s work is the MRC Unit The Gambia at LSHTM, which has been at the forefront of malaria research in The Gambia for more than 75 years. 

Dr Eniyou Cheryll Oriero, Co-Director of the Malaria Centre and based at the MRC Unit The Gambia at LSHTM, said: “The retreat provided an opportunity for researchers at all career stages to exchange ideas, learn about emerging research across the Centre’s portfolio, and build new connections with colleagues and collaborators. By bringing together expertise from LSHTM, MRCG and partner institutions, the event highlighted the value of collaboration in tackling one of the world’s most important infectious diseases.”