Epidemiological mapping of podoconiosis in Ethiopia

Kebede is a public health professional with a research focus on neglected tropical diseases. His Fellowship focuses on mapping podoconiosis, a form of elephantiasis arising in barefoot subsistence farmers who are in long-term contact with irritant red clay soil of volcanic origins. By applying new techniques and technologies of mapping, he aims to determine the spatial distribution and the disease burden of podoconiosis. Kebede will identify the environmental limits of podoconiosis, develop a spatial risk map and determine an optimal mapping approach to estimate the disease burden in other countries suspected to be podoconiosis-endemic. He hopes to generate useful information for the elimination of podoconiosis.

This grant was awarded under the scheme's previous name of Training Fellowships in Public Health and Tropical Medicine.