We work across biomedical & ecological sciences, interventions & clinical trials, and health systems and policy.
We work with local and international partners in offering high-level expertise training, doctoral and post-doctoral training, short-courses, health professionals’ training, and internship programs. Our flagship high-level training, Master’s programme in Public Health Research (MScPHR), is run in partnership with the Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology (NM-AIST). This program and a range of short courses are offered at our Training Center at Kingani area in Bagamoyo District, Coast Region.
While IHI’s primary mission continues to be research, development of human capacity within and beyond the institute has always been valued and is recognized as an essential component of innovation and institutional growth.
No. The Institute does not offer any academic certificates, diplomas or degrees. All academic certificates for its registered programs are offered with its collaborating partners who are registered by relevant authorities as certified training institutions.
The Institute is best known for its work on malaria. However, we focus on all health challenges identified as important by the Tanzanian government and the people living in communities near each of IHI facilities. The institute’s scientists are working on a wide range of diseases and ensuring that research translates into tangible health outcomes.
Our primary mission is developing and sustaining a district-focused health research institute capable of generating new knowledge and information for public health policy and action. Our vision is to be a center of excellence and innovation in health research and development, aiming at maximizing population health gains.
Our Core Values are: transparency, responsibility, integrity, respect, and initiative.
The Institute was founded in 1956 by Swiss zoologist Dr. Rudolf Geigy. His first visit to Ifakara in 1949 marked the beginning of the over 60-year history of IHI. Geigy [1920-1995], a scientist from the Swiss Tropical Institute in Basel, sought a fieldwork location for researching on tropical diseases.
The first Tanzanian science director, Dr. Andrew Kitua, was appointed in 1993. His successors: Dr. Hassan Mshinda and later on Dr. Salim Abdulla, built strong teams that took the institute to a high level of excellence, extending operations to other regions. The sitting Chief Executive Director, Dr. Honorati Masanja, was appointed in 2016.
Ifakara is a trusteeship registered under the Trustees Incorporation Act Chapter 318 which was revised in 2002 and given a Certificate of Incorporation number 1487 on July 10, 2008.
We also research on HIV, tuberculosis, and health systems.
In recent years, resurgent interests in neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) have provided the opportunity to revisit and build upon Ifakara’s historic engagement on schistomiasis, trypanosomiasis, onchocerciasis, filariasis, chikungunya and others.
We anticipate a growing body of work on the epidemiology of NTDs. Rapid demographic and lifestyle changes in developing countries, including Tanzania, also highlight the growing importance of understanding non-communicable disease (NCD) risk factors – notably diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
This program is unique in the sense that the type of graduates it produces have a completely different set of skills compared to other Masters of Public Health (MPH) programs. Graduates are equipped with strong practical research skills and the ability to apply their skills at any level of the health system.
Applications for the Masters of Public Health Research program are handled by the Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology itself and all information about this particular program can be obtained from their website. Applications for short courses are handled directly by Ifakara in partnership with collaborating partners. Information about these are usually shared through the Ifakara website, its social media channels and the local mainstream media.
Information about training cost are found in the Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology website. And for short courses, the cost for attending each particular program are usually shared during calls for application.
IfakaraI do not own hostels for students registered on its programs or those it runs in collaboration with partners. However, our Training and Capacity Building team usually advises prospective students on where they can get good and affordable accommodation in Bagamoyo for the duration of their studies. The team can be reached via this email:
No for individuals and Yes for private firms. Our fleet is primarily for supporting our research activities, however private firms can hire our vehicles for their official use if they agree to our terms and conditions.
The Institute is governed by a Board of Governors (BOG) and a Board of Trustees (BOT). Members of the two organs are drawn from the Tanzanian Commission of Science & Technology (COSTECH), Ministry of Health, National Institute for Medical Research (NIMR), Swiss Tropical & Public Health Institute (Swiss TPH), Swiss Agency for Development & Cooperation (SDC), and the Ifakara Chief Executive Director, who is also the secretary of both BOT and BOG.
The BOT has two sub committees: Finance, Audit & Risk Committee (FARC), and Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC). Our Management Committee consists of Chief Executive Director (Chair), Director of Science, Chief Finance & Systems Officer, and Chief Human Resource & Operations Officer.
Ifakara Health Institute (IHI) - simply shortened to just "Ifakara" - is a leading health research organization in Africa, with a strong track record of developing, testing and validating innovations for health. We are driven by core strategic mandate for research, training and services. Ifakara encompasses a broad range of scientific disciplines, spanning from basic biomedical and ecological sciences to clinical trials, health systems research, policy translation, and health program implementation. Historically, the origin of the name Ifakara refers to “a place you go to die”, a reflection of the historically high burden of disease in the area, before major control efforts started.
Our training programs are designed to develop the next generation of innovative public health research scientists. Graduates from our programs work in the government public health systems, research institutions, and NGOs.
The Institute offers a number of dedicated services to projects, staff, policy-makers and the general public. They range from archiving study data, rest houses, conference facilities, transport, and platforms that regularly share useful information that may affect the lives of the partners it works with. Learn more about a range of services that IHI offers on the IHI website here here
While our research platforms are designed to support our research work, we can also serve private firms and individuals under special arrangement. Send all private and individual inquiries here: [labs email]
Yes.
Yes.
Yes. Until 2006, malaria control programs focused the distribution of mosquito nets by prioritizing pregnant women and children below the age of 5 years. Unfortunately, community level impacts achievable by targeting all people of all age-groups were largely ignored, and therefore it was difficult to ascertain equity.
Using demographic, epidemiologic and entomological data generated from several studies before, incorporated into mathematical models that simulate mosquito life cycle processes, Ifakara scientists and partners estimated coverage thresholds for entire populations at which individual protection obtained from bed nets matched community level protection, which was then considered reasonable target coverage.
The WHO considered the contribution and revised the policy of net use and began promoting wider coverage including mass distribution covering all bed spaces, while retaining a critical focus on pregnant women and children.
Since 2000, malaria endemic countries and international partners have achieved significant gains constituting more than 50 per cent reduction in malaria prevalence and tenfold reduction in actual transmission. Improved living standards, overall reduction in childhood illnesses, urbanization, improved diagnosis, greater access to appropriate medicines, but most importantly the scaling up of effective vector control using insecticide treated bed nets (ITNs) and indoor residual spraying (IRS), are recognized as the major causes of this decline. IHI is proud to be part of this success and growing movements to end malaria for good.
Yes. Ifakara research work has influenced a number of policies locally. The Instiute took part in the bed net trials and uptake into national malaria control policy, its scientists were instrumental in the analysis of the drug-resistance patterns associated with chloroquine and then sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP), which was introduced after chloroquine resistance spread widely. Findings by Ifakara scientists were used to inform policy change in 2001 from cloroquine to SP and again in 2006 from SP to Artemisin Combination Therapy (ACT). Learn more on how IHI impacted on public health locally and globally here: [add link to page on impact on public health]