About, Bio, My Contribution to Science

From Global Health Fellow to International Research Scientist

For me, the UJMT Fogarty Global Health Fellowship Program was literally the exclusive opportunity that launched my career in Global Health research. Several key factors that this program offered were determinant to success in my career in this field. Those key factors are:

Funding: UJMT-FGHF in addition of my paid my full salary with benefits, I received some funding for my research project and that was really important to have those minimum funding to generate preliminary data for allowing me to submit subsequent grant applications.

Time commitment: UJMT-FGHF secured the exact right amount of time commitment to travel abroad, not too short, not too long, for accomplishing the preliminary data acquisition.

Mentorship: Perhaps the most important aspect of the fellowship is the exposure to invaluable professional networks during the program. That was what helped me to keep in focus and never give up. This is also what kept me going on (mentally, professionally and including financially) beyond the award period. This step is the only step that no matter what amount of funding you receive, good mentors are primordial for the career development and engage in challenging, varied and interesting work field.

The bottom line is that this program developed the backbone of my career development grant application. I obtained the Fogarty’s International Research Scientist Development Award (IRSDA). Which I would have never received it if it wasn’t for the “small” boosting help that UJMT gave me. I am very thankful. This changed my life for good. And now it’s time for me to give forward and to make a difference in the world not only through my research and public health contribution, but also through being a good mentor in my turn.

 

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Bio, Interesting Things, My Contribution to Science

Hematological differences among malaria patients in rural and urban Ghana

Good news everyone

New article just accepted for publication in the Journal of Tropical Pediatrics!

ABSTRACT

Background: Scarce studies have addressed hematological differences of malaria in urban and rural regions.

Methods: Full or complete blood cell counts from 46 and 75 individuals (age range from < 1 to 92 years) with uncomplicated malaria infection living in urban (Accra) and rural (Dodowa) Ghana, respectively, were assessed. Sickle cell trait and patients were excluded from the study.

Results: Between overall groups, patients from Accra had significantly lower parasite count (p&lt;0.0001) and granulocyte number (p=0.026). Children in Accra had a significantly lower parasitemia (p=0.0013), hemoglobin (p=0.0254), platelet count (p=0.0148), and red blood cell levels (p=0.0080) when compared to the children of Dodowa. In adults, mean cell hemoglobin (p=0.0086) and parasite count (p<0.0001) were significantly higher in Dodowa.

Conclusion: These results indicate that children living in urban setting may experience a greater anemic effect to malaria as compared to those living in a rural setting.

KEYWORDS: Exposome, Anemia, global health, Plasmodium falciparum malaria, hematological parameters, Ghana

http://m.tropej.oxfordjournals.org/content/early/2016/06/16/tropej.fmw038.full

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Articles, Bio, My Contribution to Science

Exosomes derived from endometriotic stromal cells have enhanced angiogenic effects in vitro.

Fig2

Cell Tissue Res. 2016 Feb 3. [Epub ahead of print]
Harp D, Driss A, Mehrabi S, Chowdhury I, Xu W, Liu D, Garcia-Barrio M, Taylor RN, Gold B, Jefferson S, Sidell N, Thompson W. Our objective has been to establish a pro-angiogenic role for exosomes in endometriosis and to determine whether a differential expression profile of cellular and exosomal microRNAs (miRNAs) exists in endometriosis. We performed an in vitro study of human primary endometrial stromal cells (ESCs) and human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). We isolated and characterized exosomes from ESCs from five endometriosis patients and five phase-matched controls. Exosomes were characterized by transmission electron microscopy and NanoSight technology. MiRNA was assessed by deep sequencing and reverse transcription with quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Exosome uptake studies were achieved by means of confocal microscopy. The pro-angiogenic experiments were executed by treating HUVECs with ESC-derived exosomes. We observed differential profiles of exosomal miRNA expression between exosomes derived from endometriosis lesion cells and diseased eutopic stromal cells compared with exosomes derived from control ESCs. We also demonstrated autocrine cellular uptake of exosomes and paracrine functional angiogenic effects of exosomes on HUVECs. The results of this study support the hypothesis that exosomes derived from ESCs play autocrine/paracrine roles in the development of endometriosis, potentially modulating angiogenesis. The broader clinical implications are that Sampson’s theory of retrograde menstruation possibly encompasses the finding that exosomes work as intercellular communication modulators in endometriosis. PMID: 26841879 [PubMed – as supplied by publisher]
Full article free http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs00441-016-2358-1Fig2

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Interesting Things

Some quotes :)

I saw the devil in his eyes. He told me it’s all just a big illusion.
I saw the angel in his eyes. He told me it’s all just a big dream.
I saw my eyes in the mirror. I saw a déjà-vu.

I don’t want to remain silent!
But cannot find the right words

 

 

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About, Bio, Interesting Things, My Contribution to Science, Press Releases

15 years ago… I found the gene for a muscular dystrophy…

petit prince

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10838249

Yep. That’s me.

I’ve been all my life very modest and proud about this.

I say to myself that I did contribute to science. I contributed to basic science, public and global health and to humanity. It’s out there.

I wish I could do more, but I did my best.
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Le Colibris tire son nom d’une légende amérindienne:

Un jour, dit la légende, il y eut un immense incendie de forêt. Tous les animaux terrifiés, atterrés, observaient impuissants le désastre. Seul le petit colibri s’activait, allant chercher quelques gouttes avec son bec pour les jeter sur le feu. Après un moment, le tatou, agacé par cette agitation dérisoire, lui dit : « Colibri ! Tu n’es pas fou ? Ce n’est pas avec ces gouttes d’eau que tu vas éteindre le feu ! »

Et le colibri lui répondit :« Je le sais, mais je fais ma part. »

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Articles, Bio, Interesting Things, My Contribution to Science

Conference of Universities for Global Health 2015

Just attended the Conference of Universities for Global Health 2015 in Boston MA (USA). I was invited by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, headquarters of the UJMT consortium for Fogarty Global Health Fellowship Program. I made a presentation on my work in Ghana. That conference was an eye opening for me on how much more work has to be done in the field of global health.

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About, Articles, Bio, Interesting Things, My Contribution to Science

Well here we are on the “post” fellowship.

Ghana experience was GREAT!!!!

Wait let me insist, it was Amazing!!

The overall experience was priceless! I feel like I have accomplished so much in 11 months. I cannot thank enough the Fogarty Global Health program for allowing me this opportunity.

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I came back to Morehouse School of Medicine and am now working on endometriosis micro-RNA profiling. I am also helping in the establishment of a tissue repository for women health. In my evenings and free time, I work on the malaria and sickle cell samples doing mainly RT-qPCR and statistics. I want to publish my data ASAP so I can move on with my grant writing.

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I advise everyone who is interested in global health to apply to the Fogarty Global Health Fellowship program #FGHF with no hesitation. This is a very good way to get involved in the field, get international experience and especially help concretely people in need! Cause this is the main goal after all!!

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About, Articles, Bio, Interesting Things, My Contribution to Science

Fogarty Global Health Fellowship Program: My experience in Ghana.

Hi Folks,          Adel Driss Working in Ghana  5

My name is Dr. Adel Driss and I am a Fogarty Global Health Fellow from the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill, Johns Hopkins University, Morehouse School of Medicine and Tulane University Consortium. This prestigious and selective program provided me an opportunity for training in global health research in a low and middle income country, which is Ghana. This 11-month-long mentored clinical research training program is sponsored by the Fogarty International Center and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Heart, Lung and Blood Institute.

I am currently conducting an epidemiology analysis on malaria resistance at the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research at the University of Ghana, in collaboration with the Korle-bu Teaching Hospital in Accra. Before enrolling in this fellowship, I was part of the “Genomics and Hemoglobinopathies Program”, which is a NIH funded research project, focused on applying genomics methods on diseases related to hemoglobin such as sickle cell disease, thalassemia and malaria. I also taught biochemistry and genetics courses for the Morehouse School of Medicine Graduate Program and I am currently an advisor for an MPH-epidemiology student at Emory’s Prestigious Rollins School of Public Health.

CAM01786-1I arrived in Ghana in February 2014. It was the first time I had been in Sub-Saharan Africa. Being half African myself (Tunisian), I was sure the cultural shock would be minimal or easily dispensed. In the beginning housing was a little tricky, especially since I did not have a car. In Accra a car or a scooter is a must! However, the people I met were naturally accommodating. I was so happy to find that it is extremely easy to make friends! I have joined a running group and do some volunteer work.  Also, I was welcomed here by my host institute and by everyone in the scientific and medical communities.

There are always several challenges in establishing an international scientific collaboration such as what I am doing. In a nutshell, I initiated a patients’ recruitment protocol to collect and process blood samples from sickle cell and malaria patients and healthy controls at Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital. In tandem, I established a basic science laboratory unit at the Noguchi Memorial Institute, about 20 miles away from the hospital (about 2 hours by car – traffic in Accra makes Atlanta rush hour seem like a motor car race! After living in Atlanta for 11 years, I never thought I would say that!). I also ensured that I had the ethical clearances and the reagents and materials accordingly organized. I implicated strategic laboratories and key collaborators to take part in the study. So far I have collected about 400 samples in these few months–which is extraordinary given the number of things I must do with each patient sample. For example, from each sample, I collect plasma, red blood cells, white blood cells, DNA, RNA, total blood filter papers stains, consent forms, detailed severity and history questionnaires, total blood count, parasite count and hemoglobin status.

Adel Driss Working in Ghana  1Additionally, I am also involved in the finding and characterization of serum microRNA infected with Mycrobacterium ulcerans (Buruli Ulcer) in the Ghanaian population. Buruli ulcer mainly affects the skin in mostly children under 15 years of age who live in poor rural communities. It is one of the 17 neglected tropical diseases. Patients who are not treated early suffer long-term functional disability. Along with the team I am working with, I have written and submitted a grant, and we are writing a new epidemiology article on the bacterium.

I have been extremely fortunate to have worked with fabulous teams here in Ghana. Together we have created a successful patients’ recruitment program, and we are now starting the actual molecular screening of genetic variations in that population. I could not do this without the assistance of Ghanaian people. There is such a potential to discover and to help. It really is worth the collaboration. Leadership, diplomacy and scientific integrity are key ingredients for the success of this mission and with the modest resources that I had, I was able manage it accordingly.Adel Driss Working in Ghana  4

This has been a wonderful experience. I feel that I accomplished something much more important than just a fellowship. I feel proud of all my friends and colleagues here. I would definitely recommend anyone to explore all that Africa—especially Ghana—has to offer. Fogarty Global Health Fellowship Program has several mentored programs in several African and low/middle income countries. If you have a chance, DO IT!!

With all this, I am also remotely volunteering with The Carter Center in Atlanta GA. Nowadays the world has become a village with new technologies and the internet. I have been volunteering there since 2008. I first started as a gardening volunteer and absolutely loved it. However I have since taken over the Volunteer Newsletter. I also help the Democracy Programs out with their translations as I am fluent in Arabic, French, Italian and English.  I’m also learning Spanish and Croatian since I am Croatian (European Union) and Tunisian (Africa) and hopefully soon US. I would have loved to meet The Carter Center interns and staff helping out in Ghana, but they are apparently far from Accra, in remote and difficult areas of the country.

I hope that The Carter Center is able to expand its health programs into malaria or buruli ulcer eradication now that the Guinea Worm Eradication Program is winding down. Since I have formed life-long connections to the individuals here in Ghana and have immense communicable disease knowledge, I would love to help and be a part of those programs!

I am anticipating to share the multitude of knowledge that I have gleaned from the Fogarty Program with others in order to improve the welfare of those suffering from communicable diseases. A career in the Global Health Sciences will allow me to help improve the human condition. So far it has been quite difficult to find a more stable position, but I am positive that I will be able to find one soon.

Carry on and do good work!

Adel

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