Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine

Founded in 1900, the Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine (BNITM), has been an independent, non-profit research institution in the form of a foundation under public law based in the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg since 2008. The BNITM is a leading German institution focused on research, teaching, training and further education as well as counselling and care in the field of infectious diseases of poverty and global health. With over 400 employees in Hamburg and partner countries such as Gabon and Ghana, the BNITM has made significant contributions to infectious disease research.

The Research Group Implementation Research is led by Dr. Daniela Fusco and has been running field projects in Madagascar (additional studies are conducted in sub-Saharan Africa, mainly in francophone-Africa) for seven years with a focus on operational and implementation research studies aimed at identifying solutions for prevention and management of diseases of poverty, with a main emphasis on NTDs and schistosomiasis. The group has established a national FGS network in Madagascar, strengthening clinical capacity and engaging communities in disease identification, and collaboration with local authorities has helped create a national implementation plan for schistosomiasis guidelines.