Four international journalists at ITM during ECTMIH2017

2017 marks the fourth edition of the Journalist-in-Residence programme of the Institute of Tropical Medicine Antwerp (ITM), Belgium. The programme offers journalists from Africa, Asia and Latin America the opportunity to deepen their understanding of topical issues in tropical medicine and global health. Four candidates have been invited to Antwerp for a stay that coincides with the 10th edition of the European Congress on Tropical Medicine and International Health (ECTMIH2017), which is hosted by ITM in Antwerp.

Over 130 journalists applied for the 2017 programme with proposals on a range of topics. The jury was pleased with such overwhelming interest, and was faced with the difficult task to select only a few applications.

Serusha Govender of South Africa will focus her residency on media ethics and infectious disease outbreaks. Best known for her work as a South African television correspondent, producer, and field anchor, Serusha has covered stories in more than 20 countries over five continents.

Cameroon national Mohamadou Houmfa, producer of Voice of America’s radioprogramme 'Votre santé, votre avenir' for francophone Africa, will do a series of interviews with researchers, policy makers and NGO representatives during his stay.

Dawood Tareen Shah of Pakistan will use the opportunity to produce a documentary on the quality of medicines, while Zimbabwean environmental journalist Andrew Mambondiyani will look at the link between climate change and health.

The selected journalists will interact with world experts on a wide range of topics in biomedical sciences, clinical sciences and public health. The Journalist-in-Residence initiative is part of ITM’s capacity building programme in developing countries, financed by the Belgian Directorate-General for Development (DGD). 

Links

• Read more about the work of the Journalists-in-Residence in 2014, 2015 and 2016
• The European Congress on Tropical Medicine and International Health (ECTMIH2017)