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Malaria Foundation International (MFI) Legacy Travel Award

Malaria Foundation International (MFI) Legacy Travel Award
From 2023 – 2031, two U.S. citizens conducting malaria research at a U.S. institution will be selected to receive a Malaria Foundation International (MFI) Legacy Travel Award to support attending to attend the Annual Meeting. The MFI Legacy Travel Award is offered to qualified students, early career investigators and scientists actively working in the tropical medicine field to attend the Society’s Annual Meeting and present their work.

Congratulations 2023 Annual Meeting Travel Award Recipients

Sallie Fell
Tulane University
United States

Samantha Tulenko
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
United States

About Malaria Foundation International (MFI) and the MFI Legacy Travel Award
The Malaria Foundation International was founded in 1992 by Dr. Mary R. Galinski, an established scientist then conducting research on malaria at New York University School of Medicine, and since at Emory University. In the early 1990s, malaria incidence and severity were on the rise worldwide, with up to 500 million cases annually. There was no availability or immediate application of effective solutions. Resistance to available drugs was spreading rapidly, making them unreliable in many parts of the world. A malaria vaccine was years away from being produced, tested, and deployed. Social programs to curb the spread of malaria through education and community control activities were limited, and in many places were non-existent. At the same time, funding for malaria research and control was extremely limited and decreasing. No one organization was dedicated solely to addressing problems caused by malaria. With the commitment of numerous malaria researchers and other concerned professionals, plans were carried forward to create a private international entity dedicated to the effective prevention, treatment, and control of malaria.

The Malaria Foundation International, Inc. became registered in the United States as a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) non-profit organization in 1993. Steps were taken to develop interactive MFI activities around the world. The MFI organizational structure included a 50-member Scientific Advisory Board and a 12-member International Board to advise on project development and implementation. With the launch of malaria.org in 1995, the MFI became an early focal point and leader in promoting and collaborating in the development of local, national, and international malaria-focused organizations and initiatives. Its Board of Trustees have included Dr. Galinski, Dr. Kathryn Nason-Burchenal and Mrs. Luna Lioue, who agreed to sunset the organization in 2023.

The MFI was founded with the tenet that much more must be learned about malaria before long-lasting preventative and curative methods can be assured. The ultimate solutions will come through further research and its effective application. This will require strong political will and steadfast dedication, along with enhanced global communications and networking, long-term financial commitments, sustainable training programs, and capacity building. The MFI relied on volunteer efforts and welcomed the views and assistance of professionals in many areas, including public relations, the arts, business, graphic design, communications, politics, development, fundraising, law, social work, medicine, and science. Today, many anti-malaria organizations, projects and initiatives have sprung up worldwide. Using the internet, they continue to share information and bring people together to seek solutions to malaria.

Learn more about the MFI history and collaboration:

ASTMH thanks the Malaria Foundation International for sharing its history and photographs.

Former MFI Board Members Dr. Mary Galinski, Dr. Kathryn Nason Burchenal, and Mrs. Luna Lioue, who created the MFI Legacy Travel Award.

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