Research Assistant at Malaria Consortium
Established in 2003, Malaria Consortium is one of the world’s leading non-profit organisations specialising in the prevention, control and treatment of malaria and other communicable diseases among vulnerable populations.
- Our mission is to save lives and improve health in Africa and Asia, through evidence-based programmes that combat targeted diseases and promote universal health coverage.
- Malaria affects most Nigerians and remains a public health problem despite progress in the last two decades.
- Between 2008 and 2018, even though the overall under-five mortality rate (U5MR) reduced by 15.9 percent, from 157 to 132 per 1000 live births, the reduction in infant mortality rate (IMR) during the same period was less marked: 10.7 percent (from 75 to 67 per 1000 live births), with no noticeable change in the neonatal mortality rate over the same period (NDHS 2019).
Background
Malaria remains one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality among children in Nigeria, accounting for a significant proportion of global malaria cases and deaths.
- While national statistics provide aggregated estimates, there is limited disaggregated data describing how severe malaria burden, clinical manifestations, and outcomes vary across age groups.
- Recognizing this evidence gap, the DISBURMA Study (Disaggregating the Burden of Severe Malaria in Paediatric Populations in Nigeria) aims to provide comprehensive, age-specific insights into severe malaria morbidity and mortality patterns among children and adolescents up to 20 years of age.
- The findings will guide health system planning, case management protocols, and malaria control strategies.
- The study’s overarching aim is to quantify the burden, clinical characteristics, and outcomes of severe malaria among paediatric and adolescent populations (0–20 years).
Purpose of the assignment
This is a multi-centre retrospective cohort study using routine hospital records of paediatric and adolescent admissions with severe malaria from January 1, 2021, to December 31, 2025.
- Study sites will include the 18 health facilities selected to represent Nigeria’s epidemiological zones, urban/rural mix, and population density.
The specific objectives include to:
Estimate age-specific incidence, clinical presentations, and case-fatality rates of severe malaria among children and adolescents aged 0–20 years across multiple facilities in Nigeria (2021–2025).
- Examine temporal trends in severe malaria admissions and deaths by age, sex, SMC and non-SMC zones.
- Identify key comorbidities and complications associated with severe malaria.
- Assess facility-level differences in severe malaria burden and management practices
Scope of work
The DISBURMA Study will adopt a retrospective, multi-centre hospital-based cohort design, using data from 18 selected health facilities across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones.
- These facilities represent diverse malaria epidemiological profiles, urban-rural contexts, and population densities.
- The retrospective analysis will cover hospital admission records from January 2021 to December 2025, focusing on children and adolescents diagnosed with severe malaria.
- All admissions of patients aged 0–20 years with clinically or laboratory-confirmed severe malaria will be eligible for inclusion.
- Data abstraction will use a standardized electronic data capture (EDC) system (SurveyCTO), guided by a detailed extraction form and variable dictionary.
- Key variables will include demographic information, clinical presentation, laboratory findings, treatment details, comorbidities, and patient outcomes.
- A minimum of 100 severe malaria cases among 0-20 years over 5 years (2021-2025) will be extracted from hospital records.
Qualifications, experience & skills
Essential:
Currently working in the pediatric or medical ward of the project hospital as a staff or volunteer
- Registered nurse/midwife, hold diploma or degree in health-related sciences, or equivalent subject-matter experience
- Significant experience in inpatient care
- Experience in the use of electronic platform to capture and report data
- Familiarity with secondary, tertiary and private hospitals
- Excellent communication skills.
Desirable:
- Experience of collaborating with government institutions and non-governmental organisations or academic institutions
- Have understanding of diverse audiences and culture
- Have obtained training in health research ethics.
Deliverables
- List of identified severe malaria cases in the assigned health facility
- Data extracted from all primary data sources
- Data submitted from all records.
Expert Profile
- The research assistants will have a minimum of diploma in a health-related course with experience in health services provision.
Locations:
- Abuja (FCT), Anambra, Delta, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Lagos, Niger, Rivers, Taraba and Yobe
Deadline:
- 24th September, 2026; before 5:00PM.
How to Apply
Interested applicant can apply via this link
