In 2021, the World Health Organization made a historic recommendation: to widely use the first ever malaria vaccine, RTS,S. This recommendation was based on evidence generated from a pilot vaccine implementation programme in Ghana, Kenya and Malawi that has reached more than 800 000 children since 2019. This is an excellent example of how evidence based on implementation research tells us whether health interventions, such as vaccines, will be effective in real life, after clinical trials show its efficacy and safety. In this episode, Margaret Gyapong of the University of Health and Allied Sciences in Ghana shares her first-hand experiences and learnings from the malaria vaccine pilot. Lee Hampton of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, also tells us how implementation research has played a key role in the success of health programmes for diseases such as yellow fever, typhoid and more.
Host Garry Aslanyan speaks with the following guests:
Margaret Gyapong: Director, Institute for Health Research at the University of Health and Allied Sciences, Ghana
Lee Hampton: Vaccine preventable disease surveillance and vaccine safety focal point at
Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, Switzerland
Disclaimer: The views, information, or opinions expressed during the Global Health Matters podcast series are solely those of the individuals involved and do not necessarily represent those of TDR or the World Health Organization.
Related episode documents, transcripts and other information can be found on our website.
Subscribe to the Global Health Matters podcast newsletter.
Follow us for updates:
Disclaimer: The views, information, or opinions expressed during the Global Health Matters podcast series are solely those of the individuals involved and do not necessarily represent those of TDR or the World Health Organization.
The CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO creative commons licence allows users to freely copy, reproduce, reprint, distribute, translate and adapt the work for non-commercial purposes, provided TDR is acknowledged as the source and adapted material is issued under the same licensing terms using the following suggested citation: Global Health Matters. Geneva: TDR; 2021. Licence: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO.
All content © 2025 Global Health Matters.