Bridging the Gap: Immune Responses in the African Context - GSS 2.0 (1/4) - Vania Maphossa

ImmunoAfrica's Graduate Student Series offers emerging and aspiring immunologists the opportunity to connect with, learn from, and be inspired by some of the most talented immunology graduate students from Africa. For its second edition, this year, we peek into the fascinating work and busy lives of 4 graduate students (Vania, Onyeka, Deo-Gracias, and Segun), representing 3 African countries: Benin, Mozambique, and Nigeria. Our first guest is Vania Maphossa. Vania Maphossa is a PhD student in Biosciences and Public Health at Eduardo Mondiane University, in Maputo City, Mozambique. Before commencing her PhD, she earned a bachelor's in Biology and Health and a Master's in Public Health at the same institution. Her current research largely focuses on unravelling immune responses to diseases endemic in Mozambique, including paediatric cancers , tuberculosis, and COVID-19. As part of her work, she also leads the Program for Endemic Diseases of Major Public Health Impact (PDEGIS) at the Mozambican National Institute of Health. -- In this episode, Vania talks about her research work and its implications for the development of vaccines and therapeutics. She also shares some of the challenges that come with doing a PhD in Africa, highlighting valuable insights for governments and other scientists. Female Intro/Outro Voice-over: Ruth Ogboye Timestamps: 00:00 - intro, about guest 02:25 - how did you get into the field immunology 04:40 - what questions are you currently addressing in the field 08:54 - updates on PhD projects, including findings, implications, reception, etc. 25:07 - next steps post-PhD 27:52 - PhD experience (time management techniques, useful skills, making and dealing with mistakes, etc.) 34:55 - thoughts on local support for PhD students 39:40 - fun task (if not immunology, then what?, describe your research to a five-year-old) 42:22 - outro