{"id":27829,"date":"2026-10-01T13:58:03","date_gmt":"2026-10-01T13:58:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ul.edu.lr\/new\/?p=27829"},"modified":"2026-10-01T13:58:17","modified_gmt":"2026-10-01T13:58:17","slug":"ul-attracts-kenyan-scientists-into-hpv-research","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ul.edu.lr\/new\/ul-attracts-kenyan-scientists-into-hpv-research\/","title":{"rendered":"UL Attracts Kenyan Scientists Into HPV Research"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Fendall, Liberia \u2014 The University of Liberia recently hosted three Kenyan scientists for two weeks of collaborative work with its researchers on a continental study addressing a health challenge across different countries in Africa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The ongoing human papillomavirus, or HPV, vaccination study brought researchers from Kenya’s African Population and Health Research Center to Liberia to work with scientists in August at the University of Liberia and the National Public Health Institute of Liberia promises a breakthrough shaping policy direction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the center of the collaboration is a serological survey being conducted through the University of Liberia’s mobile laboratory, where researchers have been analyzing blood samples collected from adolescent girls across all 15 counties to determine whether those who reported receiving HPV vaccines developed an immune response.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But beyond the immediate question of HPV vaccination, the project represents something larger for Liberia’s oldest degree-granting university: the opportunity to demonstrate that its laboratories, scientists and research institutions can participate in sophisticated, multinational African research.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

UL President Dr. Layli Maparyan said \u201cIt is exciting that biomedical research collaborators are visiting us from Kenya. It is a sign of the growing vitality of research science at UL.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She added that \u201cUL is poised to increase its research capacity and productivity in 2027 with the formation of UL-REDI, a new unit dedicated to supporting *Research, Entrepreneurship, Development, and Innovation at UL.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The recent collaboration brought together the University of Liberia’s Institute for Population Studies, College of Health Sciences and Science College with the National Public Health Institute of Liberia and researchers from the African Population and Health Research Center, or APHRC, in Nairobi, Kenya.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Prof. Alfred K. Tarway-Twalla, chairman of UL’s Department of Demography and principal investigator of the Liberian component, the partnership is evidence that Liberia does not have to remain solely a consumer of scientific knowledge produced elsewhere. Instead, he sees the university as a place where Liberian and international researchers can work together to generate evidence about problems directly affecting Liberians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The project grew out of a broader African research initiative launched in late 2024, when UL’s Institute of Population Studies joined a consortium of researchers from nine African countries led by APHRC. Liberia, Rwanda and Senegal were subsequently selected for the study, titled “Improving Methods for Measuring the Coverage and Equity of Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) Vaccination in Liberia, Rwanda and Senegal.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The project uses three approaches: school-based surveys, household surveys and serological surveys, aimed at providing a more complete picture of vaccination coverage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While household and school-based survey results have already been analyzed, the serological component is being conducted in Liberia with assistance from researchers from Kenya.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kenyan expertise comes to Liberia<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among the researchers involved is Dr. Patrice Akusa Mawa, a research scientist and laboratory director at APHRC. Mawa brings more than two decades of experience in laboratory management and clinical research to the collaboration. According to APHRC, he holds a master’s degree and doctorate in immunology from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine in the United Kingdom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before joining APHRC, Mawa led immuno-epidemiological studies involving helminths, HIV and tuberculosis at the Uganda Virus Research Institute in Entebbe. His work has included research into infectious diseases, laboratory systems and the use of biological samples to answer important health questions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At APHRC, he leads research involving biobanking leftover samples from health facilities in Kenya and Uganda, with the objective of strengthening infrastructure that can support translational research and precision medicine in Africa. His experience in laboratory science and research infrastructure makes the collaboration with UL particularly significant because the Liberian project depends on precisely the kind of laboratory expertise that Mawa has developed over years of research.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Mawa’s presence in Liberia also illustrates the increasingly continental character of African scientific research.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rather than research expertise moving only from Europe or North America into Africa, African institutions are increasingly sharing scientists, laboratories, data and technical knowledge with one another.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“We appreciate our foreign partners for their support,” Mawa said, while also calling on African governments to invest more of their own resources in research and health programs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He said African countries need resources that would enable them to undertake development projects based on their own priorities. His argument reflects one of the broader lessons emerging from the UL collaboration: international scientific partnerships can bring expertise and resources, but sustainable African research ultimately requires African institutions and governments to build and finance their own capacity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A data specialist with continental experience<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another Kenya-based scientist working on the project is Dr. Eubert Espira, an associate research scientist at APHRC.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Espira’s professional background extends beyond a single country or research discipline. APHRC identifies him as a monitoring, evaluation and data systems specialist with extensive experience strengthening subnational data systems across sub-Saharan Africa. He has worked with or alongside major development institutions, including the World Bank, DfID, UNOPS, UNDP, FCDO and the Southern African Development Community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His career has taken him through several African countries, including Namibia, South Africa, Uganda, Ghana, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Malawi, South Sudan and Ethiopia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Espira holds a master’s degree in public health with a specialization in epidemiology, a master’s degree in pharmacogenomics from Moi University in Kenya, and a doctorate in tropical medicine. His background combines epidemiology, health research, data systems and program evaluation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That combination is particularly relevant to the HPV project because the researchers are not simply trying to produce a vaccination percentage. They are attempting to determine whether reported vaccination histories correspond with biological evidence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Can we validate that they were truly vaccinated or they were truly not vaccinated?” Espira asked. The question goes to the heart of the study.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The household survey involved 2,454 adolescent girls ages 10 to 12 and 2,280 caregivers, while researchers collected blood samples from 1,099 adolescents in the same age group for the serological component.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The household survey reported HPV vaccination coverage of 7.7% among adolescents and 8.1% among caregivers. A separate school-based survey involving 3,086 adolescents in Montserrado, Margibi, Bomi and Grand Cape Mount counties reported coverage of 5.3%.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The laboratory analysis is designed to provide another layer of evidence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another Kenyan scientist, although not present during the interview is Dr. Joel Awita Musando. He specializes in molecular biology, immunology and clinical laboratory science. He currently serves as a research officer\/basic Science Research Associate at Kavi Institute of Clinical Research in Kenya.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

UL laboratory becomes a research platform<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr. Peter Humphrey, head of the University of Liberia mobile laboratory, said the blood samples are being examined for antibodies-biological signatures produced by the immune system following exposure to an infectious agent or vaccination.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The purpose is to determine how many participants show evidence of an immune response to HPV. “We want to know the scale of the problem in Liberia,” Humphrey said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The fact that the work is being conducted through UL’s mobile laboratory is itself an important development. Humphrey pointed out that the laboratory is being used for the first time for a university-led research project of this nature, although it had previously supported other organizations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That transition from providing laboratory support to serving as a platform for university-led research could become an important part of UL’s research ambitions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The university’s facilities also include serological analysis equipment, with one machine at the Science College. The National Public Health Institute of Liberia (NPHIL)  has another one serving the same purpose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tarway-Twalla said UL’s equipment could potentially support scientific cooperation beyond Liberia, noting that the university is considering temporarily lending its machine to Rwanda.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Such possibilities suggest that international collaboration could evolve beyond individual research projects into a broader network of African universities and research institutions sharing equipment, expertise and scientific capacity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Collaboration beyond borders<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Kenyan researchers’ involvement is part of a larger network built around APHRC, an African research institution based in Nairobi.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The HPV project itself is supported by major international partners and involves institutions including the University of Liberia, University of Rwanda, Johns Hopkins University, University of California, San Francisco, ICF Macro and APHRC. APHRC lists the project as running from November 2024 through September 2026, with funding from the Gates Foundation and Gavi.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For UL, however, the importance of the collaboration extends beyond external funding. It gives Liberian researchers an opportunity to work directly with scientists who have experience conducting complex research across multiple African settings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It also allows international researchers to use Liberia as a research environment while working with local scientists who understand the country’s communities, institutions and public health challenges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Foreign researchers bring technical expertise, methodologies and experience. Liberian researchers contribute local knowledge, institutional relationships, field experience and an understanding of the social and cultural factors affecting vaccination.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Dr. Humphrey, the result is a research partnership rather than simply an external study being conducted in Liberia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

APHRC’s work with UL on HPV has already generated a continuing body of engagement around vaccination in Liberia. In a 2025 publication, Espira and colleagues called for greater dialogue around HPV vaccination and emphasized the role of trusted community voices, including male caregivers and religious leaders, in addressing misinformation and improving vaccine acceptance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Research as UL’s new international currency<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The collaboration comes as UL seeks to strengthen its role as a research institution capable of addressing national development challenges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Tarway-Twalla, however, attracting researchers and sustaining research partnerships will require greater domestic investment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“One of the reasons projects are sustained is because of government’s contribution,” he said, calling for special funding for research and adequate operational support for the university.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He warned that heavy dependence on external donors can threaten the continuity of important research programs when international priorities or funding arrangements change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mawa similarly argued that African governments must invest more of their own resources in research and health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The issue has become particularly important following reductions and withdrawals in U.S. foreign assistance that researchers say have affected health and development programs across Africa. But the UL-APHRC partnership demonstrates that international collaboration does not necessarily have to mean permanent dependence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instead, the partnership can serve as a bridge through which Liberian scientists gain exposure to new methodologies, international research networks and technical expertise while UL builds the capacity to lead future studies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From HPV to a wider research agenda<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The HPV project also shows how one research question can create opportunities for broader scientific cooperation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The immediate concern is cervical cancer prevention. HPV vaccination can reduce the risk of infection with virus types associated with cervical cancer, while screening and early treatment remain important components of prevention. Liberia’s reported vaccination coverage, however, remains far below the levels researchers say are needed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tarway-Twalla cited Rwanda’s reported vaccination coverage of about 84% and Senegal’s coverage in the 40% range, contrasting those figures with Liberia’s much lower reported rate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The research is therefore expected to help policymakers understand not only how many girls have been vaccinated but also whether vaccination programs are reaching underserved populations. The findings could eventually inform decisions about vaccination strategies, screening, public education and the allocation of health resources.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But the deeper institutional lesson may be about UL itself. A university that can host laboratories, recruit and train researchers, participate in multinational studies and attract scientists from other African countries has the potential to become more than a teaching institution. It can become a research hub, the researchers views suggest of the University of Liberia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The presence of Mawa and Espira in Liberia demonstrates the possibilities of that model.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mawa brings specialized laboratory and immunology experience developed through more than 20 years of clinical and research work. Espira brings expertise in epidemiology, monitoring, evaluation and data systems developed across multiple African countries. Together with Liberian researchers, their work is helping create a scientific bridge between Nairobi and Monrovia as well as between Monrovia and many other parts of the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As laboratory workers continue analyzing blood samples, the project is consequently testing more than whether Liberian adolescents developed antibodies after HPV vaccination. It is also testing the capacity of Liberian institutions to become active participants in African science.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tarway-Twalla thanked Dr. Maparyan for the leadership and support she continues to provide to research initiatives at the university, while calling for stronger government support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The ultimate measure of the partnership, however, may extend beyond the current HPV project. If UL can use this experience to establish more partnerships, attract more African and international scientists, strengthen its laboratories and produce research that informs government policy, the university could gradually change its place in Liberia’s development story. The Kenyan scientists are therefore not simply helping Liberia measure HPV vaccination. They are part of a larger experiment, one in which the University of Liberia is seeking to demonstrate that Liberia can attract scientific expertise, contribute to multinational research and build partnerships that position its own researchers at the center of Africa’s search for solutions to African problems.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Fendall, Liberia \u2014 The University of Liberia recently hosted three Kenyan scientists for two weeks of collaborative work with its researchers on a continental study addressing a health challenge across different countries in Africa. The ongoing human papillomavirus, or HPV, vaccination study brought researchers from Kenya’s African Population and Health Research Center to Liberia to…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":27830,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_angie_page":false,"_editorskit_title_hidden":false,"_editorskit_reading_time":0,"_editorskit_is_block_options_detached":false,"_editorskit_block_options_position":"{}","_thinkrank_schema_form_data":"","_thinkrank_selected_schema_type":"","_thinkrank_additional_schemas":"","_thinkrank_canonical_url":"","_thinkrank_og_title":"","_thinkrank_og_description":"","_thinkrank_og_image":"","_thinkrank_twitter_title":"","_thinkrank_twitter_description":"","_thinkrank_twitter_image":"","_thinkrank_imported_from":"","_thinkrank_focus_keywords":[],"_thinkrank_focus_keyword":"","_thinkrank_robots_meta_enabled":0,"_thinkrank_robots_meta":"[]","_thinkrank_advanced_robots_meta":"[]","_thinkrank_primary_category":0,"page_builder":"","iawp_total_views":2,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-27829","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t