Research approach
Stakeholder engagement & capacity strengthening
Generating better data is necessary but not sufficient. DeZi commits to translating findings into action through sustained engagement with the WHO Global Arbovirus Initiative, Ministries of Health across the partner network, and the diagnostic and vaccine industry — and through training programmes that leave technical capacity in country, not at headquarters.
In-country leadership is the centre of gravity. National focal points co-design surveys, agree on data-sharing arrangements, lead local communication, and own the resulting data. Successful community engagement models from the Americas (such as Camino Verde in Nicaragua) and Asia (such as ADVA's Dengue Slayers Challenge in Singapore) inform how DeZi engages communities in African partner countries where similar programmes are still being established.
Prof. Jaqueline Goes de Jesus teaching during the Genomic Epidemiology Workshop in Campinas, Brazil (2026).
What we're doing:
Disseminate findings and validated DeZi toolkits to national health ministries and the WHO
Strengthen national and regional laboratory networks for in-country DENV/ZIKV diagnostics and sequencing
Promote South-South collaborative agreements for data and resource sharing across Africa, Asia and the Americas
Engage with non-commercial and commercial partners to scale up diagnostic tools