Doctor of Philosophy in Epidemiology, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute and University of Basel, Switzerland
Master of Science in Epidemiology, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute and University of Basel, Switzerland
Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences, University of Applied Sciences Hamburg, Germany
Manuela Runge is an infectious disease epidemiologist and mathematical modeller specialized in malaria with over 8 years of experience in public health research, data analysis, intervention impact modelling, risk stratification, and national malaria strategic planning processes.
Manuela advises and supports clients on selecting and performing appropriate methodologies for impact assessment and implementation strategies of health interventions for infectious diseases, particularly in low- and middle-income countries.
Before MMGH, Manuela worked as a postdoctoral researcher at Northwestern University, where she led projects on impact assessment of perennial malaria chemoprevention, characterization of two independent malaria models, COVID-19 burden modelling for biweekly forecast projection to the Illinois Department of Public Health, and significantly contributed to other malaria modelling analysis and training activities in the team.
At the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute and in close collaboration with the National Malaria Control Program in Tanzania, Manuela led the data entry, cleaning, and analysis of a nationwide cross-sectional school malaria survey with a total of 49,000 pupils from over 500 schools. In continued collaboration, Manuela increased the programs’ interest, understanding and use of applied mathematical modelling, by interactive and iterative intervention impact modelling that was included in the Supplementary Midterm Malaria Strategic Plan 2018–2020.
Prior to her research in malaria, she worked parttime as a Medical Data Manager at the Medical University Hospital in Hamburg, Germany, supporting statisticians in the analysis of clinical studies.
In addition to her work with MMGH, Manuela is a Member of the Board and Chair of the Best Practices Committee of the Applied Malaria Modelling Network (AMMnet), a global community of malaria modelers, data analysts, and partners who develop, apply, and use quantitative tools to inform decision-making and operations in malaria-endemic countries.
Outside of work, Manuela is a passionate table tennis player, enjoys running, hiking, and diving, and is an active member of a local Toastmaster’s International club.
Malaria epidemiology and policy, Disease transmission and intervention impact modelling, Public health research, Data analysis and quantitative methods, Analytical frameworks, High performance computing, Global Public Health