Laboratory Technologist job in Zambia
PATH is an international organization that drives transformative innovation to save lives and improve health, especially among women and children. We accelerate innovation across five platforms—vaccines, drugs, diagnostics, devices, and system and service innovations—that harness our entrepreneurial insight, scientific and public health expertise, and passion for health equity. By mobilizing partners around the world, we take innovation to scale, working alongside countries primarily in Africa and Asia to tackle their greatest health needs. Together, we deliver measurable results that disrupt the cycle of poor health.
“The PATH Malaria Control and Elimination Partnership in Africa (MACEPA) II is supporting Zambia’s National Malaria Strategic Plan 2011‐2016 plans for creating malaria-free areas by developing and testing antimalarial treatment-based intervention strategies for reducing malaria infections. During 2014, two research protocols, one entitled Assessing the Effectiveness of Household-level focal mass drug administration (FMDA) and community-wide mass drug administration (MDA) with dihydroartemisinin piperaquine (DHAp) for reducing parasite infection prevalence and incidence in Southern Province Zambia and another testing reactive focal mass drug administration are planned to test the use of mass drug administration (MDA) using the anti-malarial drug dihydroarteminisinin piperaquine, DHAp, in both community wide and focal MDA strategies in high, moderate, and low malaria transmission areas in Southern Province, Zambia. The Ministry of Health is further developing plans to support wider roll out of mass drug administration strategies through the National Malaria Control Centre (NMCC). All these efforts form the basis for evidenced based approach to malaria elimination in a rapid time-scale. In support of these protocols and implementation plans.
Laboratory Technologist
We seek to engage a Laboratory Technologist to assist with slide readings for samples collected for the MDA activities,read approximately 3000 malaria microscopy slides from MDA activities collected during April, May or June to provide an indication of positive/negative results for malaria parasites (asexual) and also look for gametocytes.
Specific duties and responsibilities:
- Read approximately 3000 malaria microscopy slides from MDA activities collected during April, May or June to provide an indication of positive/negative results for malaria parasites (asexual) and also look for gametocytes
- The candidate will work with the National Malaria Control Center staff who have prepared the slides for reading to understand the process and procedures for expediting slide reading
- The candidate will also be responsible for working with additional slide readers to resolve discordant results to ensure timely agreed results
- The candidate will be responsible for recording the results of the slides in accordance with the survey data identification and labelling. This will be necessary to match slide results with survey data sets. This recording of results will be done in a journal as well as in an electronic file
- The candidate will also be required to organize and store lab samples in an orderly and meaningful way in cold storage and in consultation with supervisors. The candidate will also be asked to retrieve stored samples for processing
- The candidate will submit the results in both journal and the electronic file format by the end of the assignment
- Assist with sample collections for the cohort for the length of the cohort activities
- Organize and store lab samples from filter papers and RDT cassettes in an orderly and meaningful way in cold storage and in consultation with supervisors. The candidate will also be asked to retrieve stored samples for processing
- Make follow up calls with cohort team members to ensure quality and timely samples are collected, participate in the collection of samples from field sites
- Support the analysis of entomological samples for ELISA and PCR. This may involve participation in training for lab procedures
- Assist with MDA and laboratory logistics and other duties as assigned
- Ensure that the work environment is maintained in good and clean state according good laboratory practice
Required skills
- Demonstrable skills in training and mentoring microspcopists
- Strong analytical skills, knowledge of statistical process control
- Excellent communication skills with the ability to read, write and communicate fluently in English
Required experience
University degree preferred in a relevant subject (lab science, biology, parasitology, physiology, or other similar), experience with malaria microscopy slide preparation, including staining and slide reading, experience with performing or interpreting malaria rapid diagnostic test, general laboratory experience preferred, experience with molecular techniques such as ELISA and PCR.