Bridging the gap between research and policy remains a persistent challenge. Many researchers, especially PhD students, early-career scientists, and regional project teams, still face practical difficulties in translating their findings into meaningful impact.
This limited podcast series contains interviews with researchers at different stages of their careers who talk about their experiences of taking research further and provide practical insights through real-world case studies that highlight lessons learned, challenges faced, and strategies used to influence policy and practice.
The intention is that this series will provide a platform for scientists at different career stages, from PhD students to senior investigators, both from Africa and abroad, to share their personal experiences of turning research into action.
Dr Leonard Numfor from CANTAM and The Global Health Network speaks with Dr Francis Zeukeng
Dr. Francis Zeukeng is a molecular epidemiologist with a background in Biochemistry. He holds MSc and Ph.D. degrees from the Biotechnology Centre of the University of Yaoundé 1 (BTC/UY1) in Cameroon. He is a Lecturer of Biochemistry at the University of Buea in Cameroon and an Affiliated Researcher at the Biotechnology Centre of the University of Yaoundé 1, where he has conducted molecular biology research on infectious diseases since 2012, focusing on local endemic diseases such as malaria, helminth infections and skin-NTDs. His research emphasizes utilizing genomics and bioinformatics tools to study emerging and neglected tropical diseases. Dr. Zeukeng has enriched his expertise through international collaborations, including a two-year EDCTP-funded postdoctoral fellowship at Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research in Ghana and a three-year Gates Foundation-funded career development program in pathogen genomic surveillance between BTC/UY1 and the Wellcome Sanger Institute in the UK.