About the Blantyre Malaria Project

“Michigan State University in Malawi: The Blantyre Malaria Project” will document the decades-long effort by MSU Distinguished Professor Terrie Taylor and her team and students to understand better the nature of childhood malaria. Based at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Blantyre, the largest city in Malawi, Dr. Taylor has been instrumental in advancing knowledge about malaria and its effects on infants and young children. Now, with the assistance of a newly-arrived MRI, a donation from the General Electric Corporation that is housed in a building donated by MSU’s College of Osteopathic Medicine, researchers on site can build on their work of the past years that includes the globally-employed Blantyre Coma Scale co-developed by Dr. Taylor.

The story to be told is vitally important. Malaria kills nearly two million people in sub-Sahara Africa annually. In Malawi alone, one-quarter of the children born die from its effects within the first five years of life. It is a story of significance that needs to be documented and shared. It is the story of this university at its world-grant best, not only advancing knowledge but also transforming lives.

“Michigan State University in Malawi” has a commitment from WKAR-TV for in-kind support and a fall 2010 airdate, with anticipation of airing statewide on the PBS system. The College of Osteopathic Medicine at MSU and the School of Journalism at MSU have committed funds for international travel. As additional support, University Outreach has joined, with the particular interest in furthering understanding of how Dr. Taylor and her team can communicate with patients in rural Malawi once they successfully leave the clinic. It is expected that this documentary will be the springboard to approach foundations dedicated to the eradication of malaria in our lifetimes.

Emmy-award winning documentarians Sue Carter and Bob Gould of MSU’s School of Journalism will produce “Michigan State University in Malawi.”