The Trieste-Malawi Connection

For ICTP Earth System Physics researcher Adrian Tompkins, completing the first marathon of his life--last weekend's Trieste 'Bavisela' race--was more than a personal victory.

Tompkins, who researches climate impacts in Africa, used his athletic achievement to raise money for a health clinic in Malawi. By crossing the finish line last Sunday, Tompkins was able to collect more than 1000 Euros in donation pledges from friends and colleagues for the clinic.

Tompkins is no stranger to Malawi. Through his work at ICTP, he has travelled throughout the country to collect weather and health data for the international project QWeCI (Quantifying Weather and Climate Impacts on Health in Developing Countries), whose ultimate aim is to predict the risk of malaria outbreaks.

In addition, ICTP's Aeronomy and Radiopropagation Laboratory is implementing a WiFi network to connect an array of rural health clinics in Malawi with a high-speed internet link to both monitor incidence of disease near real-time and disseminate health forecast information for planning.

"Travelling in these rural areas, you really see how crucial such remote clinic facilities are to the local population," stated Tompkins, adding, "In the UK where I come from, it is common to raise money for a charity when attempting a new challenge, such as a marathon; it also increases the motivation to finish! I read about a small charity clinic in Malawi that was featured in my Lonely Planet guide book, and it seemed the perfect choice."

His chosen charity--the Billy Riordan Memorial Clinic--opened in 2004 to provide primary medical care to some 15,000 rural dwellers. To date, the clinic, which is the only medical service in the area, has cared for more than 130,000 patients, providing treatment for such illnesses as malaria, chest infections, fungal infections, arthritis and HIV/AIDS.  Although the Clinic was not originally part of the QWeCI study, it will also be sharing health data to support the research.

So having finished his first marathon, will Tompkins be running again next year? "Maybe," says Tompkins, "but my athletic challenge this week has been trying to walk down staircases!"

Related links:

• Further details of the Billy Riordan memorial trust can be found here.
• You can make donations to the charity here.