About Protect the Cure

Our Mission  |  Core Values  |  Project Leadership  |  Production Team  |  Advisory Board  |  Institutional Partners

Artemisinin-based combination therapies have saved millions of African lives over two decades, but partial resistance is now spreading across sub-Saharan Africa, threatening to reverse this progress.

This initiative from Temple University’s Boni Lab and Normal Life Pictures produces four educational videos addressing different stakeholders: scientific experts explain the resistance threat and historical context; patients and healthcare workers share compelling testimony from Rwanda; public health leaders present actionable mitigation strategies including multiple first-line therapies; and an instructional video prepares clinic managers for evolving treatment protocols.

Together, these films equip researchers, policymakers, practitioners, and communities with knowledge to protect current treatments and prevent widespread drug resistance.

Protect the Cure is presented by Temple University in Philadelphia, in partnership with Impact Santé Afrique and Normal Life Pictures.

Our Mission

#ProtectTheCure is a global advocacy initiative taking you inside the fight against partial resistance to artemisinin, the key ingredient in Africa’s most effective malaria treatments. Through documentary films, educational resources, social media engagement, and community partnerships, we bring together the voices of scientists, health workers, families, and policymakers to explain what resistance means, why it matters, and what can be done now to stop it.

Our Core Values

Act Early, Don't Wait

We should respond to resistance signals before treatment failure becomes widespread. The time to act is now — not after the crisis has arrived.

Evidence-Based Action

Response to artemisinin resistance should be grounded in rigorous science and data. We trust the research, listen to the experts, and let evidence guide our response.

African Leadership

Solutions must be driven by African scientists, health systems, and communities. We amplify African voices and support locally-led responses to resistance.

Collaboration Over Competition

No single organization can solve drug resistance alone. We bring together researchers, policymakers, health workers, funders, and communities in shared purpose.

Accessibility & Transparency

Knowledge should be freely available. We share our films, research, and resources openly — in multiple languages — to ensure everyone can participate in protecting the cure.

Community-Centered Communication

Health workers and communities are our partners, not just our audience. We create content that empowers frontline responders and engages patients as active participants in treatment success.

Project Leadership

Dr. Maciej F Boni

Principal Investigator & Epidemiologist

Institute for Genomics and Evolutionary Medicine
Department of Biology, Temple University
Philadelphia, PA

mboni@temple.edu
mol.ax

Dr. Boni leads the scientific research and strategy for Protect the Cure, bringing expertise in infectious disease evolution, drug resistance modeling, and malaria epidemiology across Southeast Asia and Africa.

Olivia Nguo

Executive Director & Advocacy Lead

Impact Santé Afrique
Yaoundé, Cameroon

olivia.ngou@impactsante.org

Olivia leads the Africa-focused dissemination and advocacy campaign, coordinating engagement with National Malaria Control Programs, health ministries, parliamentarians, civil society organizations, and regional health networks across sub-Saharan Africa. She directs strategic partnerships and ensures the initiative maintains authentic African leadership and ownership.

Ségolène Moussala

Communications Manager, Impact Santé Afrique

Impact Santé Afrique
Yaoundé, Cameroon

segolene.moussala@impactsante.org

Ségolène manages operational coordination of the dissemination campaign, including event logistics, stakeholder communications, materials production, and partnership facilitation across target countries in sub-Saharan Africa.

Hugo Berkeley

Executive Producer / Series Co-Director

Normal Life Pictures, Ltd
London, United Kingdom

hugo@normallifepictures.com

Hugo oversees film production, campaign strategy, and partnership coordination for Protect the Cure, leading the creative vision and advocacy initiatives that translate complex science into accessible educational content.

Jeremy Riggall

Producer / Series Co-Director

Sketch Films, Ltd
London, United Kingdom

jeremy@sketchfilms.co.uk

Jeremy co-produces the documentary series, managing field production, interviews with health workers and scientists, and editorial development of the film content.

Production & Content Team

Kay Chism
Project Administrator
Temple University
Philadelphia, PA

Matt Fern
Website
Fern Creative Media LLC
State College, PA
mattfern.com

Frank Papushka
Cameraman
Nyumbani Content
Dar-Es-Salam, Tanzania
nyumbanicontent.co.tz/

Midiaou Diallo
Art Direction – Animation
Nyumbani Content
Dar-Es-Salam, Tanzania
midiaoudiallo.com

Pierangelo Pirak
Animation
Pomona Pictures
Messina, Sicily
pomonapictures.com

Daniel Wechsler
Editing
London, United Kingdom
daniel-wechsler.com

Michael J. McEvoy
Original Score
Ramsgate, United Kingdom
michaeljmcevoy.com

Music composed in collaboration with:

Falle Nioke
United Kingdom
Spotify Link

Girum Mezur
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Spotify Link

Nii Godfred Abbey
Accra, Ghana
Recorded at: Vibrate Space

Scientific Advisory Board/Participants

The Protect the Cure initiative is informed by leading researchers and practitioners in malaria treatment and drug resistance:

  • Prof. Gilbert Kokwaro – Director, Institute of Healthcare Management, Strathmore University, Kenya
  • Prof. Bernhards Ogutu – KEMRI, Nairobi, Kenya
  • Dr. Nick White – Mahidol Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit, Thailand/UK
  • Dr. James Tibenderana – CEO, Malaria Consortium, London
  • Dr. Dorothy Achu – WHO AFRO Region, Brazzaville
  • Dr. Aline Uwimana – Former Director of Case Management, Rwanda National Malaria Control Program
  • Dr. Aimable Mbituyumuremyi – Director, Rwanda National Malaria Control Program
  • Dr. Deus Ishengoma – Principal Research Scientist, Tanzania National Institute for Medical Research
  • Prof. Karen Barnes – Professor of Pharmacology, University of Cape Town, South Africa

Institutional Partners

Temple University
The Boni Lab at Temple University’s Institute for Genomics and Evolutionary Medicine provides the scientific foundation and research expertise driving the Protect the Cure initiative.

Impact Santé Afrique
Pan-African health advocacy organization based in Cameroon, leading community engagement, policy dialogue, and dissemination activities across sub-Saharan Africa.

Normal Life Pictures, Ltd
Award-winning documentary production company based in London, bringing storytelling expertise to translate complex scientific concepts into compelling visual narratives. In collaboration with Sketch Films.

Funding

Protect the Cure is supported by the Gates Foundation through Temple University.