Dr. Ibrahim M. Elhassan
	Head, Department of Parasitology and Medical Entomology, Institute of Endemic Diseases, University of Khartoum, Sudan

Contact information:
Department of Parasitology & Medical Entomology
Institute of Endemic Diseases,
University of Khartoum,
PO Box 1739,
Khartoum, Sudan
Tel (Office): +249 83 7932 64
Mobile: +249 12131303
Email: ibrahimelhassan@iend.org  

Research profile
Dr Elhassan's area of research is epidemiology and immunology of malaria. He has received research grants from the Wellcome Trust and the World Health Organization (W.H.O) and other national and international funding agencies for research on epidemiology and immunity to malaria in unstable malaria transmission areas in Africa. Currently a number of Ph. D and MSc students are working under his supervision.

He has over 40 publications in reputable refereed Journals. Dr. Elhassan is working in collaboration with Sudanese researchers and others from African and northern institutes.

Background
Dr Elhassan was born in 1959 and obtained his Bachelor of Science in 1983. He obtained his MSc degree from Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine in 1986. He then went for a PhD in Immunology at Copenhagen University (1997). He also obtained the Diploma of Tropical Medicine & Hygiene in 1985. Dr Elhassan has attended several international workshops and short courses on immunological, molecular biological techniques, biostatistics, and health research ethics.

Dr Elhassan is Associate Professor and Head of the Department of Parasitology at the institute of Endemic Diseases, University of Khartoum, Khartoum, Sudan. He is also the
head of malaria research group at the Institute of Endemic Diseases (IEND), a member of the research council and executive board, Institute of Endemic Diseases and of the executive board of the Faculty of Laboratory Technology at the University of Khartoum. Dr Elhassan also serves as member of the Scientific Committee for the African Malaria Network Trust (AMANET), member of the Data and Safety Monitoring Committee for the AMANET-sponsored phase Ib trial of the candidate malaria vaccine trial GMZ2 in Gabon. He is also member of Cluster 4 (immunology) in the BiomalPar project.

He focuses his research in malaria epidemiology and immunity to malaria. He has received research grants from the Wellcome Trust and the WHO-MIM/TDR for research on malaria and epidemiology of leishmaniasis in Sudan. Dr Elhassan has supervised 2 PhDs and 9 Masters of Science students and is currently supervising/co-supervising 5 PhDs and 8 master students.

Dr Ehassan has held position as the senior Parasitologist at the Malaria Administration, Federal Ministry of Health of Khartoum, Sudan, where he participated in co-ordinating and teaching in malaria training courses held at the Malaria Training Centre in Seminar, and Khartoum Malaria Control Headquarters in 1989-90. He also participated in the establishment of the Parasitology Department at the Federal Ministry of Health and supervised the establishment of several malaria diagnostic laboratories in different parts of Sudan.

He is a former member of the WHO task force for planning malaria control program in Sudan. He also participated in the preparation of plan of action for malaria control in 3 regions in Sudan which were supported by the World Bank, African Development Bank and the Japanese Development Agency.

Dr Elhassan has over 40 publications in reputable refereed Journals

Grant Awarded

• Epidemiological study of malaria in areas of seasonal malaria transmission in Ethiopia and Sudan (WHO/TDR MIM)
• Bio MalPar  Project (Co-Investigator) (EU) .
• Ministry of Higher Education Research Fund 2004-2005.
• Natural History of PKDL and it is role in transmission TDR/WHO.
• The role of antigenic variation in maintenance of asymptomatic malaria infections throughout the Sudanese dry season (TDR/WHO) (Principal Investigator) .
• The role of strain specific immunity in the development of strain specific immunity (Tropical Medicine Award, The Wellcome Trust Fellowship)



Selected Publications

• Khalil, E.A.G., Ayed, N.B., Musa, A.M., Muntaser, M.E., Mukhtar, M.M., Zijlstra, E.E., Elhassan, I.M., Smith, P.G., Kieny, M.P., Ghalib, H.W., Zicker, F., Modabber, F. & Elhassan, A.M. (2005). Dichotomy of protective cellular immune responses to human visceral leishmaniasis. Clinical & Experimental Immunology, 140: 349-353.
• Ismail A; Khalil EAG; Musa AM; Elhassan IM; Ibrahim ME; Theander TG. & El-Hassan AM. (2006). The Pathogenesis of post kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis from the field to the molecule: Does ultraviolet light (UVB) radiation play a role? Medical Hypothesis; 66:993-999.
• M Balkw, I. M Elhassan, M Ibrahim, Y Gebere-Michael and H Engers (2007) Very high DDT resistance of anopheles pahroensis theobald (Dipter: Culicidae) from Gorgora, Northern Ethiopia, Parasite 13, 327
• Sara A Abdelaal,  Abed ELHamid D. Nugud , Omer Mahgoub., Ahmed M Elhassan , and Ibrahim M Elhassan (2007) The role of water coolers in the breeding of Anopheles mosquitoes in Khartoum, Sudan. Sudanese J. Of Public Health vol. 1 (4) 307-308.
• Mushal M. Allam, Tayseer A. M. Y. Alkadarou, Bashir G. Ahmed , Ikhlas S. Elkhairb, Elhassan H. Alansary , Muntasir E. Ibrahim , Ibrahim M. Elhassan (2007) Hyper-reactive Malarial Splenomegaly (HMS) in Malaria Endemic Area in Eastern Sudan Acta Tropia (accepted).