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Dr Amal Gadalla

Dr Amal Gadalla

Lecturer in Biomedical Sciences

Email
gadallaa1@cardiff.ac.uk
Telephone
+44(0)2920688102
Campuses
5th floor, Cochrane Building, Heath Park, Cardiff, CF14 4YU
Users
Available for postgraduate supervision

Overview

I am a Lecturer in Biomedical Sciences; I teach a wide range of biomedical sciences to medical and science students. I am passionate about supporting students to learn biomedical sciences in a way that is integrated into medical practice and cutting-edge research.

I endeavor to use my advanced skills in programming and online learning to create attractive materials to medical/biomedical students.

My area of interest is infectious diseases genomics, but my multidisciplinary education and work experience allow me to teach microbiology, immunology, epidemiology, research methods, statistical analysis, statistical modeling, and machine learning. I am also very enthusiastic to support and supervise undergraduate and postgraduate students.

Biography

Educations

  • 2015 – PhD Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Sultan Qaboos University, Muscat, Oman. Thesis title: "Influence of season, drug resistance, genetic complexity and anti-malarials on persistence and transmission of the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum"
  • 2008 – MSc Biomedical Sciences (Immunology), Sudan Academy for Sciences, Khartoum, Sudan. Thesis title: "IgG profile against MSP3 antigen in asymptomatic carriers of Plasmodium falciparum in Eastern Sudan"
  • 2004 – BSc (1st Class Honours) Medical Laboratory Sciences (major Microbiology), Faculty of Medical Laboratory Sciences, University of Gezira, Sudan.

Career overview

  • 2022 – current: Lecturer in Biomedical Sciences, Centre for Medical Education, School of Medicine, Cardiff University.
  • 2017 – 2021: Research Associate, Division of Population Medicine, School of Medicine, Cardiff University.
  • 2017: Technical expert, International Atomic Energy Agency.
  • 2014 – 2015: Part-time Research fellow, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Sultan Qaboos University, Muscat, Oman.
  • 2004 – 2010: Part-time Research assistant then promoted to Full-Time Researcher, Tropical Medicine Research Institute, National Centre for Research, Khartoum, Sudan.

Honours and awards

  • 2022 to 2023 – Cardiff University Education Fellowship working towards Fellow status of the High Education Academy, UK.
  • 2019 – Wellcome Trust ISSF Population award.
  • 2017 – Cardiff University Research Associate post initiation fund.
  • 2017 – Jamal Elnefeidi Award for best research in malaria, Sudan.
  • 2016 – American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (ASTMH) Travel Award. Prestigious one in life-time award.
  • 2016 – European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), Advanced Training Centre Corporate Partnership Programme (CPP) Fellowship Travel Award.
  • 2016 – British Society of Parasitology Spring Meeting Travel Award.
  • 2013 – 6th Multilateral Initiative on Malaria Pan-African Malaria Conference Travel Award.
  • 2012 – Training fellowship award. International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
  • 2010 – PhD scholarship, Sultan Qaboos University, Muscat, Oman.
  • 2007 – MSc scholarship, Sudan Academy for Sciences, Khartoum, Sudan.
  • 2003 – Academic Excellence Award, University of Gezira, Sudan

Professional memberships

  • International Society of Infectious Diseases, member
  • SM Tropical Medicine Journal, member of the Editorial Board
  • British Society of Parasitology, member

Speaking engagements

Conferences

  • Amal Gadalla, JJ Valletta, TJ McKinley, Kathy Hughes, Ann Smith, Julian Marchesi, Kerenza Hood, Micaela Gal, Clive Gregory, Mandy Wootton, Chris Butler and Nick Francis. Bacterial microbiome in culture negative urinary tract infections. Poster Presentation. Antimicrobial Resistance – Genomes, Big Data and Emerging Technologies, Wellcome Genome Conference Centre, Virtual Conference 04 - 06 November 2020.
  • Amal Gadalla, Ida Friberg, Ann Kift-Morgan, Jingjing Zhang, Matthias Eberl, Mandy Wootton, Micaela Gal, Christopher Butler and Nick Francis. Identification of clinical and immunological markers for uncomplicated urinary tract infections in women. Oral presentation. South West SAPC Regional Meeting, Plymouth, 13th and 14thMarch 2018.
  • Amal Gadalla, Ryan Farid, Pietro Alano, Joanne Thompson, Giulia Siciliano, Lisa Ranford-Cartwright, James McCarthy and Hamza Babiker Early and late P. falciparum gametocyte-specific transcription following treatment with Chloroquine and Sulphadoxine/ Pyrimethamine. Poster Presentation. American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, 13-17 November 2016, Atlanta, GA, USA.
  • Amal Gadalla, Thomas Churcher, Elkhansaa Nassir, Abdel-Muhsin A Abdel-Muhsin and Hamza Babiker. Within-host growth advantage of wild-genotype over drug resistance genotypes of Plasmodium falciparum in absence of therapy. Oral Presentation. 12th Annual BioMalPar I EVIMalaR Conference: Biology and Pathology of the Malaria Parasite 18 - 20 May 2016, EMBL Advanced Training Centre, Heidelberg, Germany.
  • Amal Gadalla, Petra Schneider, Sarah Reece and Hamza Babiker. Impact of season and drug resistance on P. falciparum transmission: insights into optimized malaria control. Oral Presentation. British Society of Parasitology, Spring Meeting, 11-13 April 2016, London. UK.
  • Amal Gadalla, Petra Schneider, Elkhansaa Nassir, Abdel-Muhsin A Abdel-Muhsin, Thomas Churcher, Sarah Reece and Hamza Babiker. Gametocytes and multiple-clone carriage among long lasting asymptomatic Plasmodium falciparum carriers in absence of therapy. Oral Presentation. 6th MIM Pan-African Malaria Conference, 6 – 11 October 2013, Durban, South Africa.
  • Amal Gadalla, Petra Schneider, Elkhansaa Nassir, Abdel-Muhsin A Abdel-Muhsin, Sarah Reece and Hamza Babiker. Gametocytes and multiple-clone carriage among long lasting asymptomatic Plasmodium falciparum falciparum carriers in absence of therapy. Oral Presentation. 9th Annual BioMalPar I EVIMalaR Conference: Biology and Pathology of the Malaria Parasite 13 - 15 May 2013, EMBL Advanced Training Centre, Heidelberg, Germany.
  • Amal Gadalla, Petra Schneider, Sarah Reece and Hamza Babiker. Factors influencing gametocytogenesis of Plasmodium falciparum. Poster Presentation British Society of Parasitology meeting, Glasgow, 02-05 April 2012.
  • Amal Gadalla, Salah Eldin Al-zaki, Nahla Gadalla, Izdihar Mukhtar, Tellal Ageep, Fathi A Mansour, Moawia Mukhtar and Badria El-Sayed. IgG profile against MSP3 antigen in asymptomatic carriers of Plasmodium falciparum in eastern Sudan. Poster Presentation. 13th International Congress of Infectious Diseases, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 19 – 22 June 2008. http://www.isid.org/publications/ICID_Archive.shtml.

Committees and reviewing

Journal reviewer, PloS ONE

Publications

We are currently unable to retrieve the list of publications. Visit our institutional repository.

Teaching

Teaching and assessment:

  • Numeracy Lead September 2022 – current: a vertically integrated module delivered across the year 1 to year 5 medical students to support their understanding of numbers, equations, prescription calculations and research data analysis. The module also supports intercalated program students and postgraduates in the School of Medicine, Cardiff University, UK.
  • Cell Signalling and 2nd Messenger Tutorial Lead September 2022 – current: face-to-face and online tutorials as part of ME1101 module. Students: Year 1 medical students.
  • Case Based Learning (ME1106 and ME2100) facilitation January 2022 – current: year 1 and year 2 medical students.
  • Clinical Epidemiology Intercalated BSc degree (ME3064) 2018 – current: for Medicine undergraduate students, Cardiff University. Teaching subject “The use of ’omics in infectious diseases diagnosis and research”, then assess students’ projects and presentations.
  • Platform for Clinical Sciences module (ME1101) 2018 – current: Delivery of various biomedical sciences lectures tutorials within the: cell structure and function, enzymes, cell signalling, evidence-based medicine, applied immunology, molecular biology, haematology and microbiology. Students: year 1 and 2 medical students.

I focus my research to investigate within-host dynamics and diagnosis of infectious diseases using bioinformatics, statistical modelling, and machine learning tools. I also have a particular research interest in drug resistance.

Current Projects:

  1. Evaluation of DNA sequencing approaches in identification of bacterial microbiome in urine. Status: ongoing and transferable to a new institute without negotiations. Role: Principal Investigator. Status: Ongoing
  2. What are the effects of established glucocorticoid therapy on the risk of adverse COVID-19 outcomes? Role: Co-Investigator. Status: Ongoing

Previous Projects:

  1. Identification of clinical and urine biomarkers for uncomplicated urinary tract infection using machine learning algorithms. Status: completed.
  2. Molecular methods for detection and monitoring of imported malaria in Oman. Status: completed.
  3. Theileria parasite in Oman, molecular biology and disease. Status: completed.
  4. Identification of Plasmodium falciparum early gametocyte-specific expression in natural infections. In collaboration with the University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK, Queensland Institute of Medical Research, Queensland, Australia, and Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Italy. Status: completed.
  5. Validation of the use of isotope-based molecular techniques in malaria control. Status: completed.
  6. Molecular genetics of Plasmodium falciparum isolates in Sudan: Gametocytaemia and drug resistance markers. Status: completed.

Supervision

Past projects

Research supervision:

  • 2019 – current: Mentoring a PhD student during project design and data analysis in collaboration with School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Sultan Qaboos University. Project title: Genetic and demographic determinants of Mycobacterium tuberculosis antimicrobial resistance in Oman.
  • 2018 – 2019: Population Medicine Intercalated BSc project, Cardiff University. Project title: Effect of antibiotic consumption on self-reported recovery from uncomplicated urinary tract infection in women.
  • 2018: Student Selected Component Tutor (Year 3 Student), Cardiff University. Project title: Changes in the gut flora associated with the use of antibiotics to treat uncomplicated urinary tract infections.
  • 2018: Summer Project for Clinical Epidemiology student, Cardiff University. Project title: Symptoms that define recovery from uncomplicated urinary tract infection.
  • 2015 – 2016: Mentoring and evaluate laboratory experiments for a PhD student. Project title: Identification of sexual stage-specific expression in Theileria parasites in Oman.
  • 2015: Mentoring an MSc student during project design and data analysis. Project title: Detection and phylogenetic characterization of Theileria parasites in Oman.
  • 2013: Mentoring an MSc student during data analysis. Project title: Effect of sleep-deprivation and obstructive sleep apnea on cytokine level, neutrophil function and proliferative potential of lymphocyte population.

Engagement

Media engagment

Areas of expertise

Research links