Papua New Guinean researcher Dr Lincoln Timinao has been awarded the 2025 Deborah Lehmann Research Award (DLRA) for his work aimed at investigating the burden of malaria in young children.
Supported by the Wesfarmers Centre of Vaccines and Infectious Diseases, based at The Kids Research Institute Australia, the DLRA is designed to provide training and development for early/mid-career researchers working in paediatric infectious disease research throughout the Pacific Region.
Based at the Papua New Guinea Institute of Medical Research (PNGIMR), Dr Timinao has developed extensive experience in malaria research, beginning in Goroka and later moving to Madang Province, while continuing to contribute to various research activities.
“Malaria is one of the leading health challenges in PNG, and I was drawn to malaria research because of its impact on people’s daily lives and the urgent need for better solutions,” Dr Timinao said.
Unfortunately, malaria continues to affect young people disproportionately, which interrupts education, limits opportunities such as employment and, in severe cases, can cause death. It’s also a major contributor to continuing cycles of poverty, particularly in rural communities where access to healthcare is limited.
“As a child growing up in PNG, my family and I have had personal experiences with malaria, including a very unpleasant bout of my own – these experiences shaped my determination to contribute to finding better prevention and control strategies.”
Dr Timinao will use the $30,000 grant to investigate asymptomatic malaria infections, which are currently going unnoticed in households yet play a major role in transmission within families and communities.
The project will involve conducting community-based screening of approximately 300 children under five across four villages within Madang Province, identifying children with malaria, screening household members and speaking to caregivers and household heads to explore their knowledge around malaria and treatment behaviours.
“Asymptomatic malaria is very common in PNG, where children may not show obvious symptoms but still carry and transmit the parasite, which makes elimination efforts challenging,” Dr Timinao said.
“Through this project, I hope to improve our understanding of asymptomatic malaria transmission in PNG and generate stronger evidence for guiding strategies that are more effective in protecting communities.”
According to Dr Timinao, the DLRA will equip him with the resources and recognition to pursue important research questions that might otherwise remain unanswered.
This vital support will give me the opportunity to build collaborations, strengthen my scientific skills, and contribute to the global fight against malaria while ensuring that my work has a real impact here in PNG.
Established in 2018, the DLRA acknowledges the significant contribution of Clinical Associate Professor Deborah Lehmann AO, particularly towards reducing childhood morbidity and mortality rates in Australia and the Pacific Region and providing capacity building for many young researchers across the infectious diseases field.
Professor Lehmann, who worked in PNG for 17 years and continues to have ongoing collaborations with PNGIMR, said she was thrilled to see Dr Timinao’s efforts tackling malaria recognised and supported in this way.
“I am delighted Dr Timinao has been awarded the 2025 DLRA – he is passionate about his research and improving the lives of Papua New Guineans,” Professor Lehmann said.
“He is one of the bright young scientists at PNGIMR with a promising future, so this award will assist in advancing his career and enable research that will inform malaria control in PNG.”
Learn more about the Deborah Lehmann Research Award online here.