Honors College scholarship recipient helps pioneer disease detection technology in Malawi

It started with a virtual health camp presentation. But Louhan Dembele didn't just listen — she reached out.  

As a high school student, that bold move launched her into a world where innovative technology meets global health challenges. The Virginia Tech senior is helping revolutionize how doctors diagnose a deadly parasitic disease in Malawi. 

Through TEAM Malawi — Technology, Education, Advocacy, Medicine — Dembele found her calling: The Leading Innovation in Global Health Technologies (LIGHT) Collaborative that mobilizes undergraduate Hokie engineers and scientists to solve the challenges presented by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through team science.  

With 64 students from 19 majors tackling real-world challenges in resource-limited settings, the program embodies Virginia Tech's motto, Ut Prosim (That I May Serve).  It is well-positioned to address these complex problems and contribute to achieving the SDGs through teaching, research, and service.  Louhan represents public health as part of a team of microbiology, chemical engineering, nanomedicine, and biomedical engineering students solving global problems through collaborative research. 

Now aiming to graduate a year early with dual public health and international studies degrees, Dembele recently earned the Leslie Geraldine Sherman Memorial Scholarship from Virginia Tech's Honors College.  The award will fund another research trip to Malawi this spring. 

“Louhan is very passionate about public health and works hard to find opportunities for learning and research. Her dedication to constantly exploring opportunities and finding solutions for helping people in need could be an excellent example for other undergraduates seeking opportunities”, said Yuba Gautam, associate professor of Public Health at Virginia Tech. 

"I knew I wanted to go into healthcare, but I knew I couldn't stomach being a physician," Dembele said, recalling how a presentation by Alasdair Cohen, assistant professor of environmental epidemiology at the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, about public health and environmental health lit a spark. "It sounded right up my alley — combining health and people without having to do clinical work." 

Innovation in action

As one of the TEAM Malawi projects, Dembele's team is testing Raman spectroscopy to detect schistosomiasis, a chronic infection that, when left untreated, can lead to bladder cancer. Early detection and regular treatment, especially from childhood, can reduce cancer rates in endemic areas to levels seen in non-endemic regions. 

Current testing in Malawi relies on standard microscopes in hospital labs. "The current testing system requires a qualified technician and takes about an hour to process a sample," Dembele explained. "With Raman spectroscopy, you need less sample, it's faster, and you don't need specialized training. If a bunch of college students can use this technology, anyone can."

The new approach, costing about $5,000 per unit, cuts diagnosis time to 10 minutes and boasts 98% accuracy. This combination of speed, simplicity, and precision could revolutionize care where resources are limited. 

Making connections

Walking through Malawi's hospitals in May 2024, Dembele saw firsthand how their work could make a difference. 

The team connected with Malawi Liverpool Welcome Trust, veterans in schistosomiasis research. Their verdict? "They told us if we can get them this technology, they'd love to work with us," Dembele said. 

Standing in those labs, everything clicked. 

"Going on that spring trip made me realize that's what I want to do for a living," Dembele said. "That type of research where you combine public health and engineering, and you get to go abroad, talk to people, talk to stakeholders, and see how you can work together to make this technology work and have different solutions for global health problems." 

Looking forward

With the Sherman scholarship in hand, plans are underway for a spring trip in which Dembele and the team will bring a device to Malawi Liverpool Welcome Trust's lab for extensive testing. 

Her passion for epidemiology was sparked by another mentor.  

"It was really inspired by Dr. Corey in her class that I took," Dembele said, referring to Corrine W. Ruktanonchai, collegiate assistant professor of population health sciences. "I fell in love with epidemiology then and there, and I'm also a teaching assistant for her right now, which has been a really cool experience."

For students wondering about their own path in public health, Dembele shares what she's learned: "You never know what email is going to come in and say, 'Hey, would you like to do this opportunity?' The right opportunities will come your way." 

Louhan’s student team has taken ownership of a major global health challenge through the LIGHT program.  They have established collaborations with international research organizations, explored options to provide appropriate, affordable solutions, and conducted research vital to the deployment of a portable system in Malawi that has the potential to have a great impact on the disease management of schistosomiasis by increasing capacity for point-of-care screening and diagnosis. 

 They will present their research at the annual international conference of the Consortium of Universities for Global Health, Atlanta, Georgia, in late February.