The late Dr. Carlos “Kent” Campbell, who passed earlier this year, is remembered as a visionary leader in the fight against malaria. His encouragement, enthusiasm, and ability to bring together smart, committed people to achieve audacious goals set a foundation for PATH Malaria, and we continue to carry his values with us today.
Kent dedicated more than four decades of his life to malaria. His career spanned a wide range of roles, from working at the US Center for Disease Control (CDC), building the University of Arizona’s College of Public Health, creating PATH MACEPA, to serving as president of the American Society for Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (ASTMH).
Kent was a true pioneer in modern malaria control and prevention efforts—and at the November 2024 ASTMH conference in New Orleans, PATH honored his legacy by sponsoring a symposium titled “A Tribute to Carlos (Kent) Campbell: Global Leader in the Fight Against Malaria.”
As 2024 comes to an end, the PATH Malaria team reflects on Kent’s life, his lasting impacts, and how his legacy continues to inspire our ongoing efforts to eliminate malaria.
Impatience, interconnection, ambition: Kent’s inspired career path
Kent’s work with malaria began with the CDC in El Salvador in 1973, where he witnessed the absolute devastation that malaria can cause. Working with the ministry of health, Kent set out to leverage systems and change the landscape of national malaria control and elimination efforts.
During a time when many global health organizations had put malaria on the back burner, Kent’s impatient optimism and ambition served as a critical push for a renewed commitment in the fight against malaria.
After working at the CDC as the Malaria Branch Chief, Kent supported the development of the University of Arizona’s College of Public Health, now known as the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health. Once the college was accredited, he served as the interim dean for two years and continued supporting the college throughout his life.
In 2004, Kent launched PATH’s Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation-funded Malaria Control and Elimination Partnership in Africa (MACEPA) as a part of his vision to scale up prevention efforts across the African continent.
A firm believer in the interconnectedness of malaria control, prevention, treatment, and elimination, Kent understood that tackling the disease required a comprehensive, multi-faceted approach. He recognized that focusing on just one aspect was insufficient; the complex nature of malaria could only be addressed through integrated efforts spanning surveillance, prevention, and treatment.
Throughout his career, Kent demonstrated an extraordinary ability to bring together talented individuals and organizations to drive progress toward ambitious objectives. Under his leadership, PATH MACEPA implemented innovative strategies such as the Scale-up for Impact (SUFI) approach, which expanded coverage of proven interventions such as insecticide-treated bed nets and quality case management. SUFI not only reduced malaria transmission in the initial focus countries but also served as a blueprint for other countries aiming for similar successes.
Kent Campbell and Kafula Silumbe, PATH MACEPA Team Lead, at a World Malaria Day exhibition at the Lusaka National Museum in 2005. Photo: PATH/Kafula Silumbe
After leaving PATH, Kent went on to serve as the president of The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (ASTMH) in 2007 where he delivered his presidential address ‘Africa Tells Us the Story of What Success in Malaria Control Means Now and in the future.’
In his address, which was also reshared as a commentary, Kent stresses the progress made in the fight against malaria, particularly highlighting the work of local leaders and the importance of implementing malaria control strategies regardless of the region’s political or socio-economic status.
He concludes, “There is no mother in Africa who mourns the death of a child without questioning why it could not have been prevented. The global community has made a contract with Africa, and that contract is about the lives and potential of the most vulnerable. Africa is seizing the moment; now is the time for the global community to turn the promise of this moment into a sustaining commitment to malaria control and to Africa’s mothers and communities.”
He would later receive ASTMH’s Joseph Augustin LePrince Medal for outstanding work in malariology.
A celebration at ASTMH
In honor of Kent’s lasting contributions to malaria prevention and control, PATH sponsored a symposium entitled, “A Tribute to Carlos (Kent) Campbell: Global Leader in the Fight Against Malaria” at ASTMH in November 2024.
Former colleagues from across Kent's career spoke with admiration and love for their late friend. Among speakers were Kent's children and a video from the World Health Organization's (WHO) Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
In his video message, Dr. Ghebreyesus recalled the impact of Kent’s work in the early 2000s: “This was a remarkable time in the global fight against malaria. For the first time, African countries were demonstrating what was possible and how much malaria could be reduced with existing tools. Kent was an instrumental actor and voice in this change and his contributions to malaria elimination efforts in more than 20 countries have helped save many lives. I, and many families in my country, owe Kent a deep debt of gratitude. [...] As we mourn his passing, we celebrate a life devoted to helping others."
“Kent was an instrumental actor and voice in this change and his contributions to malaria elimination efforts in more than 20 countries have helped save many lives.”— Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General
Reflecting on the event, PATH’s Chief Global Health Programs Officer Kammerle Schneider noted, “It was wonderful to be with Kent’s family and colleagues from across generations. Hearing from so many people who knew and admired him was an inspiring reminder of the power of setting big, audacious goals—and Kent’s unique ability to bring smart, committed people together to achieve them. His legacy challenges us to never be satisfied with the status quo or incremental change, but to push courageously and collaboratively for a more equitable and better world.”
A driving force for 2025 and beyond
Today, MACEPA continues to build upon the foundation that Kent helped build. Active in Ethiopia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Zambia, Senegal, The Gambia, Malawi, and Nigeria, MACEPA drives innovation and impact in data use and analytics; monitoring, evaluation, and learning; national program support; and intervention implementation.
The project has remained dedicated to providing multifaceted support in malaria endemic countries to accelerate malaria burden reduction through evidence-based work with communities, national leadership, and other key partners.
Kent’s insights into the fragility of gains made in malaria control were particularly prescient. He warned that without a clear goal of elimination, there was a significant risk of resurgence in malaria transmission. His 2014 commentary noted that "when prevention measures are not maintained, a resurgence in malaria transmission, illness, and deaths is predictable."
A decade later, this understanding of the need for sustained commitment to ambitious goals has become increasingly relevant. Malaria continues to become more resistant to available treatments and resurgence is becoming more common, especially as climate change shifts the risk of malaria. PATH Malaria is helping address these threats through a variety of ways, including improving surveillance data and scaling a cost-effective assay to detect antimalarial drug resistance.
Kent Campbell’s legacy encourages us all to strive for a world free from malaria and other preventable diseases, reinforcing the notion that with determination and collaboration, we can turn ambitious visions into reality.
