Fighting malaria in 2021: Where are we now and where are we going? Thought LeadersDr. Laurence SlutskerSenior Technical AdvisorMalaria and Neglected Tropical Diseases, PATH In support of World Malaria Day, News-Medical spoke to Dr. Laurence Slutsker, an internationally recognized expert in malaria, about fighting this disease in 2021. Please can you introduce yourself and tell us about your career in research into malaria and neglected tropical diseases (NTDs)? I would describe myself as a medical epidemiologist and public health researcher and practitioner. I began in 1987 at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and over the next 30 years focused on malaria and many of its challenges.