Dr Esum holds a BSc in Microbiology, an MSc and a PhD in Medical Parasitology/Entomology. An Onchocerciasis field scientist with over 15 years experience in parasitological, entomological and intervention studies in Cameroon, he is currently a Lecturer at the Department of Microbiology and Parasitology at the University of Buea and Senior Researcher with the Research Foundation in Tropical Diseases and Environment (REFOTDE), Buea-Cameroon.
His doctoral studies focused on chemotherapeutic and vector control of filarial parasites. It was an interdisciplinary project that combined biological approaches in the fields of filarial control, particularly involving the control of vectors of River blindness (onchocerciasis) and epidemiological methods to investigate the impact of mass treatment when Doxycycline and Ivermectin are used for the treatment of onchocerciasis in areas of co-endemicity with loiasis in Cameroon. This work, developed within a collaborative research programme with several partners in Cameroon, the United Kingdom and Germany yielded a number of important publications in respected international journals.
Dr Esum's intellectual, academic and research work is also driven by a strong practical public health policy focus. Between 2005 and 2013, he has worked intermittently and in various domains of expertise as a Consultant for the African Programme for Onchocerciasis Control (APOC) and Neglected Tropical Diseases at the WHO Country Office in Yaounde, Cameroon.