Dr Aminu Musa

Role of Data Streams In Informing Infection Dynamics in Africa- INFORM Africa

Dr. MUSA Aminu is a neuroscientist and science communication expert with a doctorate in addiction neuroscience. Dr. Musa's research focuses on understanding the effects of THC and CBD on synaptic plasticity and addiction-related behaviors by examining behavioral, transcriptional, and microRNA-related mechanisms. His work addresses current concerns about cannabis legalization and the adolescent brain, especially as African countries move toward legalizing cannabis. As a science communication expert, he supports the INFORM Africa project's administrative core by employing innovative science communication strategies (including radio drama series, using storytelling to report research outcomes, animations, newsletters, etc.) to ensure the hub's outputs reach both the scientific community and a broader non-scientific audience. He has also played a key role in the success of INFORM Africa's community engagement strategies, which involve co-creating with communities, building trust, and translating research outputs at the community level. His co-creation model with communities has led to two manuscripts currently underway for publication. Dr. Musa has also contributed to several initiatives within DS-I Africa, including a manuscript on engaging policymakers in health research in Africa, in collaboration with the partnership and outreach working group. He currently serves as the chairperson of the DS-I Africa consortium partnership and outreach working group.

Ms Tumai Muzorewa

Integrated modeLs for Early Risk-prediction in Africa (ILERA) study

Tumai MUZOREWA, from Zimbabwe, is a human geneticist and PhD candidate at the University of the Witwatersrand who is advancing precision public health across Africa. Her research develops Africa-specific risk prediction models for cardiometabolic diseases (CMDs) by integrating African ancestry genetic data with lifestyle and environmental factors using AI. Working with data from over 12,000 individuals across east, west, and southern Africa, she challenges Eurocentric approaches that leave African populations underserved by global health innovation.

Dr Francis Agamah

DS-I Africa Coordinating Center

Francis E. Agamah is the project coordinator at the DS-I Africa Coordinating Center based at the University of Cape Town, South Africa. He is involved with coordinating DS-I Africa working groups, partnerships and outreach engagements, as well as coordinating activities among the DS-I Africa research hubs, training programs and ELSI projects.

Dr Sophia Osawe

Role of Data Streams In Informing Infection Dynamics in Africa- INFORM Africa

Sophia Osawe is a Virologist and trained Immunologist with an interest in maternal and infant health and vaccine immunology. She is currently a Senior Scientist, the Head of Department, Research Operations at the Institute of Human Virology, Nigeria (IHVN), and the Research Hub Manager for INFORM Africa (contact PI: Prof Abimiku). Sophia has over 17 years of experience in diagnostics, research, system strengthening, project management, and the implementation of quality management systems. She has led several observational studies (two large cohort studies) and clinical trials. She also received funding to conduct studies on COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy, immune responses to prenatal and pediatric vaccines, and HIV drug resistance in the West African population.

Ms Dorothy Chepkoech

UtiliZing health Information for Meaningful impact in East Africa through Data Science

Dorothy Chepkoech is a final-year Master's student at Hasselt University, pursuing a Master's in Statistics and Data Science. She specialises in applying deep learning to EEG classification. Her current research focuses on leveraging neural networks to analyse and classify EEG patterns in critical care settings, particularly in ICU and CCU environments. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Statistics and Programming from Kenyatta University and has experience in machine learning, data analysis, and data management. Her research interests focus on leveraging data science and machine learning to advance healthcare research, with a particular emphasis on brain data analysis, especially EEG, and building AI tools to support clinical decision-making and improve the diagnosis and monitoring of neurological conditions.