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6th DS-I Africa Consortium Meeting

  • Plenary Session: Capacity building & Training [Training Hubs & Training Projects]

    Facilitator(s)

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    Dr Laura Povlich

    National Institutes of Health

    Laura Povlich is a Program Director in the Division of International Training and Research at the Fogarty International Center, part of the National Institutes of Health, where she was previously an American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Science & Technology Policy Fellow. Dr. Povlich has administered a portfolio of grants that covers a range of research, research training, and research education projects related to global health technology, with a significant focus on information and communication technology. She currently is a coordinator for a new NIH Common Fund program - Harnessing Data Science for Health Discovery and Innovation in Africa (DS-I Africa). Prior to working at Fogarty, Dr. Povlich was the 2011-2012 Materials Research Society/Optical Society Congressional Science and Engineering Fellow in the Office of Congressman Sander Levin. Dr. Povlich earned a B.S.E. in Materials Science and Engineering and a Ph.D. in Macromolecular Science and Engineering, both from the University of Michigan. Her research focused on the synthesis of functionalized conjugated polymers for biological sensor applications and for neural probe and prosthetic device electrode coatings.

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    Mr Wisdom Akurugu

    DS-I Africa Coordinating Center

    Wisdom Akurugu holds BSc Biochemistry (Single Major) and MSc Bioinformatics degrees. Wisdom is interested in understanding genetic factors that place a person at risk of developing diseases. He has been mining human genetic exome data for variations that may protect or predispose asthmatic children on corticosteroid treatment to hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal suppression (HPAS). He is using various Bioinformatics, Computational and Statistical algorithms to identify, annotate and assess the impact of the potential variants on HPAS. Wisdom is enthusiastic about contributing to the effective and efficient treatment of asthmatics on corticosteroids based on his current project. In the near future, he looks to developing Bioinformatics, Computational and Statistical competencies in analysing large-scale robust genomic data. He is opened to collaborations in the areas of genomics, proteomics, transcriptomics, structural biology, software development and teaching.

    Speakers

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    Dr Hocine Bendou

    Computational Omics and Biomedical Informatics Program

    Computational Omics and Biomedical Informatics Program

    I have a background in computer science and bioinformatics. My research focuses on understanding the heterogeneity of cancer diseases through the application and development of new bioinformatics methods. I am funded by the Computational Omics and Biomedical Informatics Program (COBIP) and, as such, I am actively involved in curriculum development and teaching data science to postgraduate biomedical students at the University of Cape Town.

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    Prof Patrick Weke

    Expanding Research and Training Ecosystems in Eastern Africa for Sustainable Data Science Capacity: Lesson Learnt from APHREA-DST Project

    Advancing Public Health Research in Eastern Africa through Data Science Training

    I have over thirty years of intense teaching, research, management and administrative experience at university level. Over this period, I have risen through the ranks from Tutorial Fellow to Professor of Statistics at the University of Nairobi (UoN), Kenya. My main research interests are in Applied Actuarial Statistics (Ruin Theory, Credibility Theory and Risk Modeling), Statistical Inference with emphasis on Order Statistics and Outlier, and Nonparametric Statistical Methods. I have supervised 20 PhD candidates and over 60 MSc students to completion. I have worked as the Director, School of Mathematics (which houses the Biostatistics and Mathematical Statistics programmes, among others) for six years from June 2014 - June 2020. I am actively involved in curriculum development of university level programmes at the University of Nairobi and nationally where I serve as a consultant/peer reviewer with the Commission for University Education since 2009. Currently, I serve as a principal investigator (PI) in three research grants that promote training and research in Data Science, Artificial Intelligence and Biostatistics in Africa

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    Prof Peter Amoako-Yirenkyi

    DS-CHANGE: Data Science for Child Health Now in Ghana

    Data Science for Child Health Now in Ghana

    Holds PhD in Mathematics with specialization in Computer Vision, Scientific computing and industrial modeling. Teaches Numerical Analysis, Differential Equations and Integral Equations at all levels at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Ghana. Have specific research interest in Fractional Differential Equations, Stochastic Differential Equations, Reservoir Simulation, Gait, Face and Fingerprint Recognition, Wavelets, Sparse representations in Redundant Dictionaries, Grid and Volunteer Computing, and recently in Computational linguistics, Distributed Ranking algorithms and Clustering Search Results.

    At the Centre, I report directly to the Director. I am currently responsible for the scientific mission for Research Computing, overseeing to all technical and computing related issues of the institute and ensures compliance with University policies and procedures. I also interact with faculties in all related departments to assess needs, develop, plan, budget, coordinate and facilitate the development and maintenance of the necessary resources to support advanced research programs.

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    Prof Yawe Guwatudde

    WASHA-Takwimu: Research Training on Harnessing Data Science for Global Health Priorities in Africa

    Research Training on Harnessing Data Science for Global Health Priorities in Africa

    David Guwatudde (BStat, MSc, PhD) is a Professor of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the School of Public Health, Makerere University, in Kampala, Uganda. Over the years, he has gained extensive experience in leading training efforts at Makerere University and in research related to the epidemiology of high-burden diseases in Uganda and within the sub-Saharan African (SSA) region, especially on non-communicable diseases. In the area of training, Prof. Guwatudde has long experience and has mentored several students and trainees at Makerere University and beyond, many of whom have developed to become senior professionals with successful careers around the globe. In terms of academic management and leadership experience, beyond his primary teaching responsibilities, Prof. Guwatudde has previously coordinated the Master of Public Health Distance Education program and the Master of Biostatistics program at the School and chaired the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics (EPI-BIO) between 2005 and 2009.

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    A/Prof David Kateete

    Associate Professor. Former Head, Dept. of Immunology & Molecular Biology and current Dean, School of Biomedical Sciences at Makerere University. Holds a Bachelor's Degree in Veterinary Medicine and a Master's Degree in Molecular Biology from Makerere Uni

    Makerere University Data Science Research Training to Strengthen Evidence-Based Health Innovation, Intervention and Policy

    Associate Professor. Former Head, Dept. of Immunology & Molecular Biology and current Dean, School of Biomedical Sciences at Makerere University. Holds a Bachelor's Degree in Veterinary Medicine and a Master's Degree in Molecular Biology from Makerere University in Kampala Uganda. One of the pioneer trainees and students of Molecular Biology locally trained in Uganda, he joined a newly created Molecular Biology Laboratory at Makerere University College of Health Sciences, which has since evolved into the Department of Immunology & Molecular Biology in the School of Biomedical Sciences. Has vast experience in Molecular Microbiology and Medical Parasitology, with exposure to various state-of-the-art research laboratories across borders. His research interests are Infection/Pathogen Biology and delineating AMR mechanisms. Has a keen interest in capacity building and the application of modern methods to infectious disease research.

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    A/Prof Celestin Twizere

    Data Science for Health Research Training in Rwanda, a pathway to success

    Research Training in Data Science for Health in Rwanda

    Celestin Twizere is an Associate Professor of Biomedical Electronics, Electromagnetism and telecommunication at the University of Rwanda, College of science and technology and Director of the East Africa Regional Centre of Excellence in Biomedical Engineering and e-Health (CEBE), hosted by University of Rwanda. He has experience in Higher Education training and leading, conducting and publishing in telecommunications, computer science and mHealth technology for more than 22 years. In the role of CEBE Director, Twizere has gained valuable experience in the management of funding from African Development Bank and other different funding agencies including NIH for over 8 years. One of the highest priorities is to implement telemedicine technologies, Electronic Health Records (EHR), and interoperability of systems to link East African Centers of Excellence and specialized health care facilities across the region. With his telecommunication background (Ground Penetrating Radar, Wireless Communication and Networks, Electromagnetic Radiation and Propagation, and Smart Antenna for Mobile Communication), his spectrum of work is broad as he is collaborating in different projects in digital health as a main leader or co-leader. These include strengthening research capacity and expertise in digital health, digitalizing the hospital patient trajectory and secondary use of EHRs in Rwanda, e-mental healthcare architecture as

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    A/Prof Ann Wanjiru Mwangi

    DSSD: Building Capacity and Advancing Data Infrastructure in Kenya

    NYU-Moi Data Science for Social Determinants Training Program

    Ann Wanjiru Mwangi, PhD is the Associate Dean for Research and Innovation in the School of Postgraduate Studies, Research and Innovation at Moi University. She holds a PhD in Biostatistics from Brown University (USA), dual master's degrees in Biostatistics and Applied Statistics from Hasselt University (Belgium), and a Bachelor of Science degree from Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (Kenya). She is an Associate Professor of Biostatistics in the Department of Mathematics, Physics, and Computing, Dr. Mwangi has over two decades of experience in biostatistical research, teaching, and mentorship. She trains and supervises undergraduate and postgraduate students across the School of Science and the College of Health Sciences. For the past 20 years, she has served as a Biostatistician with the Academic Model Providing Access to Healthcare (AMPATH) program, contributing to numerous peer-reviewed publications. She is Co-Director of the AMPATH Data and Analysis Team (ADAT) and has been instrumental in advancing data-driven decision-making in clinical care. Her research interests include Data Science, Causal Inference, and statistical methods for reducing bias in observational data, particularly in resource-limited settings where clinical trial data are scarce. Her work spans HIV & AIDS, oncology, chronic diseases, and other pressing health challenges.

    Rapporteur(s)

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    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.

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    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.