The workshop was held from 13 to 15 May 2026 at the PrideInn Azure Hotel, Westlands, Nairobi, Kenya. Organized under the theme “Promoting Data Science and Artificial Intelligence for Health,” the three-day event served as the final dissemination and knowledge-exchange platform of the APHREA-DST project, a five-year initiative (2021–2026) funded by the United States National Institutes of Health (NIH) under the Data Science Initiative for Africa (DS-I Africa) program.

The workshop convened more than 60 participants, comprising data scientists, public health researchers, students, clinical professionals, policymakers, private-sector representatives, and early-career scholars, drawn from Kenya, Ethiopia, and the United States. It provided a high-level platform for showcasing the project’s research outputs, facilitating cross-institutional dialogue, and charting a course for the sustained development of public health data science capacity in Eastern Africa.
 
Over three days, participants engaged in plenary presentations, thematic research sessions, a panel discussion on strategic partnerships, an alumni showcase, and a dedicated session on the ethical, legal, and social implications of deploying artificial intelligence (AI) in African health systems. The event was officially opened by Prof. Leonidah Kerubo, Ag. Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Research, Innovation and Enterprise at the University of Nairobi, and closed by the project’s principal investigators.

Key achievements of the APHREA-DST project presented at the workshop include the enrollment of 216 students in the MSc in Public Health Data Science across Kenya and Ethiopia, the graduation of 46 candidates, the publication of four peer-reviewed research papers, and the training of 12 academic staff through a structured Faculty Development Programme.

Read about the workshop on University of Nairobi News

​The annual APHREA-DST workshop was held at Addis Ababa University (AAU) this year, with team members from University of Nairobi (UoN) and Columbia University (CU), as well as other academics and researchers in attendance. A delegation of eight participants—six from Kenya and two from the United States—attended the workshop. Of the six from Kenya two were graduate students who presented their thesis alongside their counterparts from AAU and participated in subsequent discussions. The U.S. team also included an instructor who took part in the Training of Trainers (ToT) program held on November 5, 2025.

This third workshop organized by AAU, marked an important milestone in the four-year collaboration among all the partners. Reflections were made on collective achievements, research outputs, and lessons learned. The first cohort of graduate students presented their theses in the areas of maternal health and communicable and non-communicable diseases, and senior researchers shared their knowledge in the field of data science for health. Keynote talk topics included ‘Challenges in Opportunities in Research Data Access’ and ‘Engaging Strategic Partnership for Sustainability’. Participants also engaged in panel discussions focusing on the sustainability of data science training, the ethical use of health data, and strategic partnerships for future collaboration.

After the workshop, a one-and-a-half-day training session was conducted by partners from Columbia University and the IBM Research Africa in South Africa. The program brought together experts who delivered a series of interactive presentations and practical exercises designed to strengthen participants’ skills and knowledge in the targeted areas. Training session details are listed below:

• ‘A primer on new tools in data science (e.g. Shiny apps, data manipulation in the tidyverse)’ led by Dr. Jeff Goldsmith (CU)
• ‘Evaluating the health effects of complex environmental exposures: Machine Learning Approaches’ led by Dr. Arce Domingo Relloso (CU)
• ‘IBM Granite Geospatial Land Surface Temperature Foundation Model and applications’ led by Drs. Craig Mahlasi, Zaheed Gaffoor, and Tamara Govindasamy (IBM)

A total of 15 trainees attended the sessions in person in Addis Ababa, while more than 25 participants joined online over the course of the one-and-a-half-day training. The combination of face-to-face and virtual participation allowed for broad engagement and rich discussions. A certificate of training participation was awarded to all participants who attended the sessions in person.

​Read about the event in Addis Ababa University's News and on AAU Connect's October edition.

A total of 9 candidates out of a total of 22 candidates who commenced their studies in September 2023 successfully completed their program and graduated in 2025. The list of graduates and their project titles can be found here.

The 4th DSI-Africa Conference was held in Mauritius, from November 16-22, 2024. This event brought together all projects funded by NIH working on public health data science. The consortium consisted of academics and researchers from all over Africa. During the seven-days, participants gave over 30 presentations and participated in a two-day technical session. In addition to over 200 participants attending in person, there were project members attending the conference online. With a diverse range of presentations, the conference highlighted the transformative potential of data science and its profound impact on public health data analytics practices. Discussions emphasized how data science tools and methodologies are revolutionizing traditional statistical methods, making hidden patterns from data more visible. Furthermore, the integration of cutting-edge technologies, such as data science, is enhancing the quality of data analytics practices, fostering greater engagement, and improving public health interventions. 

From Addis Ababa University (AAU), two members attended: 1) Dr. Rahel Bekele, PI of the APHREA-DST project and 2) MSc student, Amanuel Belay, who was a recipient of the Early Career Research award. From the University of Nairobi (UoN), two members attended: 1) Dr. Patrick Weke, PI of the PI of the APHREA-DST project and 2) MSc student, Valine Okeyo, who was another recipient of the Early Career Research award.

On the first two days of the conference on Nov. 16-17, 2024, the Datathon on Breast Cancer including the training on using the Terra platform took place. The participants were the early career researchers and project PIs. The Breast Cancer Datathon provided participants with an exciting opportunity to apply data science techniques to a critical public health issue. Focused on improving breast cancer diagnosis and treatment, the datathon aimed to leverage data-driven solutions to enhance healthcare outcomes in this area. The event was designed not only to foster innovative solutions but also to provide hands-on training in using cutting-edge data science platforms. The first part of the datathon included a comprehensive training session on the Terra platform, a powerful cloud-based platform for data analysis and collaboration in life sciences. The training introduced participants to the platform’s key features, including data storage, integration with various computational tools, and workflows for processing genomic and clinical data.  Following the training, teams were tasked with using Terra to analyze a dataset related to breast cancer, which included genetic, clinical, and imaging data. The goal was to develop predictive models that could improve early diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment decisions. Teams worked collaboratively to clean, preprocess, and analyze the data, using machine learning algorithms to identify patterns and correlations that could aid in understanding breast cancer risk factors, identifying biomarkers, and enhancing patient outcomes. At the end of the competition, teams presented their findings, showcasing their models and insights.  

On the third day on Nov. 18, 2024, the four DSI-Africa standing working groups (Data Governance, Data Management, Training and Education Working, and Partnership and Outreach) met among their respective groups.  

The Conference was officially opened on Nov. 19, 2024. Over the three days (Nov. 19-21), presentations were made in themes organized as follows:

• Theme 1: From Data to Impact - Showcase of research findings and advancements in clinical medicine, public health, and health systems 
• Theme 2: Innovative Tools and Solutions: Addressing Challenges in DS-I Africa – sharing & repurposing tools & resources 
• ​Theme 3: Bridging Research and Practice: Translating Findings into Policy and Action for Improved Healthcare Outcomes in Africa.
• Theme 4: Collaboration for Change: Promoting Knowledge Sharing and Training to Increase Health Impact.

​​The early career researchers, who came from various countries, presented their work through posters and flash talks, which were distributed across the four days of the conference. 

​On the final day of the conference (November 22, 2024), separate project Principal Investigator (PI) meetings were held to facilitate in-depth discussions and collaboration among leaders of various research projects.  

In order to facilitate the development of the Research Groups (RGs) Addis Ababa Unversity APHREA-DST Team organized various research groups workshops where academics, stakeholders and students participated:

• Data Science for Reproductive Health/Maternal and child health workshop was held on Jan 9 & 10, 1024

• Data Science for Communicable and non-communicable disease workshop was held on Jan 11 & 12, 2024
• Data Science for Environment, WASH, Food Security and Health workshop held on Jan 13 & 14, 2024.

This was followed by an official launch of the research groups on April 12, 2024.

Following the official launch, each RG organized its own independent workshop with respective members of the RGs and interested students. The purpose of the workshop for each RGs were to identify thematic areas, identify data sources and work on possible topics of interest for the first batch of students.

• Data Science for Reproductive Health/Maternal and child health working group meeting – 18 April 2024
• Data Science for Communicable and non-communicable disease working group meeting – 22 April 2024
• Data Science for Environment, WASH, Food Security and Health working group – 26 April 2024
• Data warehouse and architecture working group meeting – 30 April 2024. Another round of workshops for each RG was held in May:

Another Data Science for Reproductive Health/Maternal and child health workshop was also held on 10 May 2024. The theme of the workshop was “ Harnessing Data for Improving Maternal and Child Health Outcomes: Case Studies and Practical Applications’ was attended by graduate students and stakeholders from the FMoH, EPHI, and Central Statistical Services.
Presentation topics included ongoing collaborative reproductive, maternal, newborn, and child health (RMNCH) projects at the School of Public Health, nationally representative survey measuring key indicators, themes and research questions in RMNCH in Ethiopia, and challenges with multiple sources of data and need for centralized system
• Data Science for Communicable and non-communicable disease working group met on 23 May 2024.

Presentation topics included public health data sources and research areas in Ethiopia Statistical Service, enhancing decision making through data science, and harnessing advanced data analytics for public health.

• Data Science for Environment, WASH, Food Security and Health working group held – 24 May 2024.
The purpose was to bring together academics and end users to discuss how to collaborate and use existing data for mutual benefits. Workshop participants included RG members, graduate students, FMoH, EPHI, and Ethiopian Statistical Service.

• Data warehouse and architecture workshop also took place on 9 May 2024.
Presentations by RG members and stakeholders included introductions to this RG, status update on data warehouse at the FMoH, challenges of data sharing in health, and sharing of experiences and best practices in development a data warehouse for health data.

Dr. Amit Mistry a Senior Scientist at the Center for Global Health Studies, Fogarty International Center, U.S National Institutes of Health (NIH) visited the Advancing Public Health Research in Eastern Africa through Data Science Training (APHREA-DST) Project, at the University of Nairobi on 5th March 2024. APHREA-DST project is supported by the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) Common Fund and is part of the “Harnessing Data Science for Health Discovery and Innovation in Africa” program (DS-I Africa).

After the presentation, there was an interactive Q&A session with the students and Dr. Mistry encouraged students to do research work that was impactful to society and publish good papers.

The success of the students will be achieved not only by their hard work but also by the consistency in the exchange of ideas among the faculty taking them through the various courses. To this effect, the faculty led by the APHREA-DST UoN chapter PI, Prof. Patrick Weke, have and continue meeting regularly to share experiences on teaching and student interactions in the various courses.