Aga Khan University Receives Grant to Establish Novel Research Hub

Above. Aerial view of the Aga Khan University campus in Nairobi

Aga Khan University (AKU) is the recipient of a $6.5 million grant to establish a cutting-edge data science hub which will use artificial intelligence, machine learning, and other emerging technologies to improve health and care delivery in local communities.

Utilizing Health Information for Meaningful impact in East Africa though Data Science (UZIMA-DS) will be the first initiative of its kind in the region. Funded by a grant from the US National Institutes of Health (NIH), the program will be led by AKU with partners in Kenya, the US and Canada.

There is a dearth of tools that can be used for early identification of women, children, and young adults at risk of poor physical and mental health.
—Amina Abubakar, Aga Khan University

UZIMA-DS looks to leverage data science to proactively avoid adverse outcomes in maternal and newborn health and mental health. It will also leverage machine learning, an application of artificial intelligence, to identify creative solutions to aid health service providers and policymakers within resource constrained environments.

“Early identification and intervention are critical to a good prognosis for all health conditions,” said Amina Abubakar, professor of psychiatry and director of the Institute for Human Development at AKU and co-principal investigator. “However, in many low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) there is a dearth of tools that can be used for early identification of women, children, and young adults at risk of poor physical and mental health.”

The UZIMA-DS project will be a game changer in two ways, Abubakar says, “First, we will leverage existing data to develop tools and models that can aid early identification of at-risk populations. Second, we will build the capacity of young Kenyan scientists through post-doctoral and PhD fellowships to use large data to inform health policies and practice.”

Above. Amina Abubakar and Akbar Waljee at Aga Khan University in Nairobi

UZIMA-DS will leverage machine learning to identify creative solutions to aid health service providers and policymakers within resource constrained environment.

Collaborating institutions include the University of Michigan, the Kenya Medical Research Institute/Wellcome Trust Research Programme, and the University of Ottawa.

“I am honored to be working with Professor Abubakar and her colleagues at AKU who share my passion for leveraging AI and machine learning to impact health equity and improve people's lives,” said Akbar Waljee, co-principal investigator and professor of Internal Medicine at the University of Michigan, the top-ranked public research university in the US by research volume. The University of Michigan Center for Global Health Equity provided seed funding to support the initial partnership, which has potentially far-reaching implications for a technology previously associated primarily with high-resource settings.

“The application of emerging technologies and strategic partnerships are increasingly helping to address existing resource and information gaps in LMICs,” said Alex Awiti, vice provost for East Africa at Aga Khan University. “The university is privileged to be a part of this landmark initiative that will help the health sector leap forward in evidence-based policy and service delivery.”

The grant is part of NIH’s Harnessing Data Science for Health Discovery and Innovation in Africa (DSI Africa) program, which aims to leverage data science technologies to develop solutions to the continent’s most pressing public health problems through a robust ecosystem of new partners from academia, government, and the private sector. AKU will implement the project through the Institute for Human Development and the Medical College.

The Research Hubs formed out of this initiative will serve as a core component within the larger program, which will also consist of data science and innovation training programs, research on the ethical, legal, and social implications central to data science health research and innovation in Africa, and an open data science platform and coordinating center.