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Cross-Cutting Topics

NIH hosted a series of online-only, interactive panel discussions from August to October 2020 featuring information on the funding opportunity announcements, cross-cutting topics of importance to the initiative, relevant scientific issues, and the state of data science in Africa:

The Cross-cutting Topics session offered screenings of video presentations from inspiring leaders from a variety of fields and sectors on August 11-12 and August 17-19, 2020. The video screenings were followed by live panel discussions with experts on topics of importance to the DS-I Africa initiative. 

Click on the drop-down menus below to watch the video presentations for each cross-cutting topic. 

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Data Science Partnerships: Going Beyond Academia for Health Impact

Tuesday, August 11

9-11 am Eastern Daylight Time (New York, NY)
4-6pm East Africa Time (Nairobi, Kenya)

Moderator:

Patricia Brennan, Director, National Library of Medicine, NIH

Panelists:

  • Brian Gitta, CEO and Co-Founder, Matibabu and Think IT
  • Catherine Kyobutungi, Executive Director, African Population and Health Research Center 
  • Julie Makani, Associate Professor in the Department of Haematology and Blood Transfusion, Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences
  • Beatrice Murage, Senior Scientist, Philips 
  • David Moinina Sengeh, Minister of Basic and Senior Secondary Education and Chief Innovation Officer; Government of Sierra Leone
  • Aisha Walcott-Bryant, Research Manager at IBM Research Africa

Video presentations from each of the panelists are available for viewing on the Keynotes Videos page.

Watch the recording of the live interactive session hosted on August 11:


Harnessing Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Data Science for Health

Wednesday, August 12

9-11 am Eastern Daylight Time (New York, NY)
4-6pm East Africa Time (Nairobi, Kenya)

Introduction:

Bruce Tromberg, Director, National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, NIH (by video)

Moderator:

Roger Glass, Director, Fogarty International Center, NIH

Panelists:

  • Gregory Gamula, Dean of Engineering, University of Malawi, The Polytechnic
  • Andrea (Andi) Gobin, Director of Invention Education & Lecturer, Rice 360 Institute for Global Health, Rice University
  • Robert Karanja, CEO, Villgro Kenya
  • Fadhili Chacha Marwa, CEO, Enzi Health
  • Theresa Mkandawire, Associate Professor, University of Malawi, The Polytechnic
  • Elioda Tumwesigye, Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Government of Uganda

Video Presentations

Watch the full video below or click on presentation titles from the panelists to watch only those segments (click here for the audio-described video).

Interactive Session

Watch the recording of the live interactive session hosted on August 12:

Training the Next Generation of Leaders in Data Science and Health Innovation

Monday, August 17

9-11 am Eastern Daylight Time (New York, NY)
4-6pm East Africa Time (Nairobi, Kenya)

Moderator:

Martin Were, Associate Professor of Biomedical Informatics, Vanderbilt University; Founding Director, Institute of Biomedical Informatics, Moi University, Kenya

Panelists:

  • Mahadia Tunga, Co-founder and Director of Capacity Development, Tanzania dLab
  • Ignace Kabano, Head of Training, African Center of Excellence in Data Science, University of Rwanda
  • Amel Ghoulia, Scientific Community Coordinator, Exaptive for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
  • Jeremie Zoueu, National Polytechnic Institute, Côte d’Ivoire; African Spectral Imaging Network (AFSIN)

Video Presentations

Watch the full video below or click on presentation titles from the panelists to watch only those segments

Interactive Session

Watch the recording of the live interactive session hosted on August 17:

Ethical, Legal, & Social Implications (ELSI) of Data Science Research

Tuesday, August 18

9-11 am Eastern Daylight Time (New York, NY)
4-6pm East Africa Time (Nairobi, Kenya)

Introduction:

Joshua Gordon, Director, National Institute of Mental Health, NIH

Moderator:

Pamela Andanda, Professor of Law, University of Witwatersrand

Panelists:

  • Clement Adebamowo, Professor, University of Maryland Medical School
  • Josephine Agyeman-Duah, Doctoral Researcher, University of Oxford
  • Rosemary Musesengwa, Senior Researcher, University of Oxford

Video Presentations

Watch the full video below or click on presentation titles from the panelists to watch only those segments

Interactive Session

Watch the recording of the live interactive session hosted on August 18:

Data Ecosystems and Gateways to Foster Research Community Networks Across Africa

Wednesday, August 19

9-11 am Eastern Daylight Time (New York, NY)
4-6pm East Africa Time (Nairobi, Kenya)

Moderator:

Katherine Lawrence, Research Area Specialist Lead and Research Investigator, University of Michigan 

Panelists:

  • Nicola Mulder, Professor and head of the Computational Biology, University of Cape Town; PI of H3ABioNet
  • Benedict Paten, Associate Professor, Biomolecular Engineering, UCSC
  • Geoffrey Siwo, Research Assistant Professor, University of Notre Dame
  • Russ Taylor, Professor of Astronomy, University of Cape Town
  • Susan Veldsman, Director, Scholarly Publishing Unit, Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf)

Video Presentations

Watch the full video below or click on presentation titles from the panelists to watch only those segments (Click here for the audio-described video).

Interactive Session

Watch the recording of the live interactive session hosted on August 19:

This page last reviewed on March 14, 2024