# The CHESS (Community, Home-based Education, Screening Services) Strategy to increase cervical cancer control access for HIV positive women in Nigeria

> **NIH NIH U01** · EMORY UNIVERSITY · 2023 · $125,000

## Abstract

Project Summary
This application is being submitted in response to the Notice of Special Interest (NOSI), NOT-CA-23-
038. The candidate, Oluseye Ajayi, is a Senior Science Officer and Prevention Advisor in a non -
governmental organization, APIN Public Health Initiatives, in Nigeria. The goals of his application are
to use the protected time provided through the program to (1) Build and strengthen mentoring
relationships and skills transfer through regular interactions with mentors and co-mentors; (2) Acquire
experiential skills in clinical epidemiologic research, and be able to translate this to public health
practice (3) Conduct the rigorous research proposed in the application; (4) Acquire skills in
epidemiological modeling, and artificial intelligence; (5) Establish research collaboration network and
effectively coordinate multidisciplinary research projects, and (6) Be able to write, secure, and manage
grants to conduct studies as well as write manuscripts for publication in high-impact journals.
The proposed research titled “AVIVA-AI, Mentored Approach to Building Artificial Intelligence” is aimed
at utilizing artificial intelligence (AI) matching strategy to design and integrate a client-oriented chatbot
to an existing app "AVIVA" used in improving cervical cancer screening among women living with HIV
(WLWH) in Nigeria. In AIM 1, we will design, deploy and integrate the chatbot into the AVIVA app using
a multi-stage implementation model. In stage 1, we will gather WLWH questions and concerns about
cervical screening and treatment over 3 months, through a deployed real-time social media platform-
WhatsApp, manned by virtual support health care professionals (HCP). The questions and responses
gathered from the social media platform will be used to build pre-defined information on an offline
chatbot. In stage 2, the built chatbot will be deployed for real-time online utilization by the recipient of
care (ROCs) and AI-matching of questions and concerns on a small scale, and the chatbot response
appropriateness to ROCs questions will be assessed over 3 months by expert gynecologic-oncologist.
In stage 3, the chatbot will be scaled up for utilization across HIV clinics in the two selected states. In
AIM 2, we will conduct a brief assessment of WLWH Chatbot technology experience, behavioral
intention to continue using the technology, and their perception of technology scalability among WLWH
in HIV settings in Nigeria, while the full evaluation of the innovation (AIM 3) is proposed for
implementation in future grant opportunities.
This application builds on the candidate’s background experience and the expertise of his team of
mentors and co-mentors in Nigeria and the US to achieve the training and research goals of this
program. In the long term, the proposed research and training activities will provide the candidate with
a unique set of experiential skills that will enable him to transition to independence as a scientist.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10846292
- **Project number:** 3U01CA275113-02S1
- **Recipient organization:** EMORY UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** LISA C. FLOWERS
- **Activity code:** U01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2023
- **Award amount:** $125,000
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2022-09-01 → 2027-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10846292

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10846292, The CHESS (Community, Home-based Education, Screening Services) Strategy to increase cervical cancer control access for HIV positive women in Nigeria (3U01CA275113-02S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10846292. Licensed CC0.

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