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

> **NIH NIH U2R** · HARVARD UNIVERSITY D/B/A HARVARD SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH · 2024 · $348,574

## Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract
The training program, “Research Training on Harnessing Data Science for Global Health
Priorities in Africa” will build upon existing data science research capacity at the partnering
institutions to enhance innovative new data science research capacity. Harvard University will
lead the training collaboration with Heidelberg University in support of the University of
KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) as a hub with four spoke partners in sub-Saharan African countries,
namely Ghana, Nigeria, Tanzania, and Uganda. This Program brings together a multidisciplinary
team of researchers and expert faculty with in-depth experience in data science methods and two
selected domain fields identified as global health priorities: (i) health systems strengthening, and
(ii) food systems, climate change and planetary health. The program will advance training in data
science and leverage methods training to address policy-relevant questions in these two research
domains. The research training program will be structured to provide an appropriate balance of
short, medium, and long-term training opportunities for participants from South Africa and 4
countries in Africa in the ARISE Network, namely Ghana, Nigeria, Tanzania, and Uganda. The
long-term goal of this training program is to develop and instill advanced data skilled researchers
in health data science in Africa through a rigorous curriculum and set of training and research
activities designed to address the health needs of African countries. To support the long-term goal,
the program has the following 3 specific aims: Aim 1: Train mid-level and senior researchers at
UKZN to work as educators and principal investigators leading independent research programs
focused on using data science to address important global health challenges of national, regional,
and global relevance; Aim 2: Build a critical mass of junior public health and medical professionals
across South Africa and four other countries in Africa in the ARISE Network (Ghana, Nigeria
Tanzania and Uganda) who can design and successfully carry out rigorous health research
projects using data science; Aim 3: Develop and institute a sustainable master’s degree program
in health data science at the UKZN to serve the research training needs in South Africa and the
African region. The program will train and support 17 master’s degree students, and 5
postdoctoral students through 2-year fellowships, using a data science curriculum and training
program that is (i) competency-based, (ii) mastery-oriented, (iii) application-focused, and (iv)
digitally-enhanced. The curriculum will be complemented by intensive, individual mentoring
provided by a supervisory team, as well as by opportunities for practical training in internships,
capstone projects, and academic research projects. The program will provide short course
instructions to 350 professionals and researchers, of whom 50 will complete a series of four
courses and obtain a proposed graduate certifi...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10886589
- **Project number:** 5U2RTW012140-04
- **Recipient organization:** HARVARD UNIVERSITY D/B/A HARVARD SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH
- **Principal Investigator:** Till Barnighausen
- **Activity code:** U2R (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $348,574
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2021-09-22 → 2026-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10886589

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10886589, Research Training on Harnessing Data Science for Global Health Priorities in Africa (5U2RTW012140-04). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10886589. Licensed CC0.

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