September 15 – October 21, 2020

State of Data Science Series
A series of interactive discussions featuring deeper dives into a few relevant scientific topics on a weekly basis

Key Date
                              

Session Description

Innovations in Health Metrics Sciences: Measuring, Mapping, and Monitoring Morbidity and Mortality at the Regional, National, and Local Levels in Africa

This session will highlight the emerging field of health metrics sciences and its role in measuring and monitoring summary measures of health in Africa to better develop and implement measures to reduce the burden of disease. Identify challenges and opportunities relevant to the DS-I Africa initiatives. Address the increasing role that health metrics is playing in informing and prioritizing systems-level health interventions and broad public health-related decision making. Discuss how health metrics and data science can inform and evaluate more effective integrated care efforts at the intersection of infectious diseases and the rapidly growing burden of chronic, non-communicable diseases

Moderators:
George A. Mensah, MD, FACC, Director, Center for Translation Research and Implementation Science, NHLBI, NIH

Makeda Williams, PhD, MPH, Global Health Program Director, Center for Translation Research and Implementation Science, NHLBI, NIH 

Panelists:
Mayowa Owolabi, MBBS, MSc, DrM, Professor of Neurology and Director, Center for Genomic and Precision Medicine; Dean, Faculty of Clinical Sciences, University of Ibadan

Laura Dwyer-Lindgren, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Health Metrics Sciences, School of Medicine, and Institute for Health Metrics, University of Washington

Ana H Mocumbi, MD, PhD, Senior Researcher and Head, Chronic & Non-Communicable Diseases Division, Ministry of Health, National Health Institute & Eduardo  Mondlane University 

Ali H. Mokdad, PhD, Professor, Department of Health Metrics Sciences, School of Medicine, Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation; Chief Strategy Officer, Population Health, University of Washington

Tues Sept 15
9:00 am EDT |
4:00 pm EAT                                

Biomedical Imaging: Acquisition and Analysis   

This session will focus on opportunities and challenges at the intersection of biomedical imaging (including microscopy, diagnostic and interventional radiology, and digital pathology) and data science.  The session will both consider new and emerging imaging modalities as well as computer-aided diagnosis and treatment planning tools and emerging AI/machine learning approaches to image analysis. 

Moderators: 
Paul Pearlman, Program Director/Lead, Global Health Technology, Center for Global Health, US National Cancer Institute (NCI), National Institutes of Health

Panelists:
Dan Milner, Chief Medical Officer, American Society of Clinical Pathology (ASCP) Center for Global Health

Michael Kawooya, Professor/Director, Ernest Cook Ultrasound Research and Education Institute (ECUREI)

Celia Cintas, Research Scientist, IBM Research Africa

Sameer Antani, Chief for the Communications Engineering Branch and the Computer Science Branch, Lister Hill National Center for Biomedical Communications at the US National Library of Medicine (NLM), National Institutes of Health

Leveraging Data Science Approaches to Address Environmental Health Challenges in Africa

Environmental Health challenges in Africa are complex, involving a broad range of exposures, including ambient and indoor air pollution, electronic waste, heavy metals, pesticides, vector-borne pathogens, and climate change, and a large proportion of the disease burden in Africa is linked to environmental factors. This session will explore unique aspects and analytic challenges of the various types of environmental health data and will highlight recent data science approaches to characterizing hazardous exposures on the African continent, connecting environmental exposures to health outcomes, and reducing the risk of disease connected to the environment. 

Moderators:
Gwen Collman, Acting Deputy Director, Associate Director for Extramural Research, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences

Panelists:
Kiros Berhane, Professor and Chair, Department of Biostatistics, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University

Caradee Wright, Senior Specialist Scientist, Environment and Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council

Engineer Bainomugisha, Associate Professor and Chair, Department of Computer Science, School of Computing & IT, Makerere University

Biomedical Informatics and Data Sciences in Africa

This session will address emerging opportunities and challenges in the application of Data Science and Informatics technologies in various biomedical domains. It will also highlight some key challenges in the areas of data mining, data quality, standards for various types of data, in addition to addressing how cutting-edge data analytics, predictive modeling and Machine Learning, and methods for simulations can advance human health in Africa. 

Moderators:
Darrell Hurt, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health (NIH)

Geetha Senthil, National Institute of Mental Health, NIH 

Panelists:
Abdoulaye Banire Diallo, University of Quebec-Montreal (UQAM) 

Elaine Nsoesie, Boston University 

Geoffrey Siwo, University of Notre Dame 

Dina Machuve, Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology 

Moustapha Cisse, Google AI

Innovative Approaches to Improve Maternal and Child Health

Maternal and child health outcomes in Africa still lag behind the rest of the world despite prioritization as a topic of focus within the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Partners from  country-level governments, research institutions, private sector program funding agencies and non-governmental organizations are involved in various capacities and across disciplines, implementing activities to reduce the enormous burden of high mortality and morbidity of women and children on the African continent.  Nonetheless, millions of women and children experience death and severe morbidity each year despite these efforts. In this session we will 1) address the gap in availability of existing databases and collective data focused on pregnancy and the peripartum period; 2) explore emerging use of linked data such as electronic medical records as a tool for conducting research, analyzing data and creating tools for interventions; and 3) develop concrete recommendations for a strategy to utilize data science to improve maternal and child health outcomes from pre-pregnancy to pregnancy and delivery and throughout the mother and child’s life course. 

Introductions:
Vesna Kutlesic, Ph.D., Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), National Institutes of Health (NIH)

Naveen Rao, M.D., Senior Vice President & Senior Advisor to the President, Health Initiative, The Rockefeller Foundation

Diana Bianchi, M.D., Director, NICHD, NIH

Moderators:
Denise Russo, Ph.D., NICHD, NIH
Marion koso-Thomas, M.D., MPH, NICHD, NIH

Panelists:
Andre van der Kouwe, Ph.D., Associate Professor in Radiology, Harvard Medical School, Assistant in Physics, Massachusetts General Hospital 

Lilla Zöllei, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Radiology, Harvard Medical School

Moses Alobo, M.D., Program Manager, Grand Challenges Africa Programme at African Academy of Sciences

Alash’le Abimiku, Ph.D., Professor in Epidemiology & Public Health, University of Maryland School of Medicine; Executive Director, International Research Center of Excellence at the Institute of Human Virology-Nigeria

Amel Ghouila, Ph.D., Vice President, African Society of Bioinformatics and Computational Biology (ASBCB); Founder, Technovation Tunisia

Using Data Science to Fight COVID-19 Session

This webinar will discuss the COVID-19 situation in Africa and will present application examples of Data Science for disease management. A panel of experts will touch on topics such as disease surveillance, generating dashboards with the latest statistics, and mining of text or social media to discover trends. Other topics will be data-interoperability, publication tracking, disease burden and mortality, and the effect of COVID-19 on diseases like HIV and malaria.

Moderators:
Stefan Jaeger, Ph.D., National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health
Cecile Viboud, Ph.D., Fogarty International Center, National Institutes of Health

Panelists:
Agnes Kiragga, Ph.D., Head of Statistics and Data Management Unit and Senior Research Scientist, Infectious Diseases Institute (IDI), Makerere University College of Health Sciences

Nirmal Ravi, MD, Ph.D., Director for Medical and Scientific Affairs, E-Health Africa, and Chief Innovation Officer, EHA Clinics

Ali H. Mokdad, Ph.D., Professor of Health Metrics Sciences, the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation; Chief Strategy Officer, Population Health at the University of Washington

Elaine Nsoesie, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Global Health, Boston University School of Public Health

Frank Kagoro, M.D., MSc, Research Physician, MORU Tropical Health Network and WorldWide Antimalarial Resistance Network; PhD Candidate, University of Cape Town 

Mon Aug 10 
7:40- 9am EDT |
2:40- 4pm EAT     

                              

Video Screening

Optional screening of pre-recorded videos which will also be posted on the symposium website and Virtual Forum in advance. You may join at this time or view the videos at your convenience prior to the event.

Opening Keynote: The NIH Vision for Harnessing Data Science and Innovation for Health in Africa
Francis Collins, Director, NIH

Funding Opportunity Announcement Presentations

Overview - Laura Povlich, Program Officer, Fogarty International Center (FIC), NIH

Research Hubs - Brad Newsome, Program Officer, FIC, NIH

Research Training Program- Laura Povlich, Program Officer, Fogarty International Center (FIC), NIH

Ethical, Legal, and Social Implications Research - Jay Churchill, Health Scientist Administrator, National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), NIH

Open Data Science Platform & Coordinating Center - Tiffani Lash, Program Director of Division of Health Informatics Technologies (Informatics) at National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB), NIH &
Ishwar Chandramouliswaran, Program Director of Office of Data Science and Emerging Technologies at National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), NIH

Mon Aug 10
9-11 am EDT |  4-6 pm EAT                    

Funding Opportunities Q&A Interactive Panel

Panelists:

Laura Povlich, Program Officer, Fogarty International Center (FIC), NIH

Brad Newsome, Program Officer, FIC, NIH

Jay Churchill, Health Scientist Administrator, National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), NIH

Tiffani Lash, Program Director of Division of Health Informatics Technologies (Informatics) at National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB), NIH

Ishwar Chandramouliswaran, Program Director of Office of Data Science and Emerging Technologies at National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), NIH

Interactive Breakout Clinics

• Success Stories: Case studies of successful grantees
  Hear advice from researchers who have successfully applied for and received NIH funding.
  Rajesh Vedanthan, Associate Professor, New York University Langone
  Shivani Patel, Assistant Professor, Emory University
   
• Live demo of application process
  Watch a live demo of the electronic application process through the Application Submission System & Interface for Submission Tracking (ASSIST) system.
  Laurie Roman, Customer Service Manager for eSubmissions, ASSIST & CRIMS electronic Research Administration, Office of Extramural Research, NIH
   
• Grant management advice
  Learn about the role of grant management specialist at NIH and hear advice regarding the policy and budget aspects of NIH applications.
  Satabdi Raychowdhury, Grant Management Officer, Fogarty International Center, NIH
  Mollie Shea, Grant Management Officer, Fogarty International Center, NIH
   
• Top Tips from Peer Reviewers
  Hear advice from researchers who have served as reviewers on peer review panels.
  Venkat Narayan, Professor, Emory University
   
• Making the Most of the Symposium
  Learn about how to navigate and optimize your participation in the Symposium platform.
  Maggie Dugan, Knowinnovation

Tues Aug 11
7:30 am EDT |
2:30 pm EAT                               

Video Screening
Optional screening of pre-recorded videos which will also be posted on the symposium website and Virtual Forum in advance. You may join at this time or view the videos at your convenience prior to the event.

Keynote Videos

Tues Aug 11
9-11 am EDT | 4-6 pm EAT                

KEYNOTE PANEL
Data Science Partnerships: Going Beyond Academia for Health Impact

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 Screening
Optional screening of pre-recorded videos which will also be posted on the symposium website and Virtual Forum in advance. You may join at this time or view the videos at your convenience prior to the event.

Harnessing Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Data Science for Health

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

Partnership and Innovation Marketplace 
A virtual marketplace where participants can meet and interact with other participants in virtual breakout rooms – additional details are coming soon

Mon Aug 17
7:30 am EDT |
2:30 pm EAT                               

Video Screening
Optional screening of pre-recorded videos which will also be posted on the symposium website and Virtual Forum in advance. You may join at this time or view the videos at your convenience prior to the event.

Mon Aug 17
9-11 am EDT | 4-6 pm EAT                

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

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 Screening
Optional screening of pre-recorded videos which will also be posted on the symposium website and Virtual Forum in advance. You may join at this time or view the videos at your convenience prior to the event.

Ethical, Legal, & Social Implications (ELSI) of Data Science Research: What it isn’t, Why You Should Care, & the Importance of Integrating an ELSI Framework into Research

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

Data Ecosystems and Gateways to Foster Research Community Networks Across Africa

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)
 

FOA Office Hours: Research Hubs
Open Q&A related to one of the four DS-I Africa funding opportunity announcements