EpiScientia Network

The challenge

Infectious diseases remain a key challenge in sub-Saharan Africa. Controlling such diseases is complicated by their dynamic nature and sensitivity to factors such as climate change, population movements and environmental disruption. 

National public health institutes have a key role to play in tracking infectious diseases and developing projections of disease patterns over time to guide disease control initiatives. Although there has been much recent investment in such institutes in sub-Saharan Africa, their impact is held back by a skills gap in key areas, such as data science, epidemiology and health informatics. This is a major missed opportunity, as increasing amounts of health data are being generated in the region that could provide valuable insights into the current and potential future burden of different infectious diseases.

One specific challenge is that frontline staff at national public health institutes frequently miss out on training opportunities. They may be too busy working on day-to-day activities or ineligible for capacity-building programmes that focus more on academics. This limits the potential of national public health institutes to deliver high-quality, evidence-informed and policy-relevant input to health policymakers.

The project

The EpiScientia project is addressing this skills gap by creating a new capacity-building programme with a strong focus on work-based learning and practical application of knowledge in data science, epidemiology and health informatics.

It is centred on a Master’s course run by the African Centre of Excellence in Data Sciences at the University of Rwanda. In collaboration with five national public health institutes (in Benin, Ethiopia, Mozambique, Rwanda and Senegal), the project will build the competencies of frontline staff in health informatics, data science and infectious disease modelling. 

Ten fellows will be supported through a Master’s programme in biostatistics, with additional modules in data mining and machine learning. A further 27 trainees will receive certificate-level training in health-oriented big data analysis and data science. Training will be a mix of face-to-face modules, online learning, and supervised workplace-based projects, focusing on topics directly relevant to national public health institutes’ ongoing activities and priorities.

In addition, the project is creating a harmonised federated data platform to support trainees’ learning. This will facilitate the analysis of multiple data sources based on a federated approach to data management, which enables remote and integrated analysis of data that remains held within local secure data environments. This platform will bring data together from multiple sources, such as electronic health record systems, electronic disease and other registries, and community health data, using internationally recognised health data categorisation frameworks to ensure consistency.

As well as serving as a learning environment for trainees, this platform will also be a valuable long-term national asset supporting health data analysis in national public health institutes to underpin data-driven decision-making.

Impact

The EpiScientia project is addressing a key skills gap in infectious disease control. It will:

• Create a cohort of specialists with skills in analysing and interpreting health data and in generating timely evidence-based outputs that address local health priorities.
• Improve technical capacities, career development and retention within national public health institutes, strengthening institutional capacity.
• Ensure that the growing tide of health data in the region is utilised to generate actionable insights to improve infectious disease control.
• Create a network of specialists and foster knowledge exchange, amplified by partnerships with Africa CDC to ensure alignment with regional frameworks.

In sum, the project’s work will play a pivotal role in building national healthcare systems so that they are better able to utilise data to identify and address key infectious disease challenges.