The PHM Hub

The challenge

Infectious diseases continue to pose a major challenge in sub-Saharan Africa. Issues of growing importance include outbreaks triggered by the transmission of pathogens from wild animals or livestock, as well as the impact of climate change and the disruption of ecosystems due to changing land use, which are profoundly affecting the risk of infection. 

Surveillance is essential for tracking changing patterns of disease, providing data to support early and effective responses to emerging challenges. However, this requires a skilled workforce able to convert data into action. Sub-Saharan Africa currently faces a severe shortage of researchers with skills in biostatistics, epidemiology and infectious disease modelling. 

The project

To address this critical skills gap, the PHM Hub project is establishing a fellowship hub in West and Central Africa, building on strong existing centres in Gabon and Senegal and links to European institutions.

Through the programme, fellows will undertake a Master’s degree in biostatistics with specialisation in epidemiology, as a specialised track within an existing Master’s programme. The project will also offer a university diploma in infectious disease dynamics and modelling.

Of 35 trainees, 20 will be postgraduate fellows undertaking the Master’s degree, with a further 15 individuals from a wide range of professions and backgrounds selected for the university diploma course.

Each participant on the programme will benefit from a comprehensive support package, including mentoring, a personal development plan and a three-month research project. The PHM Hub will partner with training labs, National Public Health Institutes and the West African Health Organisation (WAHO), encouraging cross-disciplinary research and innovative problem-solving. 

To develop their wider research skills, participants will also receive training in areas such as science communications, ethics of data management and scientific leadership. Teaching will be delivered through a digital platform developed in sub-Saharan Africa. 

The programme is adopting a ‘One Health’ perspective, recognising the importance of a complex range of drivers of disease linked to the human–animal interface, the environment, and the impact of a changing climate. 

Impact

The PHM Hub project will address a critical capacity gap in West and Central Africa. It will: 

• Create a skilled regional workforce of public health modellers, data scientists and epidemiologists, providing national policymakers with access to modelling and scenario planning expertise for epidemic response.
• Help to generate regionally relevant knowledge, ensuring that responses reflect the specific nature of regional health challenges.
• Increase the use of locally generated data and analyses in policy processes, with African governments able to rely on their own experts for forecasting, risk assessment and health planning.
• Establish a network of scientific leaders and institutions that work collaboratively across borders.
• Strengthen the academic ecosystem, with curricula, digital learning platforms, and mentoring structures integrated into partner universities.

The PHM Hub project will create a cohort of experts equipped to lead modelling efforts at national and regional levels, enhancing national and regional capacities in the surveillance, prevention and management of infectious diseases, and ensuring more effective responses to outbreaks.