Research Training in Data Science for Health in Rwanda

About This Grant

PROJECT SUMMARY The U2R Research Training Program (RTP) in Data Science for Health is a partnership among Washington University in St. Louis (WashU) in United States (US), the University of Rwanda (UR), and the African Institute of Mathematical Sciences (AIMS) both from Rwanda, to develop a sustainable research workforce capable of applying data science and artificial intelligence (AI) to address major public health challenges shared by Rwanda and the US. Cardiovascular diseases, hypertension, diabetes, HIV, and emerging infectious diseases remain major public health priorities in the US and globally, requiring innovative analytical approaches for disease surveillance, prevention, and healthcare decision-making. Rwanda's simultaneous burden of communicable and noncommunicable diseases creates a unique "perfect public health storm," providing an exceptional natural laboratory for developing and evaluating data science methods applicable to complex, multimorbid populations in both countries. The proposed research training program must be conducted in Rwanda because it provides unique scientific resources not readily available in the US. Rwanda is developing nationally integrated health information systems that support longitudinal, population-level health data across multiple levels of care while undergoing a rapid epidemiologic transition characterized by overlapping infectious and chronic diseases. This combination of integrated health data and a dual disease burden provides opportunities to develop, validate, and translate analytical methods, predictive models, and AI applications that cannot readily be replicated within the fragmented US healthcare data environment. The resulting innovations will strengthen disease surveillance, precision public health, chronic disease management, and preparedness for emerging infectious diseases in both Rwanda and the US. To capitalize on these opportunities, the U2R RTP provides interdisciplinary graduate training in data science, computer science, statistics, biomedical sciences, epidemiology, and public health. The program supports MSc, PhD, postdoctoral, and junior faculty trainees through integrated coursework, mentored research, grant and manuscript writing, multidisciplinary team science, and institutional capacity strengthening. By training investigators capable of transforming complex health data into actionable evidence, the program strengthens disease surveillance, informs health policy, accelerates scientific discovery, and improves healthcare delivery. The U2R RTP establishes a sustainable Excellence for Data Science for Health in Rwanda while fostering equitable scientific partnerships between Rwanda and the US. The research workforce, analytical methods, and AI innovations developed through this program will advance global health security, improve management of communicable and noncommunicable diseases, and generate scalable approaches that strengthen biomedical research and public health practice in both countries.