Lab profile
About UZIMA-DS
UZIMA-DS creates a scalable and sustainable platform applying novel data assimilation approaches and advanced artificial intelligence/machine learning methods to serve as early warning systems. The hub addresses critical health issues impacting young Africans in two primary domains: maternal, newborn and child health, and mental health, with the goal of improving health outcomes for at-risk mothers, children, adolescents and young adults in Kenya and East Africa.
Maternal, Newborn and Child HealthMental HealthArtificial Intelligence/Machine LearningData SciencePopulation HealthHealth Information SystemsPredictive ModelingEarly Warning Systems
01 · Research focus
Research areas and highlights
Topics and recent work as stated on the lab’s own site.
- Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (MNCH) ProjectDevelops AI/ML-based early warning systems and predictive models for poor pregnancy outcomes, cardiovascular morbidity in mothers, and long-term life outcomes in Kenyan children using large-scale surveillance and cohort datasets.
- Mental Health ProjectDeploys mobile app platforms and surveillance methodologies to develop AI/ML-based prediction models for depression and suicide ideation risk in Kenyan adolescents and young adults.
- Use of TraCer Tool to Address Gestational Age (GA) Challenges in LMICsValidates an AI-powered wireless ultrasound tool for gestational age assessment in low-resource settings using automated fetal head measurements.
- Data Resource on Adolescent Mental Health in AfricaCreates an integrated, harmonized data resource from existing mental health studies in rural KwaZulu Natal, South Africa, accessible to the wider scientific community.
- Improving Psychosis DiagnosisIntegrates multimodal clinical, demographic, and genetic data with machine learning to improve diagnostic accuracy and classification of psychosis subtypes across four African countries.
- Early Prediction of Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM) in Kenya using Machine Learning AlgorithmsDevelops robust ML algorithms for early prediction of GDM in Kenya to enhance maternal and fetal health outcomes through timely interventions.
02 · People
Leadership and researchers
People listed on the lab’s team pages, by role.
Amina AbubakarDirector · Professor & Director, Aga Khan University Institute for Human Development
Akbar WaljeeCo-Director · Professor of Internal Medicine in the Division of Gastroenterology & Director, Michigan Integrated Center for Health Analytics and Medical Prediction (MiCHAMP)
Farhana AlarakhiyaChief Data Innovation Officer, Data Innovation Office
Lukoye AtwoliDean of the Medical College, East Africa
Nancy BookerDean, Graduate School of Media & Communications
Angela KoechCo-principal investigator, Centre of Excellence in Women & Child Health
Zul MeraliDirector, Brain & Mind Institute
Anthony NgugiAssociate Professor of Epidemiology & Population Health
Saleem SayaniDirector, Technology Innovation Support CentreLinkedIn ↗
Marleen TemmermanProfessor and Chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology & Director of the Aga Khan University Hospital, Centre of Excellence in Women, Child and Adolescent Health
Samad ZainabProf & Chair, Department of Medicine, Medical College, Pakistan
03 · Research intelligence
Research Intelligence evidence
Publications, grants and clinical trials linked to the lab’s researchers in Health AI Central’s research data.
Publications & preprints
- Global perspectives on central nervous system drug innovation: achievements, barriers, and priorities for the next decade.The international journal of neuropsychopharmacology · 2026
- Assessing aflatoxin knowledge, perceptions, and related practices, in a rural coastal community: a population-based cross-sectional survey.BMC public health · 2026
- Normative growth trajectories of fetal brain regions validated by satisfactory maturation of neurodevelopmental domains at 2 years of age.Nature communications · 2026
04 · Updates
Updates and lab news
News and events from the lab’s own site.
- Creating Data-Driven, African-Oriented Health InterventionsEventMar 5, 2025 · uzimadatascience.org
- NIH Grant to Strengthen Research Administration Capacity Across AfricaAwarduzimadatascience.org
- Synthetic data allows for safe sharing in low-resource settingsNewsuzimadatascience.org
- Promoting Data StorytellingEventuzimadatascience.org
- Breakthrough Health Innovations in AfricaEventuzimadatascience.org
- Promoting Science CommunicationEventuzimadatascience.org
05 · Official presence
Lab sources and channels
The lab’s own pages and accounts.
06 · Related
Related labs and centers
Labs at the same institution and labs working on similar topics.