KIU Builds Expertise for Next Phase of Federated Health Data Research

KIU, Western Campus - With a four-country health research initiative moving closer to implementation, Kampala International University (KIU) is strengthening its capacity for collaborative health data research following specialised training facilitated by the African Population and Health Research Centre (APHRC), whose team was led by Dr. Damazo Kadengye.

Held from October 26th to November 6th, 2026, the two-week programme equipped KIU’s research team with practical skills in health data mapping, standardisation, harmonisation, interoperability and privacy-preserving federated analysis.

The training forms part of the Wellcome-funded initiative, Piloting Federated Learning to Re-design Health Data Systems in Africa, coordinated by APHRC and involving institutions in Côte d’Ivoire, Burkina Faso, Cameroon and Uganda. The project aims to strengthen health data systems and support collaborative research across participating institutions.

The programme builds on an earlier five-day training held from September 28th to October 2nd, 2026, which introduced KIU’s clinical and research teams to the Observational Medical Outcomes Partnership Common Data Model (OMOP CDM). The latest training advanced this work by strengthening the team’s capacity to map, harmonise and analyse health data using OMOP CDM and DataSHIELD, an open-source platform for privacy-preserving statistical analysis.

At the training debriefing, KIU Project Coordinator, Prof. Patrick Aja Maduabuchi, commended APHRC for its technical expertise, commitment and continued support. He noted that the training had strengthened KIU’s readiness for the data harmonisation, governance and analytical activities required under the project.

Prof. Maduabuchi also emphasised the importance of applying the acquired knowledge institutionally through improved research data management, interdisciplinary collaboration and stronger international research networks.

Representing the Deputy Vice Chancellor (DVC) of KIU Western Campus, Assoc. Prof. Eric Mabonga, the Assistant DVC for Finance and Administration, Dr. Bot Sunday Yakubu, commended APHRC and the participants for their engagement in the programme. He encouraged the trained team to serve as resource persons by sharing their knowledge with other staff, researchers and postgraduate students, extending the benefits of the training across the University.

The Chief Executive Officer of KIU Teaching Hospital and Research (KIUTHR), Dr. Umi Omar Bunu, emphasised the importance of sustaining the expertise developed through the programme. She highlighted the need for continued internal capacity building in OMOP-based data harmonisation, DataSHIELD and federated analysis to strengthen the institution’s contribution to collaborative health research.

The next phase of the project will involve data readiness assessments, harmonisation of existing clinical datasets, deployment of federated infrastructure and collaborative analysis of priority public health conditions. These activities will prepare KIU and other participating institutions to undertake cross-country health research using harmonised data systems.

Through its continued collaboration with APHRC, KIU is strengthening its research and technical capacity to contribute to multi-country health data initiatives and the development of more connected, secure and interoperable health research systems across Africa.