Data science center to improve surgery and injury care in Africa
Official title: The Data Science Center for the Study of Surgery and Injury in Africa (D-SINE-Africa)
Funded at University of Buea · NIH-11159724 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project uses local hospital and community data with data science tools to help track, prevent, and improve treatment for injuries and surgical problems for people in Cameroon and other sub-Saharan African countries.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Buea NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Buea, Cameroon) |
| Project start | September 15, 2021 |
| Project end | June 30, 2026 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $1,159,239 |
| NIH project number | 5U54TW012087-05 |
| Project ID | NIH-11159724 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
People living in Cameroon, South Africa, or Uganda who have experienced traumatic injuries, need surgical care, or are willing to share medical records or take part in surveillance efforts.
✕Less likely to help
People outside the involved countries or those with health issues unrelated to injury or surgical care are unlikely to benefit directly from this project.
What this research studies
From a patient view, this center brings together universities and health ministries to collect and link hospital records, surveillance data, and other health information to spot gaps in injury and surgical care. The team will build data systems that work in low-resource settings and train local clinicians and analysts to use them. Two research projects will run in Cameroon, South Africa, and Uganda and will pilot health-access surveillance and other data-driven programs aimed at improving timely care. Administrative, data-management, and capacity-building cores will support the research, networking, and local training activities.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could lead to faster identification of injury hotspots, improved access to timely surgery, and stronger local surgical services.
How similar studies have gone: Other data-driven surveillance and surgical capacity-building efforts have improved care in some regions, but using these approaches across multiple sub-Saharan African countries at this scale is relatively new.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Buea
Buea, Cameroon Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Chichom, Alain Mefire — University of Buea
- Study coordinator: Chichom, Alain Mefire
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.