Health
Ekyaalo Diagnostics; Johns Hopkins University Partners with Makerere and MUST to Advance AI Innovation for Breast Cancer Diagnosis
Published
1 month agoon
By
Mak Editor
By Joseph Odoi
Globally, Breast cancer remains a serious health challenge, with the World Health Organization (2022) reporting over 2.3 million new cases annually and nearly 670,000 deaths. In Uganda, breast cancer is one of the leading cancers among women, yet the majority of patients are diagnosed at late stages due to delays in accessing diagnostic services, most of which are centralized at the Uganda Cancer Institute (UCI) in Kampala. Since 72% of Uganda’s population lives in rural areas, women often face late diagnosis due to long travel distances. Even after accessing care, results can take 1–6 months due to the slow process of transporting samples to central laboratories. This delay directly impacts the timely start of treatment.
To address this gap, Johns Hopkins University in collaboration with Makerere University and Mbarara University of Science and Technology (MUST), is spearheading innovative solutions that leverage artificial intelligence (AI) and low-cost technologies to improve early diagnosis and treatment.
As part of this collaboration, the Centre for Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health Research at Makerere University School of Public Health led by Associate Professor Peter Waiswa in July hosted a team of graduate biomedical engineers from the Center for Bioengineering Innovation and Design (CBID) at John Hopkins University.
The team is developing a low-cost, AI-powered technology called Ekyaalo Diagnostics, aimed at reducing the turnaround time for breast cancer diagnosis, especially in hard-to-reach areas. As part of their work, they undertook a learning tour at the Ministry of Health, Uganda Cancer Institute, and regional cancer referral centres. The purpose was to map stakeholders in the breast cancer space, gather Ekyaalo diagnostic technology usability feedback, and understand the local innovation ecosystem in breast cancer care.
Ekyaalo Diagnostics and Bringing Pathology Closer to Communities
The flagship innovation, Ekyaalo Diagnostics, is a portable AI-powered whole-slide scanner (WSS) designed to digitize cytology samples at Health Centre IVs and General Hospitals. These digitized images are securely transmitted to pathologists at higher-level facilities for timely review, eliminating the need for physically transporting samples to Kampala.

This technology has the potential to reduce diagnosis delays from several months to just a few days, thereby improving survival outcomes for breast cancer patients.
Building Local Solutions to Global Challenges
In addition to Ekyaalo Diagnostics, Makerere researchers at the Department of Biomedical Engineering are also advancing other innovations such as development of artificial breast prototypes to be used in educating women on breast cancer symptoms while Research at Mbarara University led by Dr. William Waswa, are developing PapsAI, a low-cost automated tool that support whole slide scanning of slides for cervical cancer screening.
These initiatives are aligned with the National Cancer Control Plan (NCCP) of the Ministry of Health, which emphasizes prevention, early detection, timely diagnosis.
Design Challenges and Considerations
Despite the progress being made, challenges persist, according to the team’s findings from the tour,these technologies hold great promise however their success in Uganda will depend on addressing some critical barriers.
One of the biggest challenges is limited staffing. Many lower-level health facilities lack trained laboratory personnel to prepare slides. For this reason, new technologies must be designed to be simple, user-friendly, and capable of being adopted after short training sessions.
Another major barrier is equipment maintenance. Past medical innovations in Uganda have often struggled with frequent breakdowns and software failures. The team emphasized that new diagnostic tools must be affordable, durable, and resistant to common system crashes if they are to serve rural health facilities effectively.
Finally, high operational costs continue to undermine sustainability. Some innovations fail because their maintenance costs are too high or because they are incompatible with existing health systems. Ensuring cost-effectiveness and system integration will therefore be vital for the long-term success of breast cancer diagnostic technologies in Uganda.
MORE ABOUT THE PROJECT
The project is led by the Johns Hopkins Center for Bioengineering Innovation and Design (CBID) in collaboration with Makerere’s Department of Biomedical Engineering and MUST researchers. Field learning tours have already been conducted at Mulago National Referral Hospital, Jinja, Mbarara, and Fort Portal Regional Referral Hospitals, with input from clinicians, technologists, and innovators in Uganda’s health ecosystem.
The Johns Hopkins team has conducted usability interviews with clinicians, laboratory technologists, and surgeons at multiple hospitals including Mulago, Jinja, Mbarara, and Fort Portal. They have also engaged with Uganda’s innovation ecosystem, including makerspaces and industry partners. It has been noted that the Ministry of Health together with Partners working on treatment of cancer has drafted the National Cancer Control Plan (NCCP) that is aimed at reducing incidence, morbidity and mortality through prevention and early treatment and palliative care. The Plan will give guide on health education, early detection, and diagnosis among others Special thanks go to the Center for Bioengineering Innovation and Design (CIBID) Johns Hopkins University for funding this field learning tour, Centre for Maternal Newborn and Child Health Research at School of Public health (Makerere University) for hosting the team, Departments of Bioengineering at Makerere University and Mbarara University of Science and Technology, Mulago pathology department and the Uganda cancer institute, Regional Referral hospitals of Jinja, Mbarara and Fort Portal among other General hospitals and Health center IVs visited for technical input.
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Makerere, Karolinska Reflect on 25 Years, Encourage University Research Equality
Health
Makerere, Karolinska Reflect on 25 Years, Encourage University Research Equality
Published
5 days agoon
October 17, 2025
STOCKHOLM — Makerere University and Karolinska Institutet (KI-Mak) marked 25 years of collaboration on Oct. 15, 2025, with a hybrid forum on research equity, highlighting lessons for universities striving toward fair and sustainable global partnerships.
The event, part of the Global Conversations on Sustainable Health, explored the theme, “Exploring Power Dynamics & Equity in Partnerships.” Scholars, policymakers, and university leaders gathered to discuss how institutions can build collaborations grounded in trust, shared ownership, and mutual respect.
Organized by the Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Health (CESH), a joint initiative between Makerere University and Karolinska Institutet, the forum reflected on how equitable partnerships drive progress toward the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.
Hours before the event, Sweden’s Ambassador to Uganda, H.E. Maria Håkansson, posted on X (formerly Twitter):
“The partnership between Makerere University and Karolinska Institutet is both dynamic and exemplary in how many years of development cooperation can lay the foundation for mutually beneficial relations between institutions in Sweden and Uganda.”

Equity, Trust, and Warmth at the Core
Panelists navigated questions of power, agency, and mutual respect. Policymakers, researchers, and academics agreed that successful partnerships depend not only on fairness but also on warmth, the human connection that sustains collaboration and ensures initiatives respond meaningfully to local realities.
Dr. Andreas Göthenberg, executive director of the Swedish Foundation for International Cooperation in Research and Higher Education (STINT), recalled that earlier models often reduced African researchers to “data farmers” in one-directional projects led from the North.
“We now support balanced research collaborations, not capacity building alone,” he said.
Over the past decade, he added, STINT has seen a surge of high-quality proposals from African researchers seeking genuine collaboration.
“When partners bring different expertise and learn from each other, that is when collaborations work well,” he said. “Institutions with fewer resources can now do very advanced things; that’s a real game changer.”
Göthenberg said Africa’s rapid advances in microfinancing, cloud computing, and even space research show that “technology development means institutions with fewer resources can still do very advanced things,” offering lessons for innovation systems in Europe.

Why Equitable Partnerships Matter
Professors Rhoda Wanyenze and Stefan Swartling Peterson have argued that traditional models often concentrate leadership and funding in the Global North, thereby limiting the agency of Southern partners.
Their work from long-term collaborations in Ethiopia, Uganda, Lao PDR, and Vietnam shows that shifting leadership to where research occurs strengthens local capacity and aligns agendas with community needs.
They demonstrate that equity relies on mutual trust, transparency, and shared decision-making, principles that transform funding into a tool for empowerment rather than dependency. Joint PhD programs, reciprocal staff exchanges, and twinned supervision models have further enabled two-way knowledge flow and reduced brain drain.
“Partnerships grounded in reciprocity, inclusion, and respect are not only ethically sound but also more effective,” Wanyenze said. “They build local ownership, lasting capacity, and context-driven innovation.”

Championing South-to-South Knowledge Exchange
Associate Professor Caroline Wamala-Larsson, director of the SPIDER program at Stockholm University, underscored that the Global South must set its research agendas.
“The agenda must be set by Southern institutions. Swedish institutions act as collaborators, not directors,” she said.
She cited projects in Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Bolivia, and Mozambique where South-to-South learning has flourished.

“Bolivians traveled to Tanzania to share source codes from a research management system. Now, the University of Dar es Salaam wants to adopt it,” she said. “Solutions developed within the South often fit local contexts better than Northern models.”
Wamala-Larsson added that innovation and digital transformation have strengthened institutional systems. “We need new funders, private sector partners, and universities to participate equally.” Respect for each partner’s contribution is essential for sustainability,” she said.
Adapting to a Changing Global Landscape
Shifting global priorities and limited funding are reshaping how universities collaborate. Ms. Brenda Wagaba, partnerships officer at Makerere University, noted that while funding remains limited, the Government of Uganda, for instance, has taken steps to support local research through the Research and Innovation Fund. “The government started setting aside money for university research even before the recent cuts,” she said.
“Now, with those cuts, the need for sustained domestic investment is even greater.” She added that such initiatives strengthen the confidence of Southern partners to engage as equal contributors in global collaborations.
Dr. Rawlance Ndejjo, a Makerere University researcher, said local initiatives could help sustain momentum. “Local funding opportunities allow countries to find resources for research and partnerships. Such efforts can improve equity through bottom-up collaborations,” he said.

Göthenberg noted that new opportunities lie in multidisciplinary work. “Many of the challenges we face today demand broadly defined solutions,” he said. “Multidisciplinary projects lead to broader societal impact and stronger partnerships.”
He also pointed to Africa’s demographic advantage: “With its young population and rapid innovation, Africa is driving technological development in ways that can benefit both continents.”
Equitable Partnerships Deliver Results
Wagaba said engaging communities early is key to success. “When we engage communities early, we can bridge the gap between large-scale interventions and local acceptance. Whether it’s water, vaccines, or health infrastructure, success depends on understanding immediate community priorities,” she said.
She cautioned that top-down projects often fail to deliver lasting impact.
“You may build a vaccine plant or develop a vaccine, but if a community’s immediate need is safe water, your intervention will falter,” she said, adding that warmth, respect, and open communication are as critical as technical expertise.
Makerere Vice Chancellor Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe highlighted tangible results from Sweden’s long-term support.

“Under the SIDA program, 500 PhD students were trained, all of whom returned to Uganda,” he said. “The program made them feel at home while gaining knowledge abroad. Without mutual respect, equity will always face challenges.”
Prof. Annika Östman Wernerson, president of Karolinska Institutet, said sustainable partnerships depend on continuous engagement.
“Every collaboration begins with people meeting. Warmth and curiosity are crucial between individuals and institutions,” she said. “Equity is not static; it requires continuous work. Trust and transparency are critical.”

A Global Model for Sustainable Partnerships
The 25-year collaboration between Makerere University and Karolinska Institutet demonstrates how long-term, equitable partnerships can strengthen research systems and inform policy.
As Nawangwe put it:
“Students return home, communities benefit, and research informs global health policy. This is a model of how equity and trust drive sustainable partnerships.”

The Makerere–Karolinska (KI-Mak) partnership shows how universities, funders, and governments can work together fairly and Like many others working in this field, the Center recognises that there is still much to learn and discuss about how partnerships can continue to evolve through openness, dialogue, and shared reflection.
As Makerere and Karolinska look to 2030, their renewed agreements promise more than ceremonial goodwill. The two universities will intensify exchanges between students and faculty, expand joint research, share academic output, and organise lectures, conferences, and workshops. They will also open new paths for training, scientific collaboration, and shared learning. After 25 years, the partnership has proven that long-term cooperation can endure and excel with mutual respect, steady investment, and a clear purpose.
Health
TWAS recognises Dr. Angelina Mwesige Kakooza for her research
Published
1 week agoon
October 13, 2025By
Zaam Ssali
Dr. Angelina Mwesige Kakooza, Associate Professor of Paediatrics in the Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, School of Medicine, Makerere University College of Health Sciences (MakCHS) received the 2025 TWAS-Fayzah M. Al-Kharafi Award in Medical Sciences. She was recognised for her research on neurodevelopmental disorders – particularly epilepsy, cerebral palsy, and nodding syndrome – and for advancing policy and research, mentorship, as well as local community interventions to enhance children’s health.
The award was given at the recent 17th General Conference of The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS) held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil under the theme ‘Building a Sustainable Future: The Role of Science, Technology, and Innovation for Global Development.’ Organized in partnership with the Brazilian Academy of Sciences (BAS) and TWAS, the conference brought together leading scientists, policymakers, and institutional leaders from across the global South and beyond.
In her remarks after receiving the award, Dr. Kakooza said, “This award highlights the importance of neurodevelopmental disorders which are a great health problem worldwide, often diagnosed late and treated poorly,” said Kakooza. “It affirms my contribution to science in Africa, strengthens advocacy for gender equity in science and education and makes me a role model for others, increasing my influence in the scientific community.”

Dr. Angelina Kakooza Mwesige is a Ugandan scholar with over 25years teaching experience whose research focuses on neurodevelopmental disorders in children centred on their epidemiology, early screening, identification and community based interventions in Uganda. Her current areas of research cover studies on early detection and interventions for young infants at high risk of neurodevelopmental delay and disability in Nepal and Uganda; development of community engagement projects to empower adolescents living with epilepsy in Uganda reduce stigma in their communities; as well as development and testing of an interactive epilepsy smart phone application to improve resilience among them.
TWAS is a global merit-based science academy based in Trieste, Italy, and administered as a UNESCO Programme Unit. Read more here: https://twas.org/
Health
Refugee Health Journalism as Empowerment: Why Accuracy, Dignity & Context Matter
Published
2 weeks agoon
October 10, 2025
In July this year, I joined a study tour to Imvepi Refugee Settlement in Uganda’s West Nile region under the RISK-WASH Project, led by Dr. Richard Mugambe. Established in 2017 in what is now Terego District, Imvepi is one of several settlements created to host people fleeing conflict in neighbouring South Sudan. Now home to more than 60,000 refugees, it reflects Uganda’s progressive refugee policy, anchored in the 2006 Refugee Act, which promotes the integration of displaced families within host communities, allocates land for livelihoods, and ensures access to national services. It remains a model both commendable and instructive for the region.
With nearly two million refugees and asylum seekers, most of whom are women and children, Uganda stands among the world’s leading examples of inclusive, community-based refugee protection. The RISK-WASH Project, implemented by the Makerere University School of Public Health (MakSPH) in collaboration with IHE-Delft, BRAC, and icddr,b, with support from the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, organised the three-day visit. The project builds evidence for better Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) decision-making in humanitarian settings, developing practical tools to assess how exposure to unsafe water, poor sanitation, and environmental hazards affects the health of both displaced and host populations.

In Imvepi, that evidence takes human form. Water points run dry under intense demand or drought; latrines overflow during rains; fragile health systems strain to contain preventable diseases that flourish in such conditions. One nurse may attend to hundreds of patients in a single day, treating malaria, respiratory infections, and diarrhoeal diseases directly linked to inadequate WASH infrastructure. The images linger long after one leaves, especially when reflecting on the media’s role in shaping refugee narratives. What struck me most was how such realities are often reduced to statistics or fleeting headlines that reveal little about the lives behind them. I left Imvepi convinced that we, in the media, must not only report but listen differently.
When we cover refugees, we often begin with numbers. Yet behind every statistic is a heartbeat and a history the news cycle rarely pauses to hear. Refugee health, perhaps the most human measure of displacement, is still too often framed as a crisis rather than a continuum of resilience, policy, and rights. The World Health Organisation’s World Reports on the Health of Refugees and Migrants reminds us that refugees frequently experience poorer health outcomes than host populations, not because they are inherently vulnerable, but because access to care is often obstructed by law, language, and logistics. Health, like truth, then, becomes interestingly dependent on who is allowed to speak and who is heard.

It was in this spirit that, on October 3, 2025, we convened the Media Training Workshop on Refugee Health and Migration Reporting at MakSPH. The one-day seminar brought together twenty journalists from Kampala, Kyaka II, Adjumani, and other refugee-hosting districts. Our goal was not to add another humanitarian angle to the news but to rethink how the media can report with depth, ethics, and empathy. Working with partners such as Africa Humanitarian Action, Emesco Development Foundation, and Farmamundi, we explored the subtle power the media wields to either dignify or diminish, to clarify or distort, the lived realities of refugees, particularly in the realm of health.
During my session, “Refugee Health Reporting as Empowerment: Negotiating Accuracy, Dignity, and Context,” I invited participants to view journalism through the lens of Paulo Freire, the celebrated Brazilian transformative educator who wrote the Pedagogy of the Oppressed while in exile in 1970. Through his influential work, Freire argued that oppression persists when those in power control language and narrative, when others are spoken for rather than heard. Liberation begins, he said, when people “name their world.” That principle remains profoundly relevant to our craft as journalism and communications practitioners. Refugees must not remain objects of our storytelling; they are its subjects. Journalism, in its truest public function, becomes liberating only when it is dialogic, when we report with people, not merely about them.

This transformation begins with accuracy. In Uganda, refugees share the same health system as host communities, one already strained by staff shortages, drug stock-outs, and donor fatigue. Yet many stories stop at official statements or NGO press releases. Limited access, shrinking newsroom budgets, and bureaucratic gatekeeping tempt journalists to rely on polished humanitarian narratives. But when we do, we risk becoming megaphones for the powerful. Accuracy demands courage, the willingness to verify, to cross-check, and to step beyond curated camp tours. In refugee reporting, truth is not just a professional standard; it is an act of respect.
Still, truth without dignity can harm. Too often, images of refugees serve as shorthand for despair—dust, hunger, tents. Such imagery may evoke sympathy, but it often strips away humanity. From practice, I have seen journalists lower their lenses before asking names. I have also seen how a small shift in approach, say seeking consent, giving space, and listening before photographing, can restore dignity to both subject and story. Words matter too. Calling someone an “illegal immigrant” or describing an “influx” of refugees turns people into problems. Language should humanise, not flatten. To describe refugees as mothers, health workers, or students is to reassert their agency and affirm our shared humanity, something Freire would have deeply valued today.

And no story exists in isolation. Every health headline in a settlement echoes across systems of policy, climate, economics, and gender. A cholera outbreak in Kyangwali is not merely a medical event or isolated incident; it may be showing broken sanitation infrastructure and the politics of aid, which may result in a national disease outbreak. Context is the soul of credibility. Without it, even accurate stories can mislead. In Imvepi, I saw first-hand that refugees’ health challenges are inseparable from Uganda’s own development journey, from how budgets are made to how global partners value African hospitality. The more connections we draw, the closer we come to the truth.
By the close of the workshop, it was evident that empowerment in journalism is not a slogan but a discipline. It demands patience, humility, and persistence. It calls for the co-production of stories, revisiting them, verifying them, and allowing refugees to narrate their realities. It also calls on institutions to invest and fund field reporting, train correspondents in trauma-sensitive and peace journalism, and protect journalists pursuing uncomfortable truths. Without such support, even good intentions dissolve into soundbites.
I often return to Freire’s words of wisdom: “To speak a true word is to transform the world.” This means that words are not just passive descriptions but powerful tools for action and social change, especially when they are paired with critical reflection and a commitment to praxis (work and action). Refugee health journalism, at its best, is precisely that kind of speech: accurate, dignified, and deeply contextual. It is not merely charity reporting; it is solidarity reporting. For anyone, given the wrong circumstances, can become a refugee. And solidarity, unlike sympathy, does not look down; it stands beside. When we write from that conviction, our stories do more than inform. They humanise, connect, and remind us that telling the truth well is, in itself, an act of justice.

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