Makerere AI Health Lab

In Uganda, patients arrive at the @UgandaCancerIns when the disease has already reached Stage 4. At that point, treatment becomes much harder. Early diagnosis can dramatically improve survival rates, yet awareness and access to screening remain major challenges. Behind every diagnosis is a complex process. Pathologists carefully examine tissue slides under microscopes, sometimes spending hours reviewing a single case. In complicated cases, multiple specialists must confirm the final report. The reality is clear, we need faster, more scalable ways to support early cancer detection. Technology may play an important role in closing this gap and at @AI_HealthLabMak we are building an app under @Ocular_Project , AI trained to help pathologists in enhancing their work so we can have early diagnosis with accuracy and cover more patients. #AIForGlobalGoals

Uganda has one of the highest rates of cervical cancer globally yet when caught at a precancerous stage, it is largely curable. The challenge is getting there in time. In rural Uganda, access to screening remains critically low, and timely diagnosis is far out of reach for too many women. That's the problem Cosmas Wamozo, a Research Scientist at our lab, is working to solve. Cosmas Wamozo and the team are developing AI models that analyse cervical cancer tissue slides, detecting regions of interest across multiple magnification levels to support faster, more accurate diagnosis. The goal is to give pathologists a tool for managing the high volume of diagnoses required, so that more women get the answers they need, sooner. Watch Cosmas share more about his work here: youtu.be/HXLZd8jdokk #AIFORGLOBALGOALS

In an article titled “How Uganda Will Benefit from the AI Summit in India” published by @DailyMonitor , our Lab Lead, Dr. @RoseNakasikiire , shares insights on the #IndiaAIImpactSummit2026 taking place this week and what it means for Uganda’s growing AI ecosystem. She notes that the summit “represents an important opportunity to amplify Global South perspectives and ensure that the benefits of AI are not concentrated in a few regions, but shared equitably.” This comes at a pivotal moment as Uganda steadily embraces AI, alongside ongoing efforts by the @MoICT_Ug to strengthen national AI priorities. Dr. @RoseNakasikiire also draws parallels with our AI in Health Africa Conference, hosted annually by the @AI_HealthLabMak , a platform committed to South-to-South collaboration and building AI solutions grounded in African healthcare realities. 🔗: monitor.co.ug/uganda/oped/co… #AIforGlobalGoals #AfricaAIVillage #AIVillageInIndia #IndiaaiImpactSummit #SouthSouthCollaboration

At the India AI Impact Summit 2026, our lead Dr.@RoseNakasikiire joined @QhalaHQ 's Global South AI Research Colloquium to tackle the real blockers of AI progress across Africa: → Fragmented Data silos across institutions → Weak governance & trust frameworks → No shared infrastructure to bridge it all The momentum is real. But the hard question remains: ***How do we break down silos across borders and build the open, trusted conversations that make shared AI infrastructure actually work? 🎥 Watch the full session: youtube.com/live/BKHYJgH5e… #AIAfrica #GlobalSouthAI #ResponsibleAI #IndiaAISummit2026 #DataGovernance

Today at the India AI Impact Summit 2026, our lead @RoseNakasikiire , PhD will take part in Qhala’s Global South AI Research Colloquium, contributing to conversations on building Africa’s AI research and innovation frontier. The discussion will explore real-world AI use cases across agriculture, healthcare, and education in the Global South, with a focus on identifying and removing the structural constraints that limit scale, impact, and local innovation. This engagement reflects a core Summit pillar: how South–South collaboration can accelerate scalable, context-aware AI solutions rooted in local realities. 🎥 Join the conversation live on YouTube:youtube.com/live/BKHYJgH5e… #IndiaAIImpactSummit2026 #ResponsibleAI #PeoplePlanetProgress

We are Celebrating the International Day of Women and Girls in Science. Today, we celebrate the brilliant women driving innovation and discovery at the @AI_HealthLabMak . Their leadership in research, ethics, data science, and AI continues to shape the future of healthcare across Africa. From investigation to implementation, these women exemplify excellence, mentorship, and the power of inclusion in science and technology. Here’s to @RoseNakasikiire , PhD, @Linda @NsababeraLinda, @LeahAliba, @NalungaJane and @SylviaNabukenya , PhD for their efforts towards this goal. #InternationalDayOfWomenAndGirlsInScience #AIForGlobalGoals

Reimagining how microscopy is taught in classrooms. In traditional labs, every student must line up to peer into a microscope often interpreting artefacts differently. At @Ocular_Project our new Microscopy Teaching Aid eliminates that bottleneck. Lecturers can now: * Capture slides directly from the microscope through a mobile device or project them on a screen * Draw bounding boxes around artefacts (e.g., white blood cells, parasites) * Label and annotate them in real time * Instantly share those annotated images with the entire class This tool turns teaching into a collaborative, digital experience, enhancing accuracy, feedback, and retention. The system works both in-class and remotely supporting a new era of AI-driven medical education. Our researcher, @ChodrineMutebi, who is leading the development of this teaching tool, explains that it enables lecturers to annotate slides directly and share them live with students bridging the gap between microscopic observation and collective understanding. 🔗 "ocular-project.com" | "makerereaihealthlab.com" #AIForGlobalGoals

In Uganda, lab techs manually analyze just 20–30 slides a day, spending ~30 min per slide amid staff shortages. @Ocular_Project automates parasite detection, cutting analysis to 5–8 minutes and supporting technicians to diagnose more patients faster, without replacing expertise.

How do we build AI for healthcare while protecting the people behind the data? As we wrap up Data Privacy Week, our Senior Researcher in Ethics,Dr. @sylvia_kazooba reminds us that in developing AI-powered health interventions, privacy cannot be an afterthought. This is especially critical in our effort to build long-term trust with end users. Handling sensitive health data is a significant responsibility. Dr. @sylvia_kazooba argues that for these innovations to be truly successful, we must embed Privacy by Design into every stage of the lifecycle from collection and storage to sharing and end-use. It is only through this proactive approach that we can ensure accountability and fairness in the digital health space. #DataPrivacyWeek #AIforGlobalGoals

@Ocular_Project develops its tools alongside Ugandan lab experts. Using slides from 28 health centers, each model is tested in real clinical settings, refined with specialist feedback to ensure accurate, reliable parasite detection Also more @AI_HealthLabMak #AIFORGLOBALGOALS

Trained laboratory technicians are essential, their expertise shape patient outcomes and public health decisions. In Uganda, with severe staffing shortages and limited diagnostic infrastructure, many health systems struggle to deliver timely, accurate results or detect outbreaks early. This weakens disease surveillance and delays effective responses. Using AI driven image analysis, @Ocular_Project aims to empower lab technicians, expand access in underserved communities, and support smarter disease surveillance. Learn more: ocular-project.com makerereaihealthlab.com #AIFORGLOBALGOALS

At the @appliedmldays Africa 2026 conference, Our team lead Dr.@RoseNakasikiire will share insights on how our @Ocular_Project is advancing healthcare diagnostics and strengthening patient care systems across Africa. The conference’s focus on democratizing AI directly complements our mission to develop accessible, impactful technologies for real-world health challenges. Date: January, 26th –29th Venue : @UWitwaters7351 Johannesburg, Gauteng- South Africa For tickets: mlafrica.org/speakers/ #AIFORGLOBALGOALS

In Kampala, one lab tech serves 3,000 people double the @WHOUganda recommended ratio. @Ocular_Project uses AI-powered microscopy to automate parasite detection, helping labs diagnose faster and easing the burden on healthcare workers. ocular-project.com AIFORGLOBALGOALS

We kicked off 2026 with a focused strategic planning session across the different workstreams of our flagship @Ocular_Project. As we continue building context-aware, AI-powered diagnostic tools for Uganda, our priorities this year include: ▪️Advancing the development of localized AI diagnostic and disease surveillance tools ▪️Participating in AI and health forums to share lessons from applied, real-world deployments ▪️Providing policy support and technical insights to promote responsible, context-sensitive use of AI in health systems We welcome collaboration and engagement. If you are: ✔️Interested in hosting a presentation on our tools and progress ✔️Curious about how we design and deploy AI-powered diagnostic systems ✔️Looking to feature our work through blogs, journals, or other media platforms Please feel free to reach out to us at makerereaihealthlab@gmail.com

Dr. @skkivila , 𝗗𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵𝗧𝗲𝗰𝗵 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗰𝘁 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗦𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗔𝗱𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗿𝘆 gives here closing remarks from The 2nd AI in Health Africa Conference. She emphasized the importance of building sustainable AI models ones that not only demonstrate innovation but also integrate meaningfully into our daily health systems and community workflows. “AI should not exist in isolation. It should enhance how we work, live, and deliver care,” @skkivila @skkivila message echoes the collective vision of the #AIinHealthAfrica community to ensure technology serves people, supports healthcare professionals, and drives equitable impact across the continent. #AIinHealthAfrica #AIforGlobalGoals