From 27th to 31th May 2025, a delegation from the Intelligent Health Technology Laboratory, at the University Campus Bio-Medico of Rome (UCBM), took part in an exploratory mission to Pwani University in Kilifi, Kenya, as part of the Afya Moja project.
The project, coordinated by Prof. Leandro Pecchia, was created with the aim of strengthening academic cooperation in the field of Global Health, with a focus on synergies between Clinical Engineering, Artificial Intelligence and Telemedicine.
During the mission, engineers Mario Merone and Claudia Ferraro (UCBM) met with faculty and researchers from Pwani University to co-design an international summer school dedicated to the responsible use of AI in resource-constrained health systems, with a multidisciplinary look at combining medicine, technology and sustainable development.
At the same time, Dr. Simone Scarlata, a pulmonologist, gathered the educational needs of local health professionals, initiating the design of an educational program on clinical ultrasound and telemedicine, designed to respond concretely to the needs of the area.
This first mission laid the foundation for an inter-university and cross-cultural collaboration that looks to the future: a future in which Biomedical Engineering not only supports medicine, but becomes an active part of building more equitable, resilient and digitally connected health systems, in line with the One Health principles promoted by the World Health Organization.
