Seminar Recap – AI for African Healthcare: Beyond Chatbots Toward Contextually Informed Innovation

On 11 July 2025, we were privileged to host Dr. Judy Gichoya, Associate Professor at Emory University, for an inspiring seminar:
“AI for African Healthcare: Beyond Chatbots Toward Contextually Informed Innovation.”

In addition to the physical participants at the Health Sciences Library, over 50 participants joined online, made possible by our collaboration with Sisonke Biotik and the ongoing support of our partners.

Dr. Gichoya—renowned for her leadership in health informatics and interventional radiology—shared her vision for AI that is rooted in African context and equity. Drawing on her work leading the HITI Lab at Emory, she challenged us to look beyond generic chatbot solutions and focus on innovative, contextually grounded approaches.

Key highlights from the seminar included:

• Building diverse, representative datasets for machine learning in healthcare
• Evaluating and addressing bias in imported AI systems
• The importance of validating AI in real-world African clinical settings
• Collaborative mentorship, hive learning, and capacity building
• The power of open science and research networks

Dr. Gichoya offered practical insights and advice for emerging researchers, and shared examples of overcoming challenges and making meaningful impact across continents.

This seminar was made possible by the Carnegie African Diaspora Fellowship Program (CADFP), and was hosted by the Data Science for Social Impact (DSFSI) group, AfriDSAI, the Department of Computer Science, and the Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Pretoria. Special thanks to Sisonke Biotik for their support in reaching more than 50 online participants.

📺 Watch the Full Seminar

Thank you to Dr. Gichoya, Sisonke Biotik, CADFP, and all our participants and partners for making this event a success. We look forward to more conversations on AI, health equity, and innovation in Africa!