Back to Projects
Med-Or supports scientific research: a meeting with two Biomedical Campus students
A meeting was held at the Foundation’s headquarters with the two Ethiopian researchers who won doctoral scholarships, funded by Med-Or, in biomedical engineering at the Biomedical Campus in Rome. Interview with Prof. Leandro Pecchia, head of the research project
On 18 July, at the Med-Or headquarters in Rome was held a meeting with the two Ethiopian researchers who won PhD scholarships in biomedical engineering at the Biomedical Campus. The initiative also saw the participation of Professor Leandro Pecchia, scientific coordinator of the research activities involving the two PhD students, and of the Foundation’s Director General, Letizia Colucci, who gave them the certificates of participation in the training process.
The event fostered discussion on topics relevant to intercultural dialogue, such as the exchange of specific skills in the bio-engineering field and the promotion of higher education in the biomedical and health sectors. Numerous activities have already been undertaken by the two Ethiopian researchers, who reaffirmed their willingness to make the know-how and knowledge they learned during their training period available to their home country. They also described the main problems plaguing Ethiopia and other sub-Saharan African countries such as the lack of skilled labour, obsolete infrastructure, the pervasiveness of diseases that are difficult to eradicate, exacerbated by climate change and the lack of adequate health facilities, and the fragility of local supply chains.
In response to questions from Med-Or analysts present at the meeting, the two researchers reiterated the need for sustained investment in Ethiopia’s health sector, the development of a circular economy for the procurement of materials, and to continue with the promotion of higher education activities.
Med-Or, which has also financed a scholarship in biomedical engineering at the Biomedical Campus in Rome won by a young African researcher for the next three years, asked Prof. Pecchia a few questions about the research projects undertaken and their importance.
1. Prof Pecchia, which thematic areas were specifically explored by researchers during their training period in Italy?
First and foremost, that of artificial intelligence. In this area, Africa must fill a gap that has grown over the years, which is also linked to infrastructural deficiencies. The projects of the two doctoral students make extensive use of artificial intelligence to improve the way medical devices are managed and to support clinical decision-making in places where the shortage of specialist doctors severely affects diagnosis and treatment.
In addition, issues of environmental sustainability and alignment with the UN Sustainable Development Goals were two areas of in-depth and pervasive integration in the design of devices and clinical environments.
2. How will the acquired know-how, through theoretical knowledge and field experience, contribute to the improvement of the health sector in Ethiopia?
On two levels. There is a mainly technical and technological plan, in which the skills acquired can then be taken back to Africa where structural collaborations are already being set up between the doctoral students’ universities of origin and the Biomedical Campus in Rome, that is hosting them. One example is the PNRR project Afya Moja (in Swahili ‘One Health’), which involves 20 African universities, five of which are Ethiopian. This project will start in September and focuses on the training of students, researchers and technical-administrative staff of African universities to increase their capacity to collaborate with companies, and to participate in European research and innovation projects, for which African universities are now eligible, but have little presence due to a lack of expertise.
Then there is the science diplomacy plan. Through scientific and educational collaboration, these projects are bridging the gap between African experts and European and global policymakers, such as the WHO. The two candidates, under the careful guidance of Prof Pecchia, participated in two collaborative projects at the Biomedical Campus in Rome, one aimed at writing the WHO guidelines on medical device donation and the other for the publication of the WHO compendium of innovative health technologies for low-resource settings 2024. The first is now under revision and will be published soon, clarifying the rules of engagement between donor and recipient of a donation, to avoid inappropriate donations that sometimes risk being dangerous, as well as ineffective and inefficient. The second was published on 18 July 2024, and offers an important collection of technologies designed with the specific needs of low-income countries in mind[1]. Both documents cite the UCBM team among the authors. Now the young Ethiopian engineers are preparing for the WHO Global Forum of Medical Devices, which will be held at the WHO headquarters in Geneva in early December to directly discuss the health and technology needs of African countries. These experiences are opening up the world of diplomacy through science, making the two PhD students future leaders in the field.
3. With reference to the research activities carried out during the PhD, have any elements emerged that need to be explored in Italy as well and that represent challenges for the future development of the biomedical and bio-engineering sectors?
Certainly. Africa’s needs are not that far from those of some remote European areas. For example, the two PhD students are working on scenarios where specialised doctors are lacking, and AI could be a viable alternative. This is also a useful model for Europe for some rare diseases, for which it will never be sustainable to have a sufficient number of doctors on the ground specialised in the diagnosis of such diseases, due to the very low number of affected individuals. It is much more reasonable to imagine AI supporting family doctors, paediatricians and specialists in identifying the signs of such diseases. We are working on this thanks to PNRR funds, and African PhD students supported by Med-Or are fully integrated into our team, actively contributing to the development of AI models.
There are also areas where the expertise of African colleagues is indispensable to prepare us in light of climate change. For instance, in the field of insect-borne diseases, such as malaria or Zika. The WHO has put the strengthening of climate-resilient health systems at the top of its strategic plan 2025-28, precisely because diseases that are usually considered tropical are also gaining ground in Europe. PhD students are working with us on a series of solutions for plant health surveillance using AI, IoT and genetic engineering. In this case you really don’t know who is learning and who is teaching....
