Central and Eastern Africa Female Health Oriented Modeling Consortium for HPV and Related Diseases

Berge Tsanou of the University of Dschang in Cameroon will support trainee mathematical modelers in epidemiology, particularly women, to strengthen capacity and to investigate health problems related to human papillomavirus (HPV) and cervical cancer (CC) in four Central-East African countries. Both HPV and CC are affected by HIV, all of which disproportionately affect women, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. However, the nature of this interplay is largely unknown. They will synergize efforts across sub-Saharan Africa and use modeling approaches to study the co-evolution, prevention, and diagnosis of these diseases to enable earlier-stage treatments. They will support 30 master’s students, 14 PhD students, and three Postdoc fellows, at least 70% of whom will be female, and hold workshops to engage stakeholders and support evidence-based policymaking. They will also develop a dashboard and interactive software for ongoing disease surveillance in the region.