Afya Moja – One Health across AI, Clinical Engineering, and Medical Education: Our Mission in Kenya

From May 27 to 31, 2025, a delegation from our laboratory took part in an exploratory mission at Pwani University in Kilifi, Kenya, within the framework of the Afya Moja project (“One Health” in Swahili).

The project, coordinated by Professor Leandro Pecchia, aims to strengthen academic cooperation in the field of Global Health, with a specific focus on the synergies among Clinical Engineering, Artificial Intelligence, and Telemedicine.

During the mission, engineers Mario Merone and Claudia Ferraro (Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma) met with faculty members and researchers from Pwani University to co-design an international summer school focused on the responsible use of AI in resource-limited healthcare systems. The initiative embraces a multidisciplinary perspective that bridges medicine, technology, and sustainable development.

In parallel, Dr. Simone Scarlata, a pulmonologist, assessed the training needs of local healthcare professionals, laying the groundwork for an educational program on clinical ultrasound and telemedicine tailored to the specific needs of the region.

This first mission established the foundation for an interuniversity and intercultural collaboration with a forward-looking vision: a future in which Biomedical Engineering not only supports medicine but plays an active role in building fairer, more resilient, and digitally connected healthcare systems—aligned with the One Health principles promoted by the World Health Organization.