ENGAGE Spotlight: Cynthia Kilango

Finding purpose in an era of AI: Cynthia Kilango's story

Cynthia Kilango is on a transformative journey she never expected. She is currently in Kotka, Finland, pursuing a social sciences program at the South-Eastern Finland University of Applied Sciences (XAMK). A few months ago, she was presenting research at major conferences in Nairobi. Before that, she was a public health graduate with a deep curiosity about data science and artificial intelligence, and no clear path forward.

Kilango had tried various online courses, but none compared to the impact of the ENGAGE Project (Enabling Girls in AI and Growing Expertise), a training program run in partnership between UCSF and the University of Nairobi. As she puts it: "Before ENGAGE, I never knew what exactly it was I wanted to pursue. Now I do."

The training gave her both the skills and the exposure she needed. After completing the program, Kilango interned at a community health facility, where she witnessed firsthand the financial and emotional burden many young mothers face when seeking treatment. She began exploring how predictive models could support earlier intervention and better health outcomes for women, particularly those from low-income households. The result: a machine learning model designed to help screen for anemia in pregnant women.

Her work caught the attention of organizers at the KEMRI Annual Scientific and Health Conference, where she presented her abstract before a room of researchers and subject matter experts. Doors began to open to networks and possibilities she had never imagined.

Kilango knows what those opportunities can mean. She comes from a humble background, and her parents struggled to keep her in school. A scholarship carried her education from secondary school through university. "I would probably be married somewhere with 10 children," she recalls. "The scholarship brought consistency in school. It helped me perform better."

Now, in Finland, Kilango is learning how to design sustainable solutions. Her hope is to use research, data science, and AI to solve problems at the community level, her newfound mission.

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The ENGAGE Project is a collaborative training program led by the University of Nairobi in partnership with UCSF and six other Kenyan universities. Together, they work to empower young women to use AI and data science to improve health outcomes at the community level.

Global Programs HIV/TB Technical Lead Presents ART Adherence Findings at INTEREST Conference

Immaculata Kessy, HIV/TB Technical Lead for Global Programs Tanzania, presented recent findings on barriers and facilitators to antiretroviral therapy (ART) adherence among people living with HIV in Tanzania at the International Conference on HIV Treatment, Pathogenesis, and Prevention Research (INTEREST) held in Dar es Salaam in May 2026.

Her poster, “Barriers and Facilitators to Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) Adherence among Virally Unsuppressed People Living with HIV (PLHIV) in Tanzania, 2025,” shared results from a qualitative assessment conducted as part of the Enhanced Adherence Counselling (EAC) program assessment.

The assessment included in-depth interviews with 51 people living with HIV across three regions of Tanzania. Participants had viral loads above 1,000 copies and had not successfully engaged with EAC services. The study explored the socioeconomic, behavioral, psychosocial, clinical, and health-system factors that influence ART adherence and continued engagement in care.

Findings highlighted several commonly cited barriers, including food insecurity, transportation costs, forgetfulness, stigma, and experiences with judgmental counseling. At the same time, participants identified key facilitators that supported adherence, including socioeconomic support, family and community support, and non-judgmental counseling.

The findings underscore the importance of addressing adherence not only as a clinical issue, but also as one shaped by daily living conditions, trust, stigma, and the quality of patient-provider interactions. By elevating the voices of people living with HIV who are experiencing challenges with viral suppression, this work provides practical insight for strengthening EAC services and improving long-term engagement in HIV care.

The research was conducted in partnership with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Tanzania's National AIDS, STIs and Hepatitis Control Programme (NASHCoP). Christen Said, UCSF's In-Country Program Manager for Global Strategic Information (GSI) projects in Tanzania, is a co-author.

H2R–Geita Success Story: From Evidence to Action in Mobile Communities

Left to right: Ritha Mboneko (HIS Analyst, Global Programs Tanzania) served as field coordinator; Rosalia Munishi (Freelance) served as research assistant; and Geofrey Mchau (Public Health Specialist, CDC Tanzania), handled site monitoring.

The 2025 Assessing Community-Centered Strategies for Effective HIV Service Solutions (ACCESS) assessment has helped drive a rapid and coordinated response in Tanzania’s Geita Region.

Implemented by the National AIDS, STIs, and Hepatitis Control Program (NASHCoP), in collaboration with the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the assessment examined factors influencing HIV prevention, testing, and treatment among small-scale mining populations.

Conducted between June and July 2025 as part of a broader assessment in Kagera and Geita, the Geita component identified gaps in HIV service access and highlighted mobility patterns, community needs, and opportunities to improve service delivery in mining communities.

What set Geita apart was the speed of response. Preliminary findings were shared early with regional stakeholders, allowing immediate action rather than waiting for the full assessment cycle to conclude.

The Geita Regional Health Management Team (RHMT), working closely with partners, quickly translated evidence into action. Through multi-sectoral engagement, stakeholders mobilized resources to expand HIV testing, introduce and strengthen PrEP services, improve access to reproductive health services, and intensify outreach in mining sites and nearby communities, including school settings.

Implementation is being reinforced through collaboration with ICAP, supporting mobile and community-based service delivery models that bring services closer to highly mobile populations. These efforts are helping address long-standing access barriers by reaching people where they live and work.

Geita has also set a clear performance target: increasing comprehensive HIV knowledge from 30% to 50% by the end of the year through strengthened risk communication and community engagement.

This emerging success story shows how timely evidence, strong coordination, and local ownership can accelerate action for underserved and mobile populations. In Geita, data is not only informing programs. It is helping drive practical changes in how HIV services are delivered.

Dr. Prosper Njau served as PI and is the Program Manager for NASHCoP.