AUC Welcomes African and Global Health Leaders for First Apcc Steering Committee Meeting

The American University in Cairo (AUC) is currently hosting the first-ever meeting of the African Population Cohorts Consortium (APCC) steering committee, taking place at AUC’s New Cairo campus from September 1 to 4, under the theme “Data Exchange and Harmonization Across Africa.” APCC was officially launched in May 2024 in Cape Town, where more than 40 African research groups from 16 countries endorsed a shared vision and research plan in public health. This meeting follows major support for the initiative from Wellcome Trust Foundation, which is investing £4 million to establish a permanent secretariat hosted by the Science for Africa Foundation.  

“Organizing this meeting as the first for the Steering Committee, following the important news of new funding and the start of the implementation steps of APCC, highlights AUC’s impactful contribution and its commitment to supporting public health research in Africa,” said Mohamed Salama, professor of global health and human ecology at AUC and a member of the steering committee.

APCC’s work will focus on three main areas: understanding health across life stages and generations, addressing the health impacts of climate change, especially on vulnerable communities, and advancing universal health coverage so that everyone can access affordable, quality care. In line with the Health Research and Innovation Strategy for Africa (2018–2030), APCC is positioning Africa to lead with stronger ethical standards, greater innovation, and ownership of its health data.

On the sidelines of the steering committee meeting, AUC announced the launch of the African Brain Health Institute (ABHI) Fellowship Program, a collaborative initiative with the Global Brain Health Institute (GBHI), founded in 2015, and dedicated to protecting the world's aging populations from threats to brain health. The program will be jointly hosted at AUC and the Aga Khan University (AKU) in Kenya, creating one connected fellowship with two sites. Designed as a one-year program, the fellowship will train African researchers through a curriculum tailored to Africa’s cultural and social realities. 

Iracema Leroi, director of GBHI, commented on the launch of the new fellowship: “The African Brain Health Institute will empower a new generation of African leaders to shape solutions for brain health that honor culture, context, and community. Together with GBHI, this fellowship is a bold step toward a healthier future for Africa and the world.”

APCC was established with the vision of positioning Africa as a leader in population health research, driven by Africans, for Africans, through large-scale, long-term studies that deepen understanding of diseases, health systems, and the impact of social and environmental changes. “This consortium represents a long-awaited convergence of Africa’s population research leaders,” said Kobus Herbst, chair of the APCC Steering Committee. “Our collective effort will generate the evidence base needed to achieve universal health coverage, address context-specific health challenges, and inform national and regional policy from an African perspective.”

The meeting has brought international and regional experts and partners from the United States, Europe, Latin America, and Africa to explore opportunities for collaboration and data sharing. Participating organizations include the Health and Retirement Study (HRS), USA; the Survey of Health and Retirement in Europe (SHARE); the Global Brain Health Institute (GBHI); RED-Lat (Multi-partner Consortium to Study Dementia in Latin America); the Implementation Network for Sharing Population Information from Research; INSPIRE 2.0; and the International Parkinson’s Disease Genome Consortium (IPDGC)-Africa.