University of Ibadan Hosts DATICAN Hackathon 3.0, Empowers Young Innovators to Transform Healthcare

University of Ibadan (UI) has commenced the DATICAN Hackathon 3.0, a five-day data science training event organized by the Data Science and Mental Image Analysis Training in Nigeria (DATICAN) consortium. The hackathon, launched with the goal of fostering healthcare innovation in Nigeria, is part of a collaborative effort to equip participants with skills to advance medical science and clinical practices.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Professor Peter O. Olapegba, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Administration), addressed the participants on behalf of UI’s Vice-Chancellor, Professor Kayode O. Adebowale. Professor Olapegba encouraged attendees to view themselves as trailblazers in healthcare, poised to drive meaningful change through their ideas, teamwork, and innovations. “Your contributions have the potential to revolutionize clinical practice and healthcare delivery in Nigeria and beyond,” he stated.

Professor Olapegba also commended DATICAN for partnering with UI and acknowledged the scholarships awarded to eight UI graduate students four PhD and four MSc candidates as well as access to high-performance computing resources from the University of Chicago and the Argonne National Laboratory’s supercomputer, which are expected to significantly enhance their academic and professional growth.

Acknowledging UI alumna Professor Funmilayo Olopade of the University of Chicago, Professor Olapegba praised her role in establishing the DATICAN consortium in collaboration with the University of Ibadan's College of Medicine and Department of Computer Science.

Professor Benjamin Aribisala of Lagos State University, the main principal investigator for the project, explained that the DATICAN consortium includes four partnering institutions: Lagos State University, the University of Chicago, the University of Ibadan, and Redeemer’s University. He emphasized DATICAN's commitment to empowering young Nigerian data scientists to improve healthcare outcomes. As part of this mission, 72 data scientists will receive training to subsequently train others, with coding training also extended to secondary school students.

Professor Aribisala underscored the programme’s objective to build capacity that addresses the healthcare manpower gap in Nigeria. Hackathon 3.0, funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) under DS-I Africa, is structured to support the development of medical scientists in data science and its applications to healthcare.

The event showcases UI’s dedication to fostering technological innovation in healthcare, marking a vital step forward in developing the next generation of leaders in medical data science and clinical innovation.