About Us
The Molecular Epidemiology Group-Africa (MEG-Africa) is a consortium that brings together multidisciplinary researchers interested in working together to develop and share protocols for molecular epidemiology and related data sciences research.
We aim to further our understanding of the determinants of NCDs in African populations in order to inform prevention, diagnosis, detection, and treatment; to reduce the disease burden and improve survival in Africa. We hope that our findings will lead to piloting and adoption of precision medicine in Africa for earlier diagnosis and improved treatment outcomes.
The MEG-Africa-Consortium brings an international consortium of researchers involved in NCD collaborative projects in Africa, with particularly emphasis on cancer.
Meet Our Team

She has published over 200 papers in peer review journals.
She received her PhD in molecular genetics from the State University of New York, Stony Brook and her Master’s in Public Health from Columbia University. After postdoctoral training in the Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics (DCEG) at the National Cancer Institute (NCI, Bethesda, USA), she was promoted to tenure-track Principal Investigator at DCEG-NCI from 2008 till 2015.
Her research program is aimed at understanding the role of biomarkers in the molecular pathogenesis of NCDs with an emphasis on cancer among diverse populations. She has conducted molecular epidemiology studies across the globe including the UK, US, Poland, Ghana and Kenya.
Her international leadership, service and recognition include current member of the Scottish Government Chief Scientist Office Translational Science Grants committee; the Worldwide Cancer Research Grants committee; current member of the Breast Cancer Association Consortium; treasurer for the Molecular Epidemiology Group-UK; and former committee member of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Molecular Epidemiology Groupand AACR Minority Faculty Scholar Award.

Dr.Sayed’s cancer research interest has been in oncopathology specifically in breast cancer and hematolymphoid malignancies in which she has several peer reviewed publications. Her current grant is studying the genomic landscape of breast cancer in Kenya. She has been the PI in a recent validation study of breast cancer biomarkers using point of care molecular techniques and a co-investigator in an University of Oxford Grand Challenges Gates funded project for the development of a mobile application the aim of which is to assist patients locate high quality laboratory services in their vicinity. Dr. Sayed has also been involved in several funded projects aimed at improving and standardizing the practice of pathology in East Central and Southern Africa.
Among her professional affiliations, Dr. Sayed is a member of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), an adjunct member of Adjunct Member of the United States and Canadian Academy of Pathology (USCAP) a fellow of ISN and a fellow of COPECSA.

An essential and overarching goal of this effort is to translate the biological implications of these observations into principles and tenets that will have a broader impact on the molecular understanding of the disease. To accomplish this, his lab incorporates molecular, biochemical, and cell biological methodology with genome-wide bioinformatics and computational imaging technology to assemble a research portfolio that leverages multi-disciplinary translational applications, to define molecular links between race, lifestyle, the environment, and disease. At NIH, he directly mentored 28 postdoctoral fellows and 27 postbaccalaureate students. At Columbia University, his other responsibilities include overseeing the career development of multiple junior faculty in his department and affiliates. He is currently a mentor on two career development awards sponsored by NIH and the Department of Defense in support of junior faculty in his department.

His research focus is on cancer diagnostics, specifically prostate cancer. He has also participated in several projects either as principal investigator or co-investigator. He spearheaded the opening and operationalisation of The Machakos Cancer Care & Research Centre at Machakos Level 5 Hospital in September 2019. This Centre has seen a tremendous increase in the number of patients seeking cancer treatment and screening services. Screening services are meant to allow for earlier diagnosis of cancer and help reduce the current problem of most cancer cases being diagnosed at a late stage. This will hopefully improve treatment outcomes and reduce cancer mortality. He is a strong advocate of evidence-based decision making, a move that is likely to increase utilisation of research findings in decision making.

Her key skills are Public Health program management, project design including proposal writing, monitoring and evaluation, quantitative and qualitative research methodologies. She has working experience in the following countries Somalia, Zimbabwe (Mutoko District), South Africa (Mpumalanga Province and Guateng Province (Soweto)) and Kenya (Garissa, Nairobi, Nakuru, Kisumu, Siaya, Wajir, Turkana, Kajiado and Thika.


He holds a PhD and a Masters degree in Molecular Medicine from Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture & Technology. He also holds Bachelor of Science degree in biological sciences from The University of Nairobi.
His research focus is on understanding the molecular determinants of disease including NCDS. He is currently working on breast cancer genomics in Kenya. He also supports molecular studies in drug and substance abuse. He has previously worked on polymorphisms in Plasmodium falciparum erythrocyte membrane protein 1 (Pfemp1) in malaria isolates from two malaria endemic sites in Kenya and drug resistance markers in P. falciparum.
He is currently involved in building international research collaboration to bring together research expertise to study various molecular aspects of NCDs in Kenya and Africa as a whole. He is collaboration with Dr Jonine Figueroa has on piloting of precision medicine based project focusing on breast cancer in Kenya. He is also a collaborator on breast cancer genomics project in Rwanda.

Dr. Clayton Yates currents holds appoints in the Center for Cancer Research, and a Read more...

Dr. Mohammed is a medical scientist that goal is to reduce the cancer health disparity among African and African American women through understanding cancer development and progression and instituting new innovative preventative and treatment strategies. Her productive and impactful collaborative research with her colleagues in the USA and Africa includes instituting approaches for early detection of breast cancer using volunteer laywomen in rural areas of Africa and the development of a point-of-care test for early detection of cervical cancer. Her basic cancer research interest includes characterizing an animal model for triple-negative breast cancer prevention and treatment and developing immunotherapeutic or immune-preventative approaches such as developing CAR-T therapy to treat breast cancer and vaccines using adenovirus vector to inhibit the progression of breast ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) to invasive cancer. Also, Dr. Mohammed’s laboratory conduct studies to understand the breast cancer metastatic cascade through the lymphatic system and it is the first lab to decipher the characteristics of tumor cells circulating via the lymphatic system in comparison to those circulating in the blood.
Dr. Mohammed and her African colleagues reactivated the African Organization for Research and Training in Cancer (AORTIC), which facilitates cancer awareness events as well as research and training on cancer control in Africa. Dr. Mohammed was a member of the AORTIC Executive Council (2000-2017) and was a member of the constitution and the nominating committees. Because of her applied research and engagement initiatives, Dr. Mohammed has received numerous awards for her outstanding commitment and leadership in her continuous efforts to fight cancer in Africa. Dr. Mohammed was the recipient of the 2010 Leadership in the Field of Breast Cancer and Health Awareness Award by the University of Medical Sciences and Technology Sudan, the 2011 Leading the Way in Breast Cancer Research You Made a Difference from African Women’s Cancer Awareness Association, the 2016 African Diaspora Ambassador Award by Harvard Global Health Catalyst, and the 2016 Pillar of Support Award for a Decade of Support and Personal Commitment to Stop Cancer in Africa by African First Ladies.

Currently, she is the Head of the Cancer Care and Research Centre in Machakos County. The Center provides specialized care to cancer patients from screenings, diagnostics,and treatments to provision of palliative care. Additionally, Dr. Mweni
has been involved in different research projects to estimate the burden of different cancers affecting the population in Machakos County.
Her research focus is not only on prevention but also early detection, and treatment of cancer in order to reduce its morbidity and mortality in the Country. She is the Principal Investigator for study titled, “The burden of chronic diseases among Kenyan cancer patients: Evidence from Machakos Cancer Registry, 2013-2020”. Additionally, she is a Co-investigator in a study on assessing the burden of cancer in Machakos county titled, “Analysis of Cancer Diagnosis from 2013-2019 within Machakos County, Kenya”. Throughout her career, Dr. Mweni has been conducting research in close collaboration with colleagues and partners from different research institutions with different backgrounds and culture diversity.



He was born in Germany and received his Master’s degree in Biochemistry from the University of Tübingen (1988) and completed his Ph.D. at the Institute of Toxicology, University of Würzburg (1992). He also earned a Master of Public Health degree (Epidemiology) from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health (2005). Dr. Ambs was trained in translational research as a Postdoctoral Fellow at the NCI under the mentorship of Dr. Curtis C. Harris (1992-1997). He continued his research at a biotechnology company in California and at the Aventis Genomics Center in Cambridge, Massachusetts, before returning to the NCI as a tenure-track investigator in the field of Molecular Epidemiology (2001). Ambs and his colleagues conduct integrative epidemiology studies of prostate and breast cancer and utilize translational research strategies to identify risk factors and pathways that define tumor development and progression, and the response to therapy. Their research includes discovery of biomarkers using genome-wide analysis of gene expression and evaluation of the tumor metabolome and proteome, cancer health disparity, inflammation and cancer, and the analysis of genetic variations and their association with cancer using candidate gene and genome-wide association study approaches. The group has a particular research interest in the causes of cancer health disparities. Other interests include the relationship between tobacco use and fatal prostate cancer and metabolic alterations in breast cancer as targets for therapy.
more at
https://ccr.cancer.gov/stefan-ambs

She joined the Genetic Epidemiology Branch Read more...
Research Interests
In her research on familial cancers—including melanoma and dysplastic nevi syndrome, and chordoma—Dr. Yang employs cutting-edge genomic technologies and novel statistical approaches to evaluate copy number and exome sequencing variants, as well as mRNA expression, miRNA expression, DNA methylation, chromatin modification, and telomere length in disease susceptibility. Most recently, Dr. Yang and her colleagues identified a rare inherited mutation in a gene involved in maintaining telomere stability in melanoma families, further supporting a role for abnormal telomeres in the development of melanoma.
In her investigation of etiologic heterogeneity of breast cancer, Dr. Yang characterizes the molecular signature of tumors using tissue microarray and integrated tumor profiling analyses to identify risk factors for specific cancer subtypes. She is leading breast cancer studies in mainland China, Hong Kong, and Malaysia to identify distinct molecular alterations in tumors and adjacent normal tissues among Asian women, and to examine the associations of these molecular changes with genetic and environmental risk factors, breast tissue composition and density, and breast cancer subtypes.
more at
https://dceg.cancer.gov/about/staff-directory/yang-rose

Her research intrests are in Artificial Intelligence, Internet of Things, and Big Data and Data Analytics in ICT4D mostly in Health, Education, and Food Security and Safety. Elizabeth has collaborated actively with other researchers in computing and other disciplines to addressing our societal challenges.
Some of the research projects she has and is participating in are:-
· Co-Investigator: Practical and Projects Based Learning (PPBL) for IoT at the School of Computing and Information Technology, the Technical University of Kenya from May 2020 to May 2021. A Call by KENET Innovation Grants in the use of Education Technology in Engineering and Computer Science Education
· Co-PI: Analytics Dashboard for Monitoring and Surveillance of Health Service Delivery: Case of Cancer. A Multidisciplinary research grant by the National Research Fund (NRF) from July 2020 to June 2023
· Co-Investigator: Assessing the impact of measures put in place by the Kenyan government to curb the spread of Covid-19 on the provision of health services in Machakos county from May 2020 to July 2020
· ICT Consultant: Investigating the Health System’s Capacity of Kitui County in Kenya to Detect and Control Infectious Diseases of Poverty October 2018 to November 2018: Role played Data collection, conduct interviews, Design and development of the e-surveillance system, Report writing
· Research Assistant: KENET – E-readiness 2013, 2015, 2019 survey of Kenyan Universities for the Technical University of Kenya
Elizabeth received a scholarship award to attend the Grace Hopper Celebration (GHC) of Women in Computing in Orlando, Florida from 1st to 4th October 2019 and also Gandhi Smarak Nidhi Fund – Postgraduate Scholarship for her Master’s program at the University of Nairobi. She is an active member of IEEE – Membership No. 92700212; IEEE – Women in Engineering (WiE); Association of Computing Machinery (ACM) – Membership No. 4350445; Oracle Academy and IBM Skills Academy.


Positions Held
Consultant Breast Surgeon
Specialist in Breast Cancer Management
C.E.O., Peace and Love Hospitals, Ghana
President and Founder, Breast Care International (BCI)President and Founder, Breast Care International (BCI) America
Chairperson, Ghana Cancer Board
Chairperson, Ghana NCD Alliance Advisory Board Member, MEALS4NCDsFmr President Elect, AORTIC
Member UICC
Medical Advisory Board Member, Direct Relief, USA
Executive member, International Breast Cancer and Nutrition (IBCN) Project Purdue University, USA
Race Chair, Susan G. Komen Ghana Race for the Cure
Executive Chair, BCI Ghana Walk for the Cure
Fmr Member, Ethics Committee IARC