OPHID Showcases Data Intelligence Innovation at Global Digital Health Forum 2023

In December 2023, OPHID was honoured to present its groundbreaking Data Intelligence Platform at the Global Digital Health Forum (GDHF)—one of the most prestigious annual gatherings of digital health innovators, funders, and policy-makers from around the world. Held for the first time on African soil, in Nairobi, Kenya, GDHF 2023 brought together over 1,000 participants from more than 80 countries.

OPHID’s oral presentation, titled “Enhancing Health Data Management Through Modular Automation,” was selected through a competitive, peer-reviewed process, underscoring the global relevance and technical strength of the work.

A Game-Changer for Data Efficiency

The OPHID Data Intelligence Platform, developed under the Strategic Information Directorate, is a modular system that automates key data workflows across the health program lifecycle. From data collection to analysis, visualisation, and reporting, the platform significantly reduces reporting time by up to 50%, improves data quality, and empowers programme teams and decision-makers with real-time insights.

The system has been adopted across multiple technical areas—including HIV prevention, care and treatment, TB, and DREAMS programming—and is now supporting PEPFAR reporting requirements across thousands of health facilities in Zimbabwe.

Global Stage, Local Innovation

At GDHF, OPHID’s platform was presented alongside digital innovations from global institutions such as WHO, USAID, Johns Hopkins, and Microsoft AI for Health. The Forum provided an opportunity to demonstrate how locally designed solutions, like the OPHID Data Intelligence Platform, can offer globally applicable models for improving health system efficiency and accountability.

Following the presentation, OPHID received an invitation to submit a full manuscript to the Oxford Open Digital Health journal—further validating the system’s significance and innovation.

Leadership in Digital Transformation

The platform was conceptualised and led by Dr. Efison Dhodho, OPHID’s Director of Strategic Information and a Wellcome Trust-funded PhD researcher at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. His leadership ensured that the platform was user-centred, scalable, and designed to reduce burdens on frontline health workers while strengthening data integrity.

“The Data Intelligence Platform reflects OPHID’s broader vision—to use technology not just to capture data, but to drive better decisions and deliver more person-centred care,” said Dr. Dhodho.

What’s Next?

OPHID is now scaling the platform across additional program areas and engaging partners interested in adapting the system for broader health system strengthening efforts in Southern Africa and beyond.

OPHID is proud to be one of only five global winners of the 2023 USAID Digital Development Award (Digi Award)—an international recognition of excellence in using digital technology to advance development. The award was granted for the TASQC Management Information System (T-MIS), a transformative health data solution developed by OPHID under the leadership of Dr. Efison Dhodho, Director of Strategic Information.

A Global Innovation Rooted in Rural Realities

T-MIS was designed to address a critical challenge in Zimbabwe’s health sector: ensuring that people in remote, underserved areas have timely access to HIV prevention, treatment, and care services. With deep expertise in rural health systems and digital transformation, Dr. Dhodho guided a team of developers and data scientists to build a real-time, geospatially enabled platform that now supports decision-making and outreach across the TASQC program. More than 300,000 people in hard-to-reach communities have already benefited from the improved coordination and service delivery enabled by T-MIS.

Recognized by USAID as a Model of Digital Excellence

The Digi Awards are run by USAID’s Innovation, Technology, and Research Hub and are open to all of its 10,000+ global programs. In 2023, over 300 submissions were received, with only five winners selected across all development sectors. T-MIS was recognised as the top innovation in digital health for its technical ingenuity, measurable impact, and potential for scalability. The system was also profiled in USAID’s feature article, “Compassionate Cartography,” link https://medium.com/usaid-2030/compassionate-cartography-c65609104f0d highlighting its use of mapping and real-time data to break down barriers to care.

Innovation, Leadership, and Local Impact

While the award celebrates the innovation itself, it also reflects the vision and technical guidance of Dr. Dhodho, whose understanding of frontline health worker needs, community realities, and data system design helped shape T-MIS into a globally relevant solution.

This recognition affirms OPHID’s role as a national leader in digital health—and demonstrates how locally led innovation can help transform global health delivery.

OPHID is passionate about embedding program and implementation science into our work, and widely disseminating our pragmatic Evidence for Action at community, district, provincial, national and international meetings and conferences!

OPHID has presented over 100 accepted abstracts at local, regional and international scientific conferences.

These including the Zimbabwe National AIDS Council Research Symposium, the National Tuberculosis Program Research Day, Medical Research Council of Zimbabwe Research Day, International Conference on HIV Treatment, Pathogenesis, and Prevention Research (INTEREST), International AIDS Society and International AIDS Conferences (IAS and AIDS), International Conference on AIDS and STIs in Africa, International HIV & Adolescence and HIV Pediatrics Workshops, among others.

In the past 5 years alone, we have presented over 60 accepted abstracts including:

47 poster presentations

14 oral abstract presentations

11 awards for best abstract at major local and international scientific conferences