Attending GHBN Summer school was of great opportunity for me as a person but also allowed me represent Uganda on the program. I am a Bioethics postdoctoral fellow at Makerere University, an institution in Uganda that has a remarkable reputation in training bioethics on the African continent but had not had chance to participate in the GHBN summer schools. One of my main aims to apply for the summer school was to contribute effort to building a network between the Makerere University Bioethics Center and GHBN that can result in more ethical practices, and future collaborations. I was able to inquire about the possibilities of this endeavour and I am positive that it will be achieved.
I got chance to present part of my research work on community engagement in AI research. The panel discussion that followed allowed me to reflect more on my work and contribute knowledge that I hope was valuable to others doing related work. I was able to meet with people doing other work, and delve into emerging ethical issues, new developments and evolving regulations in these areas. This enhanced my knowledge to ensure that it remains up to date and relevant.
I was thrilled by the training on AI; it improved my understanding of this technology and its application in research and academics. It highlighted the considerations for AI use in a way that is safe, easy, diverse and flexible. This more positively impacted my appreciation of AI.
Much as I was able to meet new people doing exciting work, some of the people were those I am familiar with. The summer school was, therefore, a chance to strengthen existing networks and build more grounds for future collaborations.
Written by: Harriet Nankya (PhD), postdoctoral fellow on the Fogarty African Bioethics program coordinated in an institutional collaboration of Makerere University Uganda, Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics in the USA, and the University of Oxford Ethox Centre in the UK.

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