Harnessing the power of virtual reality technology to enhance public health genomics skills in Africa

Nature Communications 2026 Open access

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Authors: Harris Onywera, Collins Kipngetich Tanui, Alisen Ayitewala, Alex Kasembeli, Moussa M. Diagne, Sofonías K. Tessema
DOI: 10.1038/s41467-026-68874-7
Cited by: 3
References: 53

Abstract

Africa must sustainably bridge the public health genomics skills gap to build a workforce that responds with speed, quality, and scale. Virtual reality offers a novel and cost-effective solution to address this gap, but its implementation must follow best practices. Africa’s public health genomics capacity has expanded substantially since the COVID-19 pandemic; however, workforce development is currently constrained by access, cost and sustainability. In this Perspective, the authors present virtual reality as a strategic tool for sustainable and equitable capacity building in genomics.

Fields of Study & Subjects

Genetics Bioinformatics and Biomedical Research Global Health and Surgery Mobile Health and mHealth Applications

Publication details

Journal / source
Nature Communications
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Volume
17
Issue
1
Pages
1490–1490
Publication date
2 February 2026
Language
EN