Cervical Cancer Research Breakthrough: MSHA Student's Capstone Published in Prestigious Journal

Please join us in congratulating Northwestern SPS online Master's in Health Analytics (MSHA) student Dr. Francis Magaji, who had his capstone project paper accepted for publication in the BMC Public Health journal. The paper aimed to determine predictors of cervical precancer in women living with HIV and receiving care and treatment at HIV/AIDS clinics in Jos, Nigeria.

"[Dr. Magaji’s achievement] showcases the depth of knowledge and analytical skills our students acquire during their time in the program and underscores the real-world impact of our curriculum," says Imran Khan, faculty director of the MSHA program.

As a specialty-trained obstetrician, Dr. Magaji has an interest in cervical cancer prevention and control among women with HIV in Jos, where he is based. Nigeria, second only to South Africa in the number of persons living with HIV in Sub-Saharan Africa, is estimated to have over 53 million women at risk of cervical cancer. "Women with HIV have a six-fold higher risk of developing cervical cancer due to both a higher prevalence and longer clearance time, and/or persistence of high-risk HPV compared to women without HIV," says Dr. Magaji.

Despite the high prevalence of HIV, the study found a significant lack of preventive care and resources in the metropolitan area. "The absence of organized screening services within HIV clinics exposes women with HIV to preventable cervical cancer incidence and mortality, thereby eroding the hard-fought gains from HIV treatment," says Dr. Magaji.

The online Northwestern MS in Health Analytics program was developed in partnership with the Feinberg School of Medicine and Northwestern Memorial HealthCare. Dr. Magaji discusses more about his experience in the program, as well as how it has led to further opportunities in research and advancing his healthcare career below.

What did you gain from your experience in the online MS in Health Analytics program?

"Completing the Northwestern MS in Health Analytics program enabled me to learn about healthcare analytics leadership that utilizes data generated from research projects for strategic use as data assets, facilitates faster response to changes in the research project, and supports information and analytics. I learned that healthcare data could be used for policy change to increase access to healthcare, improve the quality of healthcare, and reduce disease burden in a population.

The skills acquired were demonstrated in this capstone project, which measured prevalence and predictors of abnormal cervical cytology outcomes among previously unscreened women and the general population of women with HIV in Jos Metropolis, Nigeria. The estimates measured would be used for designing standard care for women with HIV, determining costs, and for predictive screening model. The findings from the publication will be used to advocate for policy change to increase cervical cancer screening coverage in both the general population and the high-risk population."

What's next for you after the online MS in Health Analytics program?

"My learning experience at Northwestern SPS has resulted in my participation in the NIH/NCI implementation research grant titled ‘U01 West Africa Self-Sampling HPV Based Cervical Cancer Control Program (WA-SSHCCP)’ as a co-investigator. I look forward to collaborating with resource-rich countries to increase research funding for projects on both HIV treatment and cervical cancer prevention. This clarion call for funding aims to reduce cervical cancer incidence and mortality by preventing the progression of abnormal cervical cytology to invasive cervical cancer through effective screening and early treatment of precancerous cervical lesions among women with HIV in resource-limited settings.

I am equally hopeful for an opportunity for career advancement through a PhD program in areas related to clinical services, public health, and health analytics."

Northwestern University School of Professional Studies offers many degree and certificate programs, with evening and online options available. To learn more about how Northwestern University's Graduate Programs in Health Analytics prepares students to advance their careers in health analytics, fill out the form below and we will contact you soon.