Welcome to the DHIS2 Online Academy “Learner Voices” series! We interviewed the most active learners from the Online Academy, and asked them to share their thoughts about the courses they have taken, and how they have used their knowledge to build capacity, support their organizational goals, and grow their own careers.
In this post, you will hear from George Mbevi @Mbevi, a data manager with the Systems Research and Ethics Group at the KEMRI-Wellcome Trust in Nairobi.
To learn more about the Online Academy, click here.
George Mbevi, Kemri-Wellcome Trust, Kenya
Q: Please introduce yourself — your name, job title, and organization.
My name is George Mbevi. I’m a Data Manager with the Systems Research and Ethics Group at the KEMRI–Wellcome Trust in Nairobi. KEMRI Wellcome Trust is a medical research institution—a partnership between the Kenya Medical Research Institute and the Wellcome Trust.
I’ve been working with health information systems for more than ten years now. In my current role, we collaborate with hospitals through the Clinical Information Network, which aims to improve the quality of inpatient pediatric and neonatal care. One major challenge has been poor documentation in hospitals, so our objective is to improve the quality of care through better documentation and quality data.
I first interacted with DHIS2 when it was rolled out in Kenya around 2010–2011, while I was working with the Ministry of Health. I was involved in aggregate data capture and validation, and I also participated in the WHO SARA survey at that time.
There were no online courses back then, but around 2016, when the DHIS2 Academies were launched, I began enrolling—and I’ve since completed more than ten online courses, as well as several in-person academies.
Q: What motivated you to continue taking those courses and become such an active learner?
After Kenya adopted a new constitution in 2010, the health system was devolved — meaning counties gained autonomy in managing health services. Data quality was a big challenge, and training opportunities were limited.
One of my responsibilities was to mentor healthcare workers, so I wanted to strengthen my own skills and knowledge to be more productive in my work, support colleagues better, and grow professionally.
Q: As you were completing the courses, what kept you motivated and engaged?
We weren’t using DHIS2 as our main platform at that time, but since we worked closely with hospitals, I could see the gaps in data management. I wanted to gain stronger DHIS2 skills so I could help others learn proper data management and analysis.
Our research teams frequently requested specific data—often complex extractions or analyses—and the default visualization apps in DHIS2 only allow limited data retrieval. I wanted to learn how to query and analyze larger datasets through the API.
As DHIS2 developed—from aggregate data to Tracker and patient-level data — new apps and functionalities emerged. The more DHIS2 evolved, the more important it became to stay up to date with the latest skills.
Q: Were there specific features in the courses that you found motivating — like videos, exercises, or certificates?
Absolutely. The main motivation was to acquire practical skills that I could apply immediately. For example, learning about how indicators are defined and structured within DHIS2 was critical, because Kenya’s national system (the Kenya Health Information System) evolves constantly, with many partners contributing data and indicators.
Another motivator was the certificate of completion, which provides recognition of achievement.
Also, the networking opportunities with other learners were valuable—being part of a community of DHIS2 users helped me stay connected and informed. And of course, I wanted to ensure I had the most up-to-date knowledge to support my colleagues.
Q: What advice would you give to people who struggle to complete online courses?
First, identify your learning path—what skills you actually need. The course catalog now helps with that. I started with less technical courses, because many advanced ones back then required in-person attendance.
If you’re focusing on aggregate data, learn how indicators and data elements are developed and how to retrieve them. Once I selected a course, I planned carefully—looking at duration, technical depth, and scheduling realistic time. I often set myself a three-month target per course, giving enough time to understand every module thoroughly, not just to “pass.”
Q: Tell me about how DHIS2 is used in your work and why it matters to your program.
At the moment, our project doesn’t have its own dedicated DHIS2 system. We use the national DHIS2 system (KHIS) for research and analytics. We’ve been granted login credentials and user rights by the Ministry of Health to retrieve and analyze data.
We’re now working toward establishing our own DHIS2 instance to better manipulate and manage datasets internally.
In partnership with the Ministry and other organizations, we’re also developing a new Neonatal Tracker module—defining data elements, indicators, and collection frequencies for hospitals. The goal is to have our project data integrated into the national DHIS2/KHIS platform. It’s an exciting project, and we hope it will be fully implemented soon.
Q: Can you give an example of how something you learned from the courses helped solve a challenge?
Several examples come to mind. The Aggregate Data Capture and Validation course strengthened my foundation, and the Information Use Academy helped me apply data for decision-making across different program areas.
The Tracker and Event Data courses have been especially useful in our Neonatal Tracker project, as they cover patient-level data management. I also completed the Planning and Budgeting course, which has practical relevance to our current work. Recently, I finished the Event Customization and Configuration course, which helped me move from simply capturing data to customizing and configuring DHIS2.
Altogether, these courses have allowed me to evolve from data capture and validation to analytics, customization, configuration, and planning.
Q: Can you give a concrete example of how this improved your work?
One example is during the COVID-19 pandemic. Using skills from the Information Use Academy, I helped define indicators and data elements for our research. We used DHIS2 data to analyze and publish work on the impact of COVID-19 on hospital service utilization, which informed the Ministry of Health’s pandemic response.
Currently, in the Neonatal Tracker project, I’m applying combined skills—designing data elements, defining indicators, setting configurations and skip logics—directly from what I learned in the online courses.
Q: Have you been able to teach or train others with what you’ve learned?
Yes, training is a core part of my role. Our project focuses on strengthening health information systems, including DHIS2.
We regularly train Health Records and Information Officers in hospitals on data quality assurance. When analyzing data, we identify gaps and work with facilities to correct them, improving data completeness and reliability. We also benchmark DHIS2 data against hospital records to ensure alignment and completeness across service areas.
Q: How many people have you trained, approximately?
Across the hospitals we support, I’d estimate over 100 people—mainly Health Records and Information Officers—through combined training and mentorship. We also cover topics like assigning correct disease codes according to WHO standards and DHIS2 cause-of-death classification.
Q: How have DHIS2 skills influenced your career and professional growth?
DHIS2 has been a cornerstone of my career. It’s essential in my day-to-day work, from implementing projects to supporting analytics.
While funding constraints have limited attendance at in-person trainings, the online courses have filled that gap. I’m continuing to pursue more DHIS2 skills, not just for my own development but to mentor colleagues and support collaboration with the Ministry of Health, HISP Kenya, and other regional partners.
I see many opportunities to expand DHIS2-related work, research, and mentorship.
Q: How does DHIS2 support the mission and goals of your organization?
It’s very aligned. Our researchers increasingly use DHIS2 data—especially for climate and health analyses. The system contains rich, routine, patient-level data, which is invaluable for research and for informing policy and decision-making.
We’re seeing growing interest in DHIS2 data integration and analysis, and I believe this area will continue to expand.
Q: If you were to recommend the Online Academy, what would you say is its greatest value?
The flexibility. You can tailor learning to your career path—whether you want technical, basic, or implementation-focused skills. The course catalog makes it easy to select what’s relevant, take it at your own pace, and apply it directly in your daily work.
Q: Is there anything else you’d like to add or change about the courses or platform?
Yes. The Academy Archives are very useful—you can access materials from past in-person trainings and learn independently, even without certification. It would be great if these archived courses offered certificates for those who complete all modules.
Also, consider expanding self-paced courses to cover more areas, such as maps and GIS, server administration, and system integration. Integration is especially important here, because many implementers deploy electronic medical records without understanding how to link them to the national DHIS2 system.
Finally, making in-person trainings more affordable and accessible would help fill capacity gaps—especially since funding for trainings has decreased. Expanding self-paced content would allow more people to gain DHIS2 skills cost-effectively.
