Research at SHINE
Evidence for health systems in sub-Saharan Africa
Studies designed with the ministries, hospitals and universities that will use them, carried out by trained African researchers, and published where decision-makers can find them.
Research areas
Five areas where SHINE has field presence, trained staff and published work.
Non-communicable diseases
Hypertension and diabetes screening in communities, digital follow-up of people at risk, and awareness campaigns. The 2023 Hypertension Awareness project screened more than 5,000 people in Cameroon.
Research capacity
How training and mentorship change research output among African clinicians, and how institutions build research systems that last.
Digital health and access
Facility mapping, appointment booking, referral and mobile-money payment, studied on the MedAccess platform with more than 1,000 facilities.
Clinical quality
Clinical audit and care standards in district hospitals, supporting hospital teams to publish audits that improve practice.
Implementation science
How evidence-based interventions are adopted, scaled and sustained in real health systems in Cameroon and the region.
Health policy
Research used in district health strategies and NGO programming, with policy briefs written for decision-makers.
Health research that gets used
SHINE does health research for people who need the answer. Our partners are district health services, hospital teams, ministry programmes and funders. Each study begins with the question a partner needs answered. It ends when we have published the finding and returned it to that partner in a usable form. For this reason, we publish policy briefs alongside journal articles.
Six health research areas
We work where we have field presence, trained staff and published work: non-communicable diseases, research capacity, digital health, clinical quality, implementation science and health policy. For example, the 2023 Hypertension Awareness project screened more than 5,000 people in Cameroon. Similarly, a 2025 review in Heart mapped 26 studies of mobile health for cardiovascular care in Africa. Both feed directly into our programmes.
Health research standards
Every study with human participants receives ethical approval before data collection begins. We store data on access-controlled systems and anonymise it before analysis. Authorship follows the ICMJE recommendations. In addition, we share anonymised datasets on request under a data-sharing agreement where consent allows.
Commission health research
Institutions can commission a study or co-author with our researchers. Alternatively, they can send staff to Sintieh Research Academy for training. Finally, the publications library can be filtered by year, division and topic.
How to reach us
You can write to info@shineltd.org at any time. Alternatively, call +237 680 338 598 during office hours, Monday to Friday. We reply within two working days. In addition, partnership and funding enquiries go to partner@shineltd.org, so that the right person answers. Questions about health research are welcome.
Related pages
For example, the publications library lists peer-reviewed work by year and topic. Similarly, the programmes page describes current field programmes and courses. Finally, news and insight carries announcements and programme notes from SHINE and its divisions.
A note on our standards
First, every study has a written protocol and ethical approval before data collection. Second, we report results to the partner as well as to a journal. Third, testimonials appear only with the person’s consent. As a result, partners can rely on what SHINE publishes, and readers can check every claim against its source.
How we do research
Three stages, the same for a single clinical audit or a multi-site programme evaluation.
- Design with the user of the resultEvery study starts with a written protocol, a named principal investigator and a partner who needs the answer: a district health service, a hospital, a ministry programme or a funder. Objectives, outcomes and the analysis plan are fixed before data collection. Where human participants are involved, ethical approval is obtained from the relevant institutional review board or the Cameroon National Ethics Committee, and informed consent is documented.Protocol and ethics
- Collect and analyse to a fixed planField teams collect data with REDCap, ODK and KoboToolbox, with quality checks built into the forms. Data are stored on access-controlled systems and anonymised before analysis in STATA, SPSS, R or NVivo. Code and cleaned datasets are kept so results can be reproduced.Data and analysis
- Publish and return the findingsResults are written for peer-reviewed journals; authorship follows ICMJE criteria and conflicts of interest are declared. Findings go back to partners and communities as policy briefs and presentations. Datasets are shared on request under a data-sharing agreement where consent allows.Publication and use
Recent publications
Full library-
2026
DOIMichelle Guimeya, Anastase Dzudie, Eveline Ngouadjeu, Yannick Mboue-Djieka, Sintieh Nchinda Ngek Ekongefeyin, Colette Sih, Peter Vanes Ebasone, Félicité Djuikwo, Albertine Eloundou, Anne Marthe Maison, Siméon Pierre Choukem
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2026
DOIIntegrating artificial intelligence tools in health research npj Digital MedicineGemma Postill, Jana Sedláková, Stefano Tancredi, Frerik Smit, Sintieh Ekongefeyin, Andreas M. Baumer, Arnaud Chioléro, Jürgen Bernard, Laura C. Rosella, Viktor von Wyl
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2025
DOIMapping the evidence on mHealth interventions for cardiovascular event care in Africa: a scoping review Heart (BMJ)Ekongefeyin S N N, Dedino G, Wild C
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2025
DOISugarless chewing gum and postoperative ileus following abdominal surgery in two referral hospitals in the Southwest Region of Cameroon International Journal of Science and Research ArchiveBertrand Kealebong Asonglefac, Ndung Ako Forbinake, Sintieh Nchinda Ngek Ekongefeyin, Elroy Patrick Weledji, Marcelin Ngowe Ngowe
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2025
DOIAcceptability of Telehealth as the Default Modality for Multiple Sclerosis Care in Switzerland: Cross-Sectional Study JMIR mHealth and uHealthSintieh Nchinda Ngek Ekongefeyin, Paola Daniore, Vasileios Nittas, Stefania Iaquinto, Enriqueta Vallejo-Yagüe, Christian P. Kamm, Pasquale Calabrese, Claudia Baum, Claudio Gobbi, Chiara Zecca, Andrew Chan, Milo A. Puhan, Viktor von Wyl
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2023
DOIKnowledge and Attitude Regarding Autism Among Nurses in Fako Division, Cameroon International Journal of Clinical EpidemiologyEV Enow Ayamba, ES Nchinda Ngek, I Ihenacho
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2023
DOIDenise M. Sam, Clare Bukirwa, Sintieh Nchinda Ngek Ekongefeyin
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2023
DOITherapeutic Itinerary of Patients with Chronic Heart Failure at the Bafoussam Regional Hospital, West Region, Cameroon International Journal of Tropical Disease and HealthYimelong Tsayem Sibylle, Kouam Kouam Charles, Samuel Kingué, Nguemaim Flore Ngoufo, Mohamed Isah, Egbe Sangasu Eni, Misonge Kapnang Ivan, Sintieh Nchinda Ngek Ekongefeyin
From a single clinical audit to a multi-site programme evaluation. Tell us the question and the setting; we scope the study, the ethics route and the budget within five days.
Research services for institutions
Delivered by Sintieh Research Academy to hospitals, NGOs, universities and development agencies.
Data collection
- Field teams with digital tools
- Custom protocols
- REDCap, ODK, KoboToolbox set-up
- Quality assurance
Proposals and grants
- Grant writing support
- Donor-aligned structuring
- Budget development
- Ethics applications
Data analysis
- STATA, SPSS, R
- Advanced Excel modelling
- Qualitative analysis in NVivo
- Visualisation and reporting
Writing and training
- Journal-ready manuscripts
- Systematic reviews
- Peer review and journal selection
- Research methods workshops
Research questions we are asked
Short answers to the questions we are asked most. For anything else, contact us and we reply within two working days.
Can SHINE run a study for our organisation?
Yes. Sintieh Research Academy designs and delivers studies for hospitals, NGOs, ministries and funders, from protocol and ethics approval through data collection, analysis and publication. Send a partnership enquiry to start.
Do you obtain ethical approval?
Every study with human participants goes to the relevant institutional review board or the Cameroon National Ethics Committee before data collection. SRA also assists partners with their own ethics applications.
Which tools and software do you use?
REDCap, ODK and KoboToolbox for data collection; STATA, SPSS and R for analysis; NVivo for qualitative work; standard reporting and visualisation tools for outputs.
Can we co-author with SHINE researchers?
Yes. Authorship follows ICMJE criteria; partners who contribute to design, data, analysis or writing are credited accordingly.
Are your datasets available?
Where consent and ethics approval allow, anonymised datasets are shared on request under a data-sharing agreement.
Work with SHINE
We answer enquiries within two working days. Discovery calls take fifteen to thirty minutes, and a scoped proposal follows within five.