10,000 Little Hearts: Launching the CHD Screening Program in Nigeria
Every child deserves a healthy heart and a chance at life. But in many parts of the world, that chance is stolen by a often undiagnosed threat. Congenital heart disease (CHD), the leading cause of death from birth defects. In low-resource settings, where pediatric cardiologists are scarce and diagnostic tools are limited, CHD often goes undetected until it’s too late.
This summer, One Heart Health took a major step forward and launched Phase 2 of our Digital Heart Sounds Study in Nigeria—a bold, data-driven effort to screen 10,000 newborns and children across Ekiti and Osun states for life-threatening heart defects.
From Washington, D.C. to Nigeria: Partnership Around the World
Our journey began with a chance meeting at the 8th World Congress of Pediatric Cardiology and Cardiac Surgery in Washington, D.C., where One Heart Health Executive Director Aaron Faugstad met Dr. Uvie Onakpoya of Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospitals Complex (OAUTHC). From that conversation grew a partnership and one that now includes Dr. Olukemi Bamigboye-Taiwo, principal investigator and driving force behind the program’s launch in Nigeria.
Thanks to Dr. Olukemi’s leadership, One Heart Health was able to coordinate site visits, recruit hospitals, and train over a dozen doctors across Ile-Ife, Ado Ekiti, Osogbo, and Ilesa.
A Week of Impact: Site Visits, Training, and Technology in Action
From June 23 to 26, 2025, our team conducted a packed four-day itinerary, including:
- Courtesy visits with hospital administrators and pediatric leaders
- Interactive trainings with the One Heart App and digital stethoscopes
- Live field demonstrations in postnatal wards and outpatient clinics
- Hands-on use of AI-powered screening tools by newly trained physicians
These trainings marked the official launch of Nigeria’s participation in the Digital Heart Sounds Study, a multi-country clinical trial testing whether digital auscultation and AI can accurately detect pathologic heart murmurs and close the diagnostic gap for CHD in underserved communities.
The Technology: AI That Listens, Learns, and Saves Lives
At the core of this initiative is the One Heart App, developed by our team and hosted on AWS cloud infrastructure. Paired with a digital stethoscope, the app records heart sounds, analyzes them with a machine-learning algorithm, and generates a probability score for CHD.
It’s simple to use. It’s low-cost. And it’s designed for real-world conditions, where specialists may be hours away.
The People Powering the Change
This work would not be possible without the extraordinary leadership of our Nigerian partners:
- Dr. Olukemi Bamigboye-Taiwo (Principal Investigator, OAUTHC)
- Dr. Uvie Onakpoya (Co-Investigator, OAUTHC)
- Dr. Okolugbo (Federal Teaching Hospital, Ado-Ekiti)
- Dr. Afolabi, Dr. Aderinto, Dr. Adegbite (Osun Teaching Hospital, Osogbo)
- Dr. Olufemi Smith, Dr. Ogundele (Wesley Guild Hospital, Ilesa)
Each doctor trained will now return to their clinic to begin screening children, integrating CHD detection into routine care and referring suspected cases to pediatric cardiologists for official diagnosis and follow-up care.
By the Numbers: Measuring Impact
- 10,000 children to be screened across Nigeria
- 120 children projected to be diagnosed with CHD and referred for treatment
- 5 hospital sites equipped and actively participating
- 1 goal: Give every child with CHD the chance to live a full, healthy life
Beyond the clinical impact, the data gathered will help One Heart Health apply for FDA 510(k) clearance, making this technology eligible for broader distribution in the U.S. and globally.
What Comes Next and How You Can Help
Now that the fieldwork has begun, our focus shifts to sustaining the effort. That includes:
- Continued technical support for app users
- Updates to the algorithm based on field performance and feedback
- Expansion of the program to new regions
- Analysis and publication of study results
But we can’t do it alone. We’re still raising $40,000 to cover digital stethoscopes, training, travel, and clinical supplies. Every dollar helps screen another child.
Help us screen 10,000 little hearts in Nigeria.
