Highlights and lessons of RSTMH travel scholars
Each year, as part of the RSTMH Annual Meeting, we award Travel Scholarships to exceptional early-career researchers and students in global health. These scholarships enable promising researchers to attend the conference, share their work with an international audience, and engage directly with those shaping the future of global health research.
Our 2025 Scholars, Halimat Olaniyan and Victor Femi-Lawal, are outstanding early careerists in medical sciences and global health, both based in Nigeria. Halimat and Victor travelled to London in September to present their research, exchange ideas with peers and experts, and experience the RSTMH community in person.
In this blog, they reflect on their time in London - what they learned, the conversations that inspired them, their experience of presenting their research and the networks they built with fellow researchers from around the world. Their stories highlight not only the value of the Travel Scholarship, but also the vital role that early-career scientists play in driving innovation, equity, and impact in global health.
Halimat Olaniyan:
My research focuses on improving the health and well-being of adolescents and young people, particularly in the areas of mental health, sexual and reproductive health, and rights, and leveraging digital technologies. In working with marginalised young people, such as those living with HIV and people with disabilities, I have observed that a key gap exists in mental health and psychosocial support systems. Deaf young people, in particular, face unique barriers in accessing mental health information and services, from limited communication support in healthcare settings to social stigma and exclusion. The RSTMH Early Career Research Grant presented a perfect opportunity to build on this evidence with my project, ‘Knowledge, Attitude, Perception and Lived Experiences of Common Mental Disorders among Adolescents with disability in South-West Nigeria: A Mixed Methods Study,’ which began in January 2025.
Being selected as a Travel Scholar to attend and present at the RSTMH Annual Meeting in London was a significant milestone in my research journey. It was my first visit to the UK, and from the moment I arrived, it proved to be a huge learning curve. It was a pleasure meeting all the RSTMH team members, some of whom I had already connected with online. We had conversations on career, life, and research, and I got to learn about the history of RSTMH. I also saw the first few publications in RSTMH journals, which were published starting from 1908 and met with the RSTMH Board members, which was a huge opportunity to connect and learn from established scientists. Over the two days of the RSTMH Annual Meeting, I attended presentation sessions and panel sessions on how AI is shaping the global health landscape, which were both insightful and eye-opening.
My presentation at the annual meeting, titled “The Role of Digital Technologies and Artificial Intelligence in Improving Mental Health Information and Psychosocial Support for Deaf Adolescents and Young People in Southwest Nigeria,” explores how digital tools can help close this gap. This research employed a mixed-methods approach, combining quantitative data with qualitative insights, to understand how deaf adolescents perceive mental health, the barriers they face, and how technology can empower them to seek support. During my session, I discussed how emerging technologies can redefine mental health interventions, particularly in low-resource contexts such as Nigeria. Even when available, services do not fully address the needs of deaf adolescents, as they continue to face systemic barriers, including a lack of sign language interpreters, the attitude of healthcare workers, cost and financial difficulties, and a lack of digital literacy. This research revealed that many deaf young people are willing to understand their emotions, connect with their peers, and access help, but often struggle due to a lack of accessible information.
The feedback from the audience after my presentation reaffirmed that equity in global health is a shared concern that transcends borders and disciplines, helping to refine my research ideas to scale up the project and identify opportunities for possible collaboration and funding. Some feedback focused on language differences and how these may impact the dissemination of information and the delivery of services. An ideal intervention would integrate sign language videos, chatbots and even avatars where possible.
Leaving London, I felt a renewed sense of purpose. The conversations, mentorship, and networks I gained through RSTMH reminded me that impactful research does not end at data collection; it continues through storytelling, collaboration, and implementation. As I proceed to start my PhD, the next steps for me include scaling this research to reach a wider group of adolescents and young people and designing tailored interventions. My journey as a researcher continues, and I remain committed to using technology to close gaps in mental health information and services. The RSTMH platform has given me both the confidence and connections to make that vision a reality.
Victor Femi-Lawal:
I've always been quite passionate about research, particularly in global health, and so since my preclinical years, I've sought out opportunities to get engaged in research projects. One of my first global health research projects was with Polygeia (Cambridge Branch) in 2023, where I co-led a study on the state of adolescent sexual health in Nigeria, examining various outcomes such as unintended pregnancies, contraceptive use, HIV and STIs, and gender-based violence.. The study was supported by Costello Medical, and it was quite an engaging experience, as I learned the basics of evidence synthesis in a practical way with tangible deliverables, while bringing my perspective as a young Nigerian.
My learnings from the Polygeia project and growing interest in global health motivated me to work on further research projects that addressed key challenges in the field of sexual reproductive health, particularly at the intersection of technology and health.
As a successful recipient of the RSTMH Travel Scholarship, I presented findings from my study on the impact of short messaging service (SMS) interventions on contraceptive uptake and family planning in Sub-Saharan Africa on the second day of the meeting.
This study was a systematic review and meta-analysis, and it was my very first oral presentation, so I was quite excited. In the study, we employed quantitative and qualitative synthesis methods to summarize evidence from studies involving over 16,000 participants in 7 countries on how SMS can drive contraceptive uptake in Africa, which has a significant unmet need for contraception.
Key findings were that SMS was significantly effective, and the use of simple language, confidential messaging, interactivity, and post-partum care integration drove impact. Qualitative findings included improved contraceptive knowledge, enhanced couple communication, and a shift to joint responsibility in family planning. I wrapped up the presentation by recommending the incorporation of key facilitators while scaling up these interventions in low-resource settings.
The other talks at the annual meeting covered many areas which I think are critical, including the interplay of AI and ethics, equity, education, research, as well as practical cases of AI use in prevention and treatment. One of the key highlights for me was the session on key terms and applications for AI in Global Health, which really went into the fundamentals of AI in a way I’d never seen before, while not being overly complex. The role of AI in facilitating healthcare delivery in low-resource settings, particularly discussed in the panel on Day 2, was an engaging conversation, as it explored opportunities and important challenges to consider. I was also thrilled to attend the journal launch, which showed RSTMH’s commitment to support innovation and AI in global health.
Since the meeting programme usually ended by around 6 o’clock in the evening, I also got to explore London a bit, touring the city and even getting to see the famous Tower Bridge. That was one of the more full-circle moments which made the experience in London very memorable.
Since returning home, I have been working with my co-authors to develop the full manuscript on this work, to publish in a peer-reviewed journal. I will be incorporating a few recommendations I received at the meeting into the publication, and I’m also looking to share my findings through publication and other avenues to promote the scaling of accessible digital technologies in improving global health outcomes.