SHIELD
Strategic Hub for Interventions to Promote Early Detection and Lifelong Protection from Advanced Rheumatic Heart Disease
Evidence-based interventions have shown that the greatest opportunity to slow or reduce disease progression is during the early RHD stages when patients are asymptomatic.
How can we adapt and scale early detection programs that have been previously developed in Uganda to other RHD endemic regions around the world?
SHIELD is a three‑project global effort using AI‑enabled echocardiography screening, the ACT Registry, and adaptable prophylaxis adherence‑support tools as methods to strengthen early RHD detection, care linkage, and long‑term treatment across diverse settings.
Caption: Health providers attending an ACT platform training in Uganda.
Strengthening early RHD detection, closing the gap between screening and confirmation, and improving long‑term treatment adherence are essential as they address the full continuum of care and further inform initiatives to reduce the local and global burden of RHD.
80
Ugandan healthcare providers will be trained and participate in testing an AI diagnosis model for RHD
200+
Students will participate in the SHIELD multidisciplinary training program
52
Individuals living with RHD will participate in community co-design workshops to create appropriate SAP support programs
Project Summaries
1. Utilizing AI assisted echocardiography to interpret RHD screening exams could increase accuracy and reduce workforce training time - enabling more people to be screened for and ultimately diagnosed with early RHD prior to symptomatic or severe disease.
2. New community-generated tools, integrated into the ACT Registry, could help us close follow-up gaps between screening and RHD confirmation. Additionally, spread of ACT to more teams globally could create an international quality improvement network to benchmark RHD care standards and improve service delivery.
3. Implementing adaptable antibiotic‑prophylaxis support strategies across global sites can improve treatment adherence and strengthen protection against RHD progression.
Project Site: Uganda, Brazil, Timor Leste
Project Dates: 2026-2030
