Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation accelerates prevention and treatment with Azure AI solution
The Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation (EGPAF) prevents HIV transmission and treats seropositive patients in 12 countries heavily impacted by the virus. The organization sought a more comprehensive way to use its data to advance its mission.
With the support of the Microsoft Hackathon Hack4Good and partner Squadra Digital, EGPAF is using an Azure AI-based solution to analyze large volumes of data and improve clinical outcomes. AI provides evidence-based insights and fosters a data-driven culture.
The solution, named glAIser, uses predictive and generative AI to identify trends, facilitate rapid reporting, and inform decisions that refine programs and optimize resource allocation. With these insights, EGPAF is enhancing patient care and saving lives.
Story
At 18, Dee Mphafi Tanka tested positive for HIV. A doctor coldly told her she would get sick and die of AIDS — a frighteningly real prospect in her native Lesotho, where HIV remains the leading cause of death. Tanka found support, treatment, and hope with specialists from EGPAF, a U.S.-based nonprofit working to prevent the vertical transmission of HIV (from mother to child) and advocating for policies to end HIV and AIDS in children and families.
Thanks to the medical and psychosocial support received from EGPAF, Tanka not only defied the death sentence pronounced nine years prior—she also gave birth to a daughter free of the virus and now works with young women affected by HIV in Lesotho.
"HIV doesn't define me, nor does it end my dreams of a prosperous future. My daughter and I represent that it's possible to end pediatric AIDS."
The mission and the technological turning point
EGPAF has long been a beacon of hope for people like Tanka. The foundation aims to end HIV and AIDS, starting with children, but the world still has a long way to go. In high-infection-rate countries, disparities in treatment access between adults and children are widening.
To accelerate its mission and reach more people with effective care, EGPAF is turning to artificial intelligence. With support from Microsoft Hack4Good and partner Squadra Digital, the organization created glAIser, an intelligent assistant powered by Azure AI. The solution analyzes petabytes of institutional data to generate insights, create visualizations, and support evidence-based decisions.
"Microsoft is helping us reach the next level of our mission. This technology improves the efficiency and effectiveness of our solutions."
"No child should have HIV. AI-driven clinical decision support helps our professionals be more effective." — Dr. Shabbir Ismail Abbas
Accelerated technological advancements
EGPAF operates in 12 countries heavily affected by HIV and uses various electronic health information systems, some developed by the foundation itself for African government agencies. Each system collects diverse data—from demographic information to medication details.
Previously, this data was fragmented, causing long delays for comparisons, such as tracking the reduction in transmission cases. To address this, EGPAF created a unified data infrastructure, consolidating everything into Glaser 360, a data lakehouse that centralizes information.
Azure Data Factory integrates data from different systems, storing it securely and anonymously in Azure Data Lake. Azure Databricks performs the processing (ETL), and Power BI enables advanced analytics and visualizations.
Data mining for transformative insights
Even with Glaser 360, EGPAF lacked sufficient staff for complex analyses. Therefore, during the Microsoft hackathon, the foundation partnered with Squadra Digital. In three weeks, they developed glAIser, an AI assistant that performs data mining based on Azure OpenAI Service.
glAIser uses supervised RAG (Retrieval Augmented Generation) and understands natural language commands, transforming them into structured queries that identify the correct datasets and indicators. It generates interactive charts, textual summaries, and practical insights—for example, comparing the number of children tested for HIV by country and gender.
"With this AI solution, users don't just get data—they get interpretation."
The solution allows teams with different technical skill levels to ask questions and get immediate answers, fostering a data-driven culture.
"Facilitating data access will significantly improve our information usage culture. The solution puts data, analytics, and insights into the hands of decision-makers." — Charlie Maere, Global Director of Digital Health and Data Analytics at EGPAF
Improving patient care
EGPAF accumulates billions of data points from over 18 million patients served. Previously, data engineers took months to generate reports. Now, with AI, glAIser queries take seconds.
For instance, the system can identify factors associated with low treatment adherence, flagging patients at higher risk of dropping out of therapy, allowing clinicians to intervene before clinical deterioration.
"Predictive and generative AI is helping us improve the quality of services offered in our health units."
More effective health programs
Thanks to EGPAF, mother-to-child HIV transmission has decreased by 50% worldwide. The critical period for preventing newborn infection is 6 to 8 weeks—and AI helps act in time.
glAIser enables global, national, and per-clinic analyses, identifying trends and critical regions, guiding the distribution of resources and prevention efforts. This allows EGPAF to redirect teams, supplies, and campaigns to areas with higher incidence.
Furthermore, the system can identify concerning patterns—such as an increase in patients not starting treatment—and alert the team to create rapid, targeted interventions.
"Technology, including glAIser with Azure AI, empowers us to enhance the patient experience. No child should have HIV." — Dr. Shabbir Ismail Abbas
Conclusion
Through the collaboration between EGPAF, Microsoft, and Squadra Digital, the foundation is transforming data into life-saving decisions. AI is enabling faster diagnoses, smarter planning, and a new data-driven health culture.
Learn more about the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation:
Original content produced by Microsoft here.
