[dropcap]K[/dropcap]ersa Health and Demographic Surveillance System (Kersa HDSS) is located in Kersa district of eastern Hararege zone of Oromia region, Eastern Ethiopia 26km from the main campus. It was established in 2007 to track demographic and health changes in the community and to be a platform for various health related research by the college of Health and Medical Sciences in Haramaya University. It has a vision to become a center of excellence in health science research in Ethiopia.

The HDSS does monitoring demographic events such as birth, death, marital status change and migration; and health related conditions such as pregnancy, immunization, and morbidity among children and adults. It also conducts verbal autopsy for the deceased to identify the causes of death in the population. Other areas of interest of the HDSS are environmental health, reproductive health, nutrition, HIV/AIDS and health-care seeking and use. The center has 96 permanent workers to facilitate and support the research  undertaking.