African cloth can tell a story, and no one knows that better than Dr. Annie De Groot, a world-famous URI research scientist whose nonprofit is helping prevent cervical cancer in the West African country of Mali. Science and fabric might seem like an odd pairing, but combining the two is actually a brilliant idea that could save the lives of millions of women.

Not long ago, De Groot was driving to work, brainstorming about ways to improve health care in Africa, when she had a revelation: Design a fabric that shows the connection between HPV, or human papillomavirus, and cervical cancer – and how important it is to get vaccinated.

The next stop was local artist Eliza Squibb, who designed a colorful pattern of flowering, healthy uteruses surrounded by spiky, scary-looking viruses. The message, in French, is indisputable: “I protect myself. I take care of myself. I get vaccinated.’’

The project’s potential – and uniqueness – got the attention of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which awarded De Groot’s nonprofit, Global Alliance to Immunize Against AIDS Vaccine Foundation, $100,000 to launch a campaign. Women who get the vaccine, for instance, will receive the fabric, or pagne, for dressmaking.

As director of URI’s Institute for Immunology and Informatics, medical director of a free health clinic in Providence and one of the top 50 most influential people in the vaccine industry, DeGroot is highly accomplished. But her latest pursuit holds a special place in her heart.

“If we can help stop cervical cancer in Africa due to a storytelling cloth,’’ she says, “wouldn’t that just be amazing.’’