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IDI supports Rakai COVID-19 Taskforce

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Dr. Mohammed Lamorde, the head of the Global Health Security Programme at the Makerere University Infectious Diseases Institute (IDI) accompanied Dr. Allan Muruta the Commissioner Integrated Epidemiology, Surveillance and Public Health Emergencies, Ministry of Health (MOH) on a two-day support supervision visit to Rakai district last week. IDI recently joined Rakai Health Services Program (RHSP), another Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)-supported implementing partner to work in the region on COVID-19 surveillance. IDI has since mentored 651 VHTs in COVID-19 surveillance for Rakai and Kyotera districts.

Fourteen Task Force members in Kyotera district were also trained and an alert management system established.

Christine Zawedde, the Kyotera cluster coordinator from RHSP, said three out of four districts in her cluster have reported local transmission.

The district leadership was advised that all the measures by partners are aimed at keeping the pandemic at bay until a vaccine has been discovered and rolled out. Rakai's borders with Tanzania are porous and community transmission remains an imminent threat to the work done so far by the COVID-19 task force.

The district task force was lauded for promptness in diagnosis, which was said to be the reason Uganda has continued to present good reports in comparison to her neighbours. The team was encouraged to continue strengthening the COVID-19 surveillance and create a buffer of the region.

Dr. Lamorde encouraged the task force to engage the Call for Life Interactive Voice Response (IVR) programme run by the Academy for Health Innovation within IDI for patients who have been released from quarantine.

“The system helps with triage as only the clients who are in the most danger or present a risk to the community will be followed up by health workers. This will help solve the issue of transportation to monitor clients after release,” he said.

As part of the national response in the fight against COVID-19 in Uganda, the Academy for Health Innovation is working tirelessly through a partnership between IDI and MOH. Through this agreement, a team of software engineers and medical professionals have developed a pilot project that will facilitate the management of the large numbers of COVID-19 patients. This pilot project is an adaptation of the Call forLife (C4Life) project that has successfully facilitated the management of Tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS patients. It uses basic mobile phones (Katorch) through a voice automated call system known as IVR; a computer assisted patient management system. It is accessible, easy to use and has the potential to be widely applicable. lt is an intelligent technological health innovation that supports front line workers to track all COVID-19 patients; these include recovered patients, those that have left quarantine and contacts of the patients.

MOH is already tracking over 240 people who have completed their mandatory quarantine using this system. These individuals have begun receiving these voice automated calls to monitor their conditions such that they can self-evaluate and report any symptoms.

By Tracy Ahumuza, Corporate Communications Specialist, IDI

Mark Wamai

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Job Advert: Position of Principal -College of Health Sciences

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Makerere University seeks to fill the position of Principal, College of Health Sciences. The College of Health Sciences is a semi-autonomous academic unit, which consists of Schools, Academic Institutes, Departments and Centers that carry out general and professional training, teaching, outreach and research in various disciplines.

Job description
The Position is a Senior Post in the University created to give leadership to a College of Makerere University.

The Principal is the Chief Administrative, Academic and Financial Officer of the College and is responsible to the Vice Chancellor, University Senate and the University Council for promoting and maintaining academic excellence, efficiency and order of the College.
Eligibility
The person eligible for appointment should possess the following minimum attributes:

  • Hold a PhD or other academic Doctorate in one or more of the disciplines taught at the College;
  • Be at least at the rank of Associate Professor at the time of application;
  • At least four ( 4) years managerial expenence as a Head of an academic Department, Programmes Coordinator or a Research Project Manager in a University, Tertiary Institution or a reputable National Research Institution
  • Teaching experience of at least Six ( 6) years in one of the disciplines offered in the College he/she intends to lead;
  • Applicants who are at the rank of Associate Professor should not be above 61 years at the time of application.
  • Applicants who are at the rank of Professor should not be above 66 years at the time of application
  • Applicants must have demonstrable expenence of networking, research and resource mobilization. Applicants must attach evidence of resource mobilization and research conducted in the last five years.
  • Be a citizen of Uganda.

Tenure
The Principal is appointed to hold office for a term of four years.
Salary: Scale PU3
Mode of application:

i) Interested individuals should submit a letter of application accompanied with Curriculum Vitae, copies of relevant Academic Credentials and naming three referees;

ii) Applicants should make sure that at least two of the three referees have forwarded references concerning their application and suitability by the stated deadline;

iii) The deadline for submission of applications is 7th October 2024 at 5:00p.m.
East African time.

Applications should be submitted to:

The University Secretary
Makerere University
Frank Kalimuzo Building, Study Room 4.1
P.O. Box 7062
Kampala, Uganda
Or search.principals@mak.ac. ug

Mak Editor

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IMPACT Program Newsletter Sept. 2024

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A Screenshot of the IMPACT Program Newsletter September 2024. College of Health Sciences (CHS), Makerere University, Kampala Uganda, East Africa.

A very special welcome to the first edition of our newsletter of Makerere University’s Impact research capacity building program. The program is funded by a generous grant from the NIH Fogarty International Center to reduce the impact of rheumatic heart disease across all affected ages. For more than a decade Uganda has been at the fore front of rheumatic heart disease (RHD) research in sub-Saharan Africa. Building on that Foundation Makerere University College of Health Sciences decided it was opportune time to strengthen collaboration with Uganda Heart Institute and US partners: Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Centre (CCHMC) and Children’s National Hospital (CNH) to uplift Uganda’s research capacity to innovate and generate knowledge critical for elimination of rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease in the long run.

Whereas doctoral training of doctors and nurses is the main focus of our capacity strengthening initiatives, other levels are not left behind. Training is concurrently ongoing at master’s degree level and in-service for health professionals to better their research careers. The training spots were nationally advertised publicly and recruitment of trainees was competitive. Major research activities are taking place in rural communities in which rheumatic fever is relatively common. The program puts emphasis on community engagement so that the public can understand the importance and centrality of their actions in the control and elimination of rheumatic fever and achieving better quality of life and survival of those having rheumatic heart disease and its complications. The program pays special attention to gender issues in the research we do.

Prof. Emeritus Nelson Sewankambo
PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Mark Wamai

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Call For Applications: Masters Research Fellowships

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An elevated shot of the School of Health Sciences and School of Medicine Building, College of Health Sciences (CHS), Makerere University. Mulago Campus, Kampala Uganda, East Africa.

Makerere University in collaboration with the Uganda Heart Institute, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center and Children’s National Hospital, DC received funding from the National Institutes of Health’s Fogarty international Centre to implement the Impact Training Program. 

The Impact Program is soliciting for applications from masters students from Makerere University, Mbarara University of Science and Technology and Gulu University for 1-year research support.

Eligibility

  1. Should be enrolled in any of the following programs: Masters’ degree in Medicine, Paediatrics, Surgery, Nursing, Public Health, Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Social Sciences, Gender Studies or Biomedical/Health related field.
  2. Should have a good concept on RHD research and should have completed the 1st or 2nd year of graduate training.
  3. Willingness to undertake and complete all training mandated by the Impact program.
  4. Demonstrate interest in RHD research and commitment to develop a productive career in cardiovascular medicine/ research. 
  5. Commitment to publish research conducted under this training in open access peer-reviewed journals.

The closing date for the receipt of applications is 11:59 pm,  31st October 2024. 

Enquiries can be forwarded to the Impact Program Coordinator, 1st Floor Clinical Research Building, Room 1.4, makimpact22@gmail.com.

See the download below for more information

Mak Editor

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