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Mak’s Gloria Seruwagi joins Multi-million GBP Global Innovation Challenge as Judge

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By Joseph Odoi

Dr Gloria Seruwagi, a Lecturer at Makerere University with expertise in sociobehavioural sciences, global health and international development, has been selected as Judge for a multi-million-pound global innovation challenge. This is according to a press statement issued by Trinity Challenge in the United Kingdom.

The Trinity Challenge is a global coalition of over 40 members, from across academia, private and public organisations and charities, committed to bringing together the best thinking, capabilities and tools in data and analytics to address future pandemic outbreaks. The coalition is united by the common aim of better protecting the world against health emergencies, using data-driven research and analytics. Some of the Coalition members include the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, University of Cambridge, Aviva, Brunswick, Google, Facebook, Imperial College London, London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME), GSK and Microsoft among others.

Dr. Gloria Seruwagi, who is also Team Leader at The Centre for Health and Social Economic Improvement (CHASE-i), will join a global expert panel of judges awarding over £10m to innovators with solutions for future health emergencies. This year’s Trinity Challenge is on “How can data and analytics be used to better identify, respond to, and recover from global health emergencies?”

The Judges

In assembling its judging panel the Trinity Challenge looked for experts and leaders in the fields of technology, analytics and artificial intelligence, public health, epidemiology, investments, non-profit and social sectors.

In her statement, Professor Dame Sally Davies, Chair of The Trinity Challenge couldn’t hide her excitement about working with the diverse and expert nature of the Judges on the  panel:“We are excited to convene a judging panel that is representative of the various sectors, industries, and geographies that we hope to engage – in line with our aim to attract the best solutions from anyone, anywhere. Our panel includes some of the world’s pre-eminent experts in analytics, design, public health, epidemiology, and public and social sector. We are confident that these judges will help us identify the most exciting and impactful solutions to better prepare us for the next global health emergency”.

Following her selection Dr. Seruwagi said she was humbled to be joining a great team of expert individuals and institutions committed to creating a more resilient world in this era of unprecedented global health emergencies. MIT Solve has had previous tech-focused collaborations with Makerere University which this participation builds on.

More about the Challenge

Earlier this year, the Trinity Challenge launched its call for submission of solutions to its health innovation Challenge in partnership with MIT Solve. The Challenge will award prizes from up to a total fund of £10m this June 2021 to innovative solutions that use data, digital tools and analytics to help better identify, respond to, and recover from future health emergencies. 

Individual winners stand to receive cash prizes to help them develop, deploy, and scale their solutions for the global public good. They will also benefit from support and mentorship from The Trinity Challenge’s coalition of Members. Members of The Trinity Challenge span organisations from the private sector – including pharma/medtech and tech more broadly, academia, and the social sector.

Health

MNCH e-Post Issue 121: Learning from Nsambya Hospital Human Milk Bank to inform national scale-up & save preterm babies

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A Screenshot of Prof. Peter Waiswa during his interview with NTV. MNCH e-Post Issue No. 121, MakSPH, Makerere University, Kampala Uganda, East Africa.

Welcome to this exclusive interview with Prof. Peter Waiswa, lead expert from the Makerere University Centre of Excellence for Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health. Dr. Victoria Nakibuuka from St. Francis Nsambya Hospital, and Dr. Jesca Nsungwa from Ministry of Health Uganda. In this video, they discuss a groundbreaking innovation in Uganda’s healthcare landscape: the country’s first-ever human milk bank at St. Francis Hospital Nsambya. This initiative represents a significant stride towards improving the survival rates of premature and vulnerable infants by ensuring access to essential breast milk, even when mothers are unable to produce enough. Watch Video

Click here to View the full MNCH e-Post Issue 121

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METS Newsletter October 2023

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Front Row (Left to Right): The hosts - Dr. Alice Namale and Ms. Evelyn Akello with Commissioner Allan Muruta and representatives from US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Makerere University School of Public Health (MakSPH) enjoy a photo moment on 5th October 2023. Photo: METS. Plot 20A Kawalya Kaggwa Close, Kololo Kampala Uganda, East Africa.

The Monitoring and Evaluation Technical Support (METS) Program is a 5-year CDC-supported collaboration of Makerere University School of Public Health (MakSPH), the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) and Health Information Systems Program (HISP Uganda).

Highlights of the METS October 2023 Newsletter

  • Strategies for Enhanced Disease Surveillance and Public Health Response in Uganda
    • The MoH Department of Integrated Epidemiology Surveillance & Public Health Emergencies (IES&PHE) Head, Commissioner Allan Muruta (Dr) visited METS to acquaint himself with the various surveillance activities supported by the Program.
    • Commissioner Muruta emphasized the need to build the capacity of districts and regions to conduct surveillance activities by training the relevant staff and establishing surveillance focal points at health facility levels.
    • He further emphasized the importance of linking laboratory data to the District Health Information System (DHIS2) and ensuring that different systems are interoperable.
  • Improving quality of data for HIV testing services (HTS) through regular assessments
    • MoH has been conducting Data Quality Assessments and Improvement (DQAI) activities to inform program planning, monitoring, and performance management. HIV testing services (HTS) inter was conducted in 16 regions, 81 districts, and 111 health facilities in partnership with 26 Implementing partners.
    • The HTS DQA has improved data management, infrastructure, and understanding of indicators. Specific staff assignment at each HTS entry point has proven effective, and use of the UgandaEMR system for reporting has yielded positive results.
  • Shaping Uganda’s Healthcare Data Landscape
    • METS has maintained a strong collaboration with the Ministry of Health (MoH) providing invaluable technical support in developing various strategic guidelines for the country. These guidelines include the Uganda Health Information Exchange and Interoperability (HIE) Guidelines, the Uganda Health Data Protection and Confidentiality (HDPC) Guidelines, and the Uganda Health Data Sharing, Access, and Use Guidelines.
    • HIE and HDPC guidelines have received the endorsement of the Health Information, Innovation and Research (HIIRE) Technical Working Group (TWG), awaiting presentation to the senior management team at the MoH for final approval.
  • Empowering Health Professionals: PrEP Training in Hoima District
    • MakSPH-METS has taken a proactive stance in supporting Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) for key populations through the development, management, and conducting trainings on the use of the PrEP tracker system across various agencies.
    • METS conducted a 5-day training on the KP/PrEP Tracker system in Hoima district. Moving forward, facility staff will be able to enter data on PrEP services into the system in a timely manner, analyze the data, and use it for program improvement.
  • Gallery
    • HIV testing services (HTS) Data Quality Assessments and Improvement DQAIs
    • Interagency cervical cancer on-site mentorships
    • Orientation in KP tracker-Soroti
    • TDY from CDC headquarters visit to METS
    • M&E orientation meetings for new Implementing Partners
    • Planning meeting for Cross Border Data Sharing-Busia

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UNGASS Panel Featuring Mak Staff

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Professor Nelson K. Sewankambo, MBChB, MMed, MSc, FRCP, LLD (Hon), Makerere University College of Health Sciences, Kampala Uganda. Photo Credit: Anthony Ngunjiri

Please see below the links to the 78th United Nations General Assembly Special Session on HIV/AIDS (UNGASS78) Panel discussions, one of which featured Makerere University staff.

Panel 1 – Shifting Power Paradigms: Towards an Equitable Global Health Stewardship was moderated by Professor Emeritus Nelson Sewankambo and featured Dr. Sabrina Kitaka as one of the panelists.

UNGASS78 Panel discussion on Shifting Power Paradigms: Towards an Equitable Global Health Stewardship moderated by Makerere University‘s Professor Emeritus Nelson Sewankambo, featuring Dr. Sabrina Kitaka.

Panel 2 – Optimizing Global Health Exchange Programs for Participants from Low-to-Middle-Income Countries (LMIC) in High-Income Countries (HIC)

UNGASS78 Panel discussion on Optimizing Global Health Exchange Programs for Participants from Low-to-Middle-Income Countries (LMIC) in High-Income Countries (HIC)

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