Makerere University‘s Professor William Bazeyo on Sunday 23rd May, 2021 received the honorary Doctor of Science degree of Tufts University during the institution’s 165th All-University Commencement Ceremony. The pre-recorded ceremony was presided over by the Tufts University President, Dr. Anthony P. Monaco.
In his remarks, President Monaco shared that Tufts awarded its first honorary degree in 1858. “We confer honorary degrees to recognize the recipients for their extraordinary talents and contribution. At the same time we hope they will be a source of inspiration for today’s graduates and everyone in the Tufts community.”
Prior to the conferment, the citation of Professor William Bazeyo by Prof. Florina Tseng, Associate Dean, Tufts University read;
“William Bazeyo, position; medical researcher and academician. You have transformed the wellbeing and potential of your fellow Ugandans and thousands of African people. As a Professor at Makerere University School of Public Health, you bridge research and reform. As Director of the ResilientAfrica Network, you imbue solutions with compassion. You have been instrumental to projects that demonstrate global leadership in One Health. As an example, your influence extends to a major Tufts-led initiative to combat the risk and spread of zoonotic spillover to forestall future pandemics.”
President Monaco in conferring the award said;
“Dr. William Bazeyo, for your many contributions, you have received Uganda’s highest civilian honour; the gold medal. Tufts University is privileged to recognise your distinctive legacy of science in service to humankind by awarding you the degree of Doctor of Science (Honoris Causa).”
In his brief acceptance speech, Prof. Bazeyo said, “thank you very much and I wish you well as you serve other people.”
Other recipients of honorary awards included;
Major General Maria B. Barrett, Commanding General, U.S. Army Network Enterprise Technology Command (NETCOM) – honorary Doctor of Public Service degree
Stacey B. Gabriel, Senior Director, Genomics Platform at Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard – honorary Doctor of Science degree
Hamdi Ulukaya, Founder and CEO of Chobani; a top-selling Greek yogurt brand in the U.S. also lauded as a “Change the World” company by Forbes – honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree
Ofelia Zepeda, Educator and Activist dedicated to the preservation of O’odham and its culture, Co-founder and Director of the American Indian Language Development Institute, University of Arizona – honorary Doctor of Letters degree
Bryan Stevenson, Acclaimed Public Interest Lawyer, Executive Director Equal Justice Initiative (EJI) and Professor of Law at the New York University School of Law
Delivering the Commencement address, Bryan Stevenson urged graduates to not just be degree holders but people who are committed to human rights, justice and changing the world, “…I believe that the opposite of poverty isn’t wealth. I believe the opposite of poverty is justice. And that is why I urge you to do justice in every way possible.”
Please click here to view a recording of the commencement ceremony.
In a significant stride towards improving maternal healthcare outcomes, a recent study conducted by researchers has shown that an integrated intervention consisting of peer support, mobile phone messaging, and provision of mama kits at the household level is successful in increasing the proportion of facility-based births. This groundbreaking research comes at a time when Uganda is still grappling with a very high maternal mortality ratio estimated at 336 deaths per 100,000 live births and neonatal mortality rate also at 22/1000 live births.
In the 2024 BMJ Published study titled “Can an integrated intervention package including peer support increase the proportion of health facility births? A cluster randomized controlled trial in Northern Uganda by researchers namely; Dr. Victoria Nankabirwa and a team including David Mukunya, Grace Ndeezi, Beatrice Odongkara, Agnes A Arach, Vicentina Achora, Levi Mugenyi, Mohammad Boy Sebit, Julius N Wandabwa, Paul Waako, Thorkild Tylleskär, and James K Tumwine, sought to evaluate the effect of the integrated intervention package on increasing the proportion of health facility births compared to routine government health services. Read More
SMART4TB Early-Stage Investigator (ESI) Scholar Program Cohort 2 Phase 1 Now Open for Applications Applications Due March 14 2024 Call for applications
Supporting, Mobilizing, and Accelerating Research for Tuberculosis Elimination (SMART4TB) is an initiative made possible by the generous support of the American people through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) that aims to transform TB prevention and care. SMART4TB has launched an important capacity strengthening activity, the Early-Stage Investigator (ESI) Training and Mentorship Program. The program’s main objective is to train and support young investigators to develop, implement, and lead their own studies aligned with their national and local TB research priorities.
Investigators within 10 years of receiving their most recent degree or who are new to TB research, based at an institution participating in SMART4TB studies, and supported by their local institutional leadership will be eligible for participation in the program. The program has 4 sequential phases, each with specific eligibility criteria and deliverables required before advancing to the next phase.
Completion of all 4 phases will require the ESI to commit to an intensive training curriculum that includes: 1) Specific courses focused on competencies required for the design, implementation, and analyses of TB research 2) Close 2:1 mentorship from both a local and a SMART4TB faculty research mentor; and 3) Access to technical support consultations from SMART4TB experts.
Progress from one Phase of training to the next Phase will be a competitive process and is not guaranteed. ESI who successfully complete all Phase 1 requirements (Scholars Program) will be eligible to apply and compete for Phase 2 (Fellowship Program). Phase 2 applicants that are approved by SMART4TB and USAID will be required to identify a local senior research mentor. ESI enrolled in Phase 2 will also be matched with a SMART4TB faculty co-mentor. The SMART4TB Training and Mentorship Committee (TMC) will monitor the ESI’s progress throughout the program and assess the quality of the training and mentorship provided to the ESI. In Phase 2, each SMART4TB Fellow will be mentored to develop a full research proposal for which they will serve as lead investigator. ESIs who receive approval and support to initiate their research project can apply for Phase 3 and Phase 4 of the program.
Prerequisite Phase 1 Eligibility and Application Process ESI interested in applying for Phase 1 of this program must meet the following criteria:
Having a PhD as the most recent degree or are new to TB research; and
Be from a National TB Program (NTP) or institution/site participating in SMART4TB
USAID-approved studies; and
Have a letter of support from their local SMART4TB site/institutional leadership (signed on institutional letterhead).
All applications will be reviewed by the SMART4TB ESI Mentorship Advisory Committee. Final selection of Phase 1 participants will require USAID approval. Selected ESI will be notified by email.
The Secretariat, SMART4TB Early-Stage Investigator (ESI) Scholar Program Walimu Unit 4, Plot 5-7, Coral Crescent P.O Box 9924 Kampala-Uganda Deadline for receiving applications: 14th March 2014 by 5pm. Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.
Additional information To apply for Phase 1 of this program, please click: https://jhmi.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_0NiIqASiPJ92GRE For details about the Phase 1 curriculum and the progress report from the first Cohort, please see the attachments.
Preliminary findings from a study by Child Health and Development Centre (CHDC) -Makerere University have revealed several challenges faced by Forcibly Displaced Persons (FDPs) with chronic diseases like diabetes, hypertension and cardiovascular diseases. This study is specifically looking at FDPs in northern Uganda. Accessing food, water, medicine, clothing, toilet facilities, privacy and support is a challenge for healthy FDPs but for those with chronic diseases, these provisions may mean the difference between life and death.
According to Drs, Ritah Nakanjako and Esther Nanfuka Kalule, who are post-doc fellows at Makerere University, FDPs with chronic diseases are unable to access facilities with medicines. Speaking at the February monthly colloquium of CHDC, Dr. Nanfuka said, “Medicines and medical forms are sometimes forgotten by these patients yet some do not know the names of their medicines. For others, these medicines get finished along the way due to the abrupt movements.” These disturbances in the continuity of care affects their health and wellbeing.
As an example, she referred to the constant need to monitor blood pressure or blood sugar for these FDPs. “Even when facilities are available, you may not have the money to refill medicines or you may not remember the name of the medicine.” She added that the stress and trauma of this kind of situation usually exacerbates these conditions.
Speaking about the rationale for doing this research, Dr. Nakanjako said that non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are largely unrecognized and inadequately addressed in humanitarian settings, something which the Red Cross calls ‘a neglected crisis’. Yet, studies conducted among refugees and asylum seekers across the world report a high burden of NCDs. Uganda hosts over 1.5m refugees, the highest proportion in sub-Saharan Africa with the majority comeing from South Sydan.
“The objective of this study is to examine the experiences of FDPs- which will contribute to knowledge on innovative ways of chronic disease care. This will also contribute to the management of NCDs in humanitarian, low resource settings,” Dr. Nakanjako explained.
This 5-year study that started in 2022 will run till 2026 and is funded by the Novo Nordisk Foundation under the Mobility-Global Medicine and Research Fund. It is a collaboration between three institutions; Makerere University, the University of Copenhagen, Denmark and the Sudan Centre for Strategic and Policy Studies in South Sudan. This research is taking place in Nyumanzi Reception Center in Adjumani district; Nyumanzi Refugee Settlement also in Adjumani district; IDP Settlements in South Sudan; and the Bidi Bidi Refugee Settlement in Yumbe District.
Other challenges revealed by the FDPs with chronic diseases include the fear of drinking recommended amounts of water before or during travel to manage urine and to avoid stop-overs for security reasons.
After arrival at Nyumanzi Reception Centre in Uganda, these FDPs with chronic diseases do not receive any special care. It is only those with communicable diseases like TB. Cholera or Covid19 that get special care. Other challenges include; “a limited range of drugs, maintenance of cold chains for insulin, rationed water, lack of drinking water, lack of sanitary facilities and the congestion.