Seated: The Vice Chancellor-Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe (Centre) and the VP Karolinska Institutet-Prof. Martin Bergö (2nd Right) with Left to Right: Prof. Tobias Alfvén, Prof. Rhoda Wanyenze and Ms. Erika Dabhilkar after the meeting on 6th February 2024.
Makerere University and Karolinska Institutet Sweden have embarked on undertaking strategies aimed at ensuring that sustainable health becomes a priority on the global agenda. This was revealed during a high level meeting involving Makerere University Management and a delegation from the Karolinska Institutet Sweden, held on Tuesday 6th February 2024 at the Rotary Peace Centre Board Room, Frank Kalimuzo Central Teaching Facility.
The Vice Chancellor, Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe welcomed the Vice President of Karolinska Institutet Prof. Martin Bergö and his delegation to Makerere University. Reflecting on Makerere University’s 100 year journey (1922-2022), the Vice Chancellor pointed out that the institution has been at the forefront of training human resources who have been key in the identification and finding solutions to various development challenges.
“Makerere is a very collaborative university. We have collaborations within Africa of course, most of our external collaborations are in Europe and the United States. Times Higher Education (THE) considers Makerere the most collaborative university on their database,” said Professor Barnabas Nawangwe.
Adding that; “We publish jointly with a professor at another university, more than any other university in the world, 167 MOUs signed in one year and quite a number of them are very active and particularly in the College of Health Sciences.”
Professor Nawangwe also expressed the government of Uganda’s support to the Makerere University’s research agenda through its funding commitments under the Research and Innovation Fund.“When the SIDA support was due to end, I accompanied the Swedish Ambassador to go and see our Minister of Education and Sports, who is our First Lady as well, and he told her, ‘Swedish support is going to end in two years. Is the government going to take over?’ And she said, ‘yes we shall.’ For the first time, the government committed an equivalent of about $8 million dollars every year for research at Makerere University. A lot of projects have been funded. There are more than 1,250 since the project started four years that have been funded. 39% of all the grants are going to health,” shared Prof. Nawangwe.
Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe (Right) and Prof. Martin Bergö (Left) during the courtesy call prior to the meeting.
As Makerere University embraces the next century, Prof. Nawangwe said that partnerships with Karolinska Institutet will be leveraged to ensure that research in sustainable health takes centre stage. “Global Health is a major issue. The Centre for Excellence for Sustainable Health, which is a collaboration between Makerere University in Uganda and Karolinska Institutet in Sweden will be central in addressing global issues.”
In this regard, the Vice Chancellor implored the researchers at Makerere and Karolinska to explore bringing more academic disciplines on board including those in agriculture, food security, gender, architecture, to mention but a few, for a holistic approach. In the same vein, the Director of Research and Graduate Training, Prof. Edward Bbaale proposed the need to include smart energy options, climate change, nutrition as well as the environment into sustainable health. For instance, how do nutritionists contribute to sustainable health?
Prof. Tobias Alfvén, a Pediatrician and Researcher at Karolinska Institutet, and Co-Chair of the CESH Working Group, underscored the fundamental role of the longstanding 20-year relationship between the two institutions and the dedicated teams involved in facilitating this work. Reflecting on the genesis of their collaboration, he explains, “We met just a month before the pandemic hit Sweden and Uganda, and we started collaboration; everything went online, and we started developing what became the Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Health (CESH). Without that long-term thinking and the good team already there, we would not have achieved that.”
Prof. Rhoda Wanyenze, the Dean, Makerere University School of Public Health (MakSPH) and Co-Chair of the Centre’s Working Group informed the University Management and the visiting delegation that sustainable health involves humans, animals, and the environment. In this regard, the CESH has embraced a multi-disciplinary approach towards research by involving students from different disciplines. She pointed out that CESH has identified students from the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (studying climate change) and those from MakSPH (Environmental Health Sciences) to form research teams that will provide solutions to global health issues.
Left to Right: Prof. Umar Kakumba, Prof. Martin Bergö, Prof. Rhoda Wanyenze and Ms. Monika Berge-Thelander during a courtesy call on the DVCAA in his office.
The CESH Working Group’s three-year commitment to promoting sustainable health practices was emphasized by Prof. Wanyenze who also reported a notable shift in focus toward sustainable health during sessions of the World Health Summit held last year.
“We can work together and learn from each other and we can bridge those gaps and the challenges that are leaving some of these vulnerable groups behind. It might be refugees’ issues in Uganda, it might be other disadvantaged groups within Sweden, but we can learn from one another and be able to reach out to them,” Professor Rhoda Wanyenze.
She added that; “When we are thinking about our health and wellbeing today, we should not have the health and well-being of future populations because there are many things we do today to keep ourselves happy and healthy that will affect those that are coming after us.”
Dr. Roy Mayega, an alumnus of Karolinska Institutet and a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at MakSPH acknowledged Makerere University for valuing the partnership through funding research in sustainable health. He also pointed out that the research teams were discovering new issues such as gender and climate change in the realization of sustainable health.
Left to Right: Prof. Roy Mayega, Prof. Stefan Peterson Swartling and Prof. Tobias Alfvén during the courtesy call on the DVCAA in his office.
On behalf of Karolinska Institutet, Prof. Martin Bergö thanked the Makerere University Management for the warm reception and the commitment to sustainable health. He mentioned that this was his first visit to Uganda and Makerere University. Acknowledging the partnership between both institutions for the last 22 years, Prof. Bergö who is the current Chairman of the Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Health expressed delight at being part of this collaboration.
He noted that all crises, whether caused by pandemics, poverty, conflicts, or climate change, have an impact on both physical and mental health. He further noted that the link between human, animal, and plant health, known as “One health” increases the importance of collaborating and working together across borders and between different sectors of society.
Prof. Bergö nevertheless acknowledged that people are at the heart of collaborations. “However, partnerships are foremost between people”, he noted, before adding “Building equitable personal relationships and learning from one another. This is perhaps the most important objective of this visit!”
He commended CESH, whose evaluation of the first three years of operation 2021-2023 revealed that the Centre was well on its way to achieving the set objectives. CESH has to date developed four out of planned five tools for working with sustainable health, while the last one is being finalized. “The tools are being used in education and research and I am happy to learn that we are making an impact.”
Prof. Martin Bergö (Left) and Prof. Rhoda Wanyenze (Right) during the courtesy call on the DVCAA in his office.
Prof. Bergö equally commended Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe and the former President of Karolinska Institutet, Prof. Ole Petter Ottersen on co-authoring a publication defining sustainable health. Other co-authors included Rhoda Wanyenze, Tobias Alfvén, Rawlance Njejjo, Nina Viberg, Roy William Mayega, and Stefan Swartling Peterson.
“I have read it with much interest and see myself as an ambassador for spreading the concept in different contexts. I am pleased to understand that this definition is the point of departure for all activities devised and carried out by the Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Health” he said, adding that the Karolinska Institutet President, Annika Östman Wernerson is looking forward to visiting Makerere University this November.
During this interactive meeting, both institutions underscored the role of the library in advancing research and preservation of knowledge. The Vice Chancellor, Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe pointed that the Makerere University Library serves as a national reference library as well as a legal and United Nations repository. He therefore acknowledged the support received from NORAD and Sida in the professionalization of library services and making it a model library in Africa. Prof. Bergö mentioned that libraries are the guardians of knowledge and thanked the Vice Chancellor for inviting the University Librarian to the discussion.
Makerere University Management Members who attended the meeting included: Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic Affairs)-Assoc. Prof. Umar Kakumba, Director Research and Graduate Training-Prof. Edward Bbaale, Director of Quality Assurance-Dr. Cyprian Misinde, Academic Registrar-Prof. Buyinza Mukadasi, University Librarian-Assoc. Prof. Ruth Nalumaga, Deputy University Secretary-Mr. Simon Kizito, Head of Advancement Office- Mr. Awel Uwihanganye, and Principal Public Relations Officer-Ms Ritah Namisango
Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe (Left) and Prof. Martin Bergö (right) interact with staff from Makerere and Karolinska during the meeting.
The Karolinska Institutet delegation included; Head of the International Office-Erika Dabhilkar, Co-chair of CESH-Tobias Alfvén, International Coordinator-Monika Berge-Thelander, Project Coordinator-Nina Viberg, Member of CESH Steering Committee-Stefan Peterson Swartling, and Communications Officer-Kseniya Hartvigsson.
Teams Visit the Swedish Ambassador’s residence
While hosting the two institutions, H.E. Maria Håkansson, the Ambassador of Sweden to Uganda, emphasized the significant ties between the two nations and their respective peoples as key drivers for this 22 year-old partnership.
“Collaboration between Karolinska and Makerere is still one of the most important international flagships. Which I think says a lot of what has been built and what the relations that have been creating between institutions but of course also between people. Also, we all know individually what role the university researchers play in the country’s policy development,” said Amb. Håkansson
Adam Kahsai-Rudebeck, First Secretary – Deputy Head of Cooperation Health and Social Protection at the Swedish Embassy added “We look forward to just building upon the already established relationships and initiatives that are ongoing.”
A Video Highlighting the Visit
Highlights of KI- Mak#CESH Working group Engagements in Kampala, February 2024
Kampala — On Saturday, a car park on the campus of Makerere University in Kampala became the stage for a continental emergency response. Delegates, dignitaries and diplomats gathered in the tent outside the Infectious Diseases Institute (IDI), a research institute owned by the university, for the formal launch of the Continental Incident Management Support Team (IMST), a joint Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) and World Health Organization (WHO) operation racing to contain the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola sweeping through the Democratic Republic of the Congo and, increasingly, Uganda. After the ribbon-cutting, guests were led inside to tour the team’s new home at IDI’s McKinnell Knowledge Centre, where the command offices have now been set up.
Dr Chris Baryomunsi joins delegates for a group photograph at the IMST launch, Infectious Diseases Institute, Makerere University.
The numbers explain the urgency. As of 21 June, more than 1,000 confirmed cases and 269 deaths had been recorded across the two countries, the vast majority in Ituri Province in eastern DRC. Uganda’s tally stood at 20 cases and two deaths, almost all traced to cross-border movement from the DRC. Eighty-two health workers have been infected, 18 fatally, a toll that helped push the WHO to declare a Public Health Emergency of International Concern in May, mirrored days later by Africa CDC’s own continental emergency declaration.
Prof Henry Mwanaki Alinaitwe, Deputy Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration at Makerere University, with the acting US Ambassador to Uganda and Prof Samuel Luboga, IDI board chair, at the IMST launch.
Until now, the international response has been coordinated remotely, a patchwork of video calls and scattered logistics that officials admit slowed decision-making. The Kampala launch marks a shift from that fragmented model to a single, physically co-located command centre housed at IDI’s McKinnell Knowledge Centre, bringing case management, surveillance, logistics and risk communication specialists under one roof. From there, the convoy of delegates moved on to Kajjansi, on the outskirts of Entebbe, for the formal activation of the IMST’s regional logistics hub, the facility tasked with staging and rapidly deploying protective equipment and medical supplies across the outbreak zone.
Dr Chris Baryomunsi inspects the newly activated IMST logistics hub at Kajjansi, near Entebbe.
For Uganda’s health minister, Dr Chris Baryomunsi, the symbolism was as important as the logistics. Speaking at the launch, he argued that no nation can consider itself protected until its neighbours are equally prepared, framing cross-border solidarity as an operational necessity rather than an aspiration. He also announced a new memorandum of understanding with the DRC establishing joint Ebola treatment centres and laboratory services in the border towns of Aru and Kasenyi, warning that outbreak response cannot succeed while transmission continues unchecked on one side of a shared frontier.
Dr Chris Baryomunsi speaks as the guest of honour at the launch of the Continental Incident Management Support Team, Infectious Diseases Institute, Makerere University.
The WHO’s regional emergency director, Dr Marie-Roseline Belizaire, described the unified command structure as transformative, saying it would pool resources across agencies, cut duplication and keep field decisions anchored to scientific evidence. Africa CDC’s Dr Tolbert Nyenswah confirmed the team, specialists in case management, infection prevention, logistics and contact tracing, has now relocated physically to Kampala to work closer to the epicentre. Eleven epidemic-prone African nations, including Rwanda, Burundi, Angola and the Central African Republic, are participating in the preparedness effort even though most have not registered a single case.
Dr Marie-Roseline Belizaire, WHO AFRO’s regional emergency director, speaks at the launch of the Continental Incident Management Support Team in Kampala.
For IDI and Makerere University, hosting the command centre carries weight beyond the immediate crisis. IDI’s executive director, Dr Andrew Kambugu, said the institute had provided a fully equipped space, now installed at the McKinnell Knowledge Centre, enabling real-time communication between field teams, regional governments and international partners in Geneva, and framed the moment as proof that academic institutions can engage directly with pressing societal problems rather than observe from the sidelines.
Dr Andrew Kambugu delivers welcome remarks at the launch of the Continental Incident Management Support Team, Infectious Diseases Institute, Makerere University.
That framing matters for a continent whose research infrastructure has often been treated as peripheral to its own health emergencies. By anchoring the IMST’s command function within a Ugandan public university rather than in a foreign capital, the launch signals a modest but symbolic rebalancing: an African-led institution taking custody of an African-led response. The day’s itinerary made the point physically as well as symbolically: from the ribbon-cutting in Makerere’s car park, to the tour of the new command offices, to the drive out to Kajjansi to switch on the logistics hub, delegates traced the full chain of the response they had just committed to running.
Dr Chris Baryomunsi poses with the IMST logistics hub team at Kajjansi, following the hub’s formal activation.
Fred Ouma is the Corporate Communications Specialist, Infectious Diseases Institute (IDI).
Every 4 July, the United States marks its independence. This year’s commemoration carries added significance as the country celebrates 250 years, offering partners across the world a moment to reflect on relationships built through shared purpose, investment and trust.
For Makerere University School of Public Health (MakSPH), that reflection leads to a long and productive partnership with the people and Government of the United States, spanning more than 35 years. Through U.S. Government agencies and programmes, the collaboration has supported MakSPH’s growth from a national public health training institution into a regional platform for evidence, leadership, health systems strengthening and public health preparedness.
Today, MakSPH stands at a defining point in its institutional journey. Tracing its roots to the introduction of preventive medicine in Makerere University’s then Faculty of Medicine in 1954, the School has grown into a leading public health institution in Africa, training more than 1,000 students across 12-degree programmes, working through district field training sites, contributing to national technical committees, and implementing research and capacity-building work across Uganda and more than 35 African countries.
Hon. Margaret Muhanga, then State Minister for Primary Health Care and Chief Guest, joins Makerere University leaders and partners in cutting the MakSPH@70 anniversary cake during the School’s 70th anniversary celebrations in December 2024.
Its work spans infectious diseases, maternal and child health, noncommunicable diseases, climate and health, digital health, injury prevention, universal health coverage and epidemic preparedness. While grounded in close collaboration with the Government of Uganda, especially the Ministry of Health, this reach has also been shaped by long-standing U.S. Government support. Reflecting on this shared history, MakSPH Dean Prof. Rhoda Wanyenze said the partnership has made a lasting contribution to public health capacity.
“For more than three decades, MakSPH has been privileged to work in strong partnership with the people and Government of the United States. We are grateful for this collaboration, which has made a major contribution to advancing public health training, research and practice in Uganda and across Africa. From the Master of Public Health programme to fellowships, enhanced surveillance, operational research, HIV and infectious disease work, regional networks, innovation, and programmes such as METS, this partnership has helped build the people, evidence and systems that support public health action,” Prof. Wanyenze said.
MakSPH Dean Prof. Rhoda Wanyenze speaks during the UPHIA 2025 launch in Kampala, highlighting MakSPH’s contribution to Uganda’s public health response through research, evidence and technical guidance.
Training Leaders for Uganda’s Health System
In 1994, as Uganda decentralised its administration and public services, the Institute of Public Health, now Makerere University School of Public Health, established the Master of Public Health (MPH) Full-Time programme in response to a clear workforce need for public health leaders who could manage district health systems, investigate outbreaks, conduct needs assessments and respond to emerging health challenges.
Prof. David Serwadda, Professor Emeritus at Makerere University and former Dean of MakSPH, recalls the programme was designed to fill a critical district-level leadership gap. “After a very strong needs assessment by Makerere University and the Ministry of Health, it was found that we needed to train a specific cadre of public health leaders for the districts,” he said. “We needed people with good management skills, people who could investigate an epidemic, do a needs assessment and respond to health challenges.”
Prof. David Serwadda speaks during a departmental retreat in Jinja in June 2026. He served as Director of the Makerere Institute of Public Health from 2003 to 2007 and as the first Dean of MakSPH from 2007 to 2009.
Established as a two-year programme, the MPH Full-Time was based on the Public Health Schools Without Walls model and became one of the earliest community-based public health graduate programmes in Africa. Developed through joint commitment by the Institute of Public Health, the Ministry of Health and the Rockefeller Foundation, and with technical support from the U.S. CDC, the programme placed students at district field sites to learn through apprenticeship while working on real public health problems. Other partners, including WHO and UNFPA, later provided scholarship support.
Three decades later, the MPH Full-Time programme remains one of MakSPH’s flagship contributions to Uganda and the region’s public health workforce. It has trained more than 1,000 public health professionals for leadership across districts, Ministry programmes, research, teaching, implementation and technical advisory work. Many graduates have gone on to serve as District Health Officers, commissioners, programme leaders, researchers, lecturers and public health specialists, strengthening Uganda’s health system leadership.
Fellowships That Strengthened Public Health Response
In 2002, MakSPH hosted the first direct cooperative agreement between Makerere University and the U.S. CDC, formalising the workforce development arm of the partnership. Under the Leadership and Investment in Fighting Epidemics (LIFE) initiative, the agreement launched the HIV/AIDS Fellowship Programme, which trained leaders for organisations working in HIV and AIDS. By 2014, the programme had produced more than 100 long-term fellows, more than 200 medium-term fellows, and over 3,000 short-course participants.
Graduates pose with then U.S. Ambassador to Uganda H.E. William W. Popp during the 10th graduation of Advanced Field Epidemiology Fellows and the 2nd graduation of Laboratory Leadership Fellows under the Uganda Public Health Fellowship Programme in January 2026.
The fellowship platform later transitioned into the Uganda Public Health Fellowship Programme and, through subsequent cooperative agreements in 2016 and 2021, expanded into the broader Public Health Workforce Development Programme. Led by the Ministry of Health through the Uganda National Institute of Public Health, and implemented with the U.S. CDC, districts and MakSPH, the programme now supports advanced field epidemiology, Frontline and Intermediate Field Epidemiology Training, and laboratory leadership.
Fellows are embedded within the Ministry of Health, districts and public health institutions, strengthening surveillance, outbreak investigation, HIV/TB programming, quality improvement, laboratory systems and health informatics. The Field Epidemiology Track has supported an average of about 37 active fellows, including 39 in 2024/2025. That year, fellows provided technical assistance to the Ministry and conducted 84 epidemiological studies and investigations, including work linked to Uganda’s Mpox response.
HIV Evidence That Changed Policy and Practice
UPHIA 2025 laboratory technicians undergo pre-deployment training at MakSPH, delivered with Uganda National Health Laboratory Services, ahead of field data collection on HIV and related health indicators across Uganda.
Uganda’s HIV crisis in the 1980s became one of the earliest tests of MakSPH’s public health mission. The wasting illness, then known as “Slim”, was reported in Rakai in the early 1980s and later identified as HIV/AIDS. Researchers at the Institute of Public Health, now MakSPH, helped advance understanding of the epidemic, with Prof. David Serwadda among the earliest physicians in Uganda to recognise and describe the disease.
That work grew into the Rakai Health Sciences Programme, established in 1989 through collaboration involving Makerere University, Columbia University, Johns Hopkins University, the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) and partners. Over the decades, Rakai became a platform for research, surveillance, service delivery and training in communities deeply affected by HIV.
One landmark contribution showed that safe medical male circumcision reduced female-to-male HIV acquisition by about 60 per cent, helping inform HIV prevention policy in Uganda and globally. PEPFAR support also helped expand treatment in Rakai, where surveillance documented reduced mortality, lower HIV incidence, reduced orphanhood and improved community productivity.
The search for stronger prevention tools continued through MakSPH researchers, including Prof. Noah Kiwanuka, whose work in rural and fishing communities highlighted the need for better options for adolescent girls and young women. From 2022 to 2024, MakSPH managed the Makerere-Kalangala study site with UVRI-IAVI for the Gilead Sciences-led PURPOSE 1 trial, with Prof. Kiwanuka as Site Principal Investigator. The study contributed evidence on lenacapavir, a twice-yearly injectable now recognised as a major advance in HIV prevention.
Surveillance and National Decisions
Then Minister of Health Dr. Jane Ruth Aceng flags off UPHIA 2025 field teams in Kampala on 29 May 2025. The Ministry of Health-led survey is implemented with technical support from MakSPH and partners.
The partnership has also strengthened Uganda’s ability to measure the HIV epidemic and use evidence for national decisions. The Uganda Population-based HIV Impact Assessment (UPHIA) 2024/2025 is the country’s third national household-based HIV impact survey, commissioned by the Ministry of Health with technical support from MakSPH in partnership with UBOS, UVRI, and the U.S. CDC. After two earlier rounds supported by ICAP at Columbia University in 2016 and 2020, the current survey marks a shift to Ugandan leadership in implementation, analysis and use of evidence for the national response.
Funded by the U.S. Government through PEPFAR, UPHIA represents a USD 10 million investment in national evidence generation. Its results, expected in 2026, will provide updated national and subnational estimates of HIV prevalence, incidence, viral load suppression, service coverage and progress toward UNAIDS 95-95-95 targets. The survey covers 6,685 households and about 15,000 people aged 15 years and above, with additional focus on adolescents, noncommunicable diseases among people living with HIV, and barriers among those not virally suppressed.
Related surveillance work through the CRANE Survey has generated evidence on populations at higher risk of HIV and often missed by routine data. Established in 2008 with U.S. Government support through PEPFAR and implemented by MakSPH with the Ministry of Health and U.S. CDC, CRANE is one of Uganda’s longest-running HIV bio-behavioural surveillance platforms. More than USD 7 million in U.S. Government investment has supported evidence used in Uganda’s HIV Investment Case, the National HIV Strategic Plan, national bio-behavioural surveillance guidelines and UNAIDS guidance.
In its third round, conducted in 2023 and disseminated in 2024, CRANE reached 7,947 female sex workers and sexually exploited minors across 12 districts. About one in three participants were living with HIV, rising to 54 per cent among those aged 35 to 49. The survey also documented syphilis, high-risk HPV infection, violence, stigma in health facilities and high levels of depression, strengthening the case for targeted HIV prevention, treatment, mental health support, violence prevention, cervical cancer prevention and access to justice.
Then U.S. Ambassador to Uganda H.E. William W. Popp tours MakSPH exhibition stands with MakSPH and U.S. CDC leadership during the 2024 dissemination of CRANE Survey results in Kampala.
Regional Leadership, One Health and Innovation
U.S. Government support extended MakSPH’s contribution from national workforce development to regional public health leadership. In 2005, USAID, through the Higher Education for Development programme, supported the Leadership Initiative for Public Health in East Africa (LIPHEA), led by MakSPH with Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine. The initiative strengthened leadership, competency-based training, faculty development and collaborative research across East Africa.
LIPHEA’s legacy continued through the East Africa HEALTH Alliance, which evolved into the One Health Central and Eastern Africa network and later the Africa One Health University Network (AFROHUN). These platforms brought public health, veterinary, environmental and allied disciplines into shared training and practice, helping build a workforce able to predict, detect and respond to zoonotic diseases, epidemics and other complex health threats.
The regional focus expanded further in 2012, when USAID selected Makerere University, through MakSPH, to lead the ResilientAfrica Network (RAN) under the Higher Education Solutions Network (HESN). Operating in 16 African countries through a network of 20 African universities, RAN connected African universities, U.S. partners and local innovators to strengthen community resilience to disease outbreaks, climate shocks, food insecurity, conflict and natural disasters. Through research, innovation grants, policy engagement and capacity building, it expanded MakSPH’s regional contribution to resilience science, innovation and implementation research.
METS and National Stewardship
MakSPH Dean Prof. Rhoda Wanyenze signs the METS handover board during the transition of digital health systems and assets to the Ministry of Health on 31 March 2026, as then U.S. Ambassador to Uganda H.E. William W. Popp and Dr. Diana Atwine, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health, look on.
A recent marker of partnership maturity came through the Monitoring and Evaluation Technical Support (METS) Programme. Launched in 2010 with U.S. Government support through the U.S. CDC and PEPFAR, METS strengthened Uganda’s health information systems, case-based surveillance, monitoring, evaluation and quality improvement for HIV, TB and broader public health programming. Across three five-year grants totalling USD 103.8 million, the programme helped move Uganda from fragmented reporting toward stronger national data systems and more integrated digital health infrastructure.
During its March 2026 handover to the Ministry of Health, METS transferred 16 digital health systems, 725 servers, more than 4,700 computing devices, solar systems for nearly 800 facilities, connectivity equipment for more than 1,300 sites, and network upgrades for regional referral hospitals. The transferred ICT infrastructure was valued at USD 9.3 million. METS also helped improve District Health Information System 2 reporting from 58 per cent in 2020 to 98 per cent by 2025, while Electronic Medical Record coverage expanded to more than 86 per cent nationally, with 1,900 sites using electronic medical records.
Infrastructure and Future Capacity
MakSPH’s new home takes shape near the Eastern Gate at Makerere University Main Campus, supported in part through the USAID ASHA grant.
MakSPH’s expanding mandate has placed new demands on its infrastructure. With more than 1,000 students, wider regional work and a growing research portfolio, the new MakSPH complex on Makerere University Main Campus is designed to support training, research, policy engagement and innovation at scale. In 2021, USAID, through the American Schools and Hospitals Abroad (ASHA) programme, awarded USD 1.1 million through Johns Hopkins University to support the Makerere University Centre of Excellence for Global Health within the new building.
The infrastructure agenda also points to the next phase of the MakSPH and U.S. Government partnership. After more than three decades of investment in leadership, evidence, surveillance, digital systems, regional networks and response capacity, sustaining these gains will require stronger shared responsibility.
As the United States marks 250 years of independence, MakSPH recognises a partnership that has strengthened Uganda’s public health system and continues to build capacity for the region.
The Infectious Diseases Institute (IDI) at Makerere University has been awarded a grant from the European and Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP) to carry out a large-scale trial of secondary TB preventive therapy. The Recurrent TB Screening and Prevention Study (RECENT TB study) is a randomized controlled trial which will be carried out in Uganda and South Africa from September 1, 2026, to August 31, 2030. The study will examine the effectiveness of secondary TPT for preventing recurrent TB while also evaluating the implementation considerations for the successful implementation of secondary TPT in public health settings and the potential of biomarkers to identify patients at the highest risk of recurrence.
To support the successful implementation of this trial, IDI is seeking a highly motivated individual to serve as a study coordinator while simultaneously pursuing a PhD. This dual role offers a unique opportunity to contribute to cutting-edge clinical research while developing advanced research skills at the doctoral level.
Job Purpose:
The Project Coordinator will be responsible for the day-to-day coordination of the trial. S/he will work closely with the Scientific Lead and the broader study team to ensure high-quality, protocol-compliant study implementation. Concurrently, s/he will be enrolled in a doctoral program, using the trial data and research experience to develop and complete a PhD thesis within the contract period.
Key Responsibilities
Study Coordination and Trial Management
Oversee participant recruitment, randomization, and follow-up schedules in accordance with the approved protocol, Good Clinical Practice (GCP) guidelines, and EDCTP regulations
Ensure timely and accurate collection, entry, and verification of study data using electronic data capture systems.
Oversee training and coordination of study nurses, health facility staff, and community health workers in both Uganda and South Africa to ensure smooth trial operations. Occasional travel to South Africa may be needed for this.
Maintain up-to-date versions of all study documentation, including study protocol, informed consent forms, and data collection tools.
Assist in the preparation of study reports, safety reports, and interim analyses for the Data Safety Monitoring Board (DSMB) and EDCTP.
Liaise with the IDI Research and Ethics Committee and the Uganda National Council for Science and Technology (UNCST) to ensure ongoing compliance.
Coordinate and support monitoring visits, audits, and inspections by the IDI monitoring unit, EDCTP, and other regulatory authorities.
Participate in study team meetings, investigator meetings, and relevant scientific conferences.
PhD Research Activities
Develop a PhD concept and enroll in an approved PhD program at Makerere University and/or the University of Amsterdam by the end of Year 1.
Develop a full doctoral research proposal in consultation with the RECENT TB Scientific and Capacity Building Leads as well as academic supervisors and achieve full registration by the end of Year 2.
Prepare and submit at least 2 manuscripts for peer-reviewed publication in accordance with PhD requirements by the end of Year 4.
Present research findings at national and international scientific conferences.
Engage with the PhD supervisory committee and attend required academic modules and seminars.
Supervise at least one master’s-level student by the end of Year 4.
Submission of PhD thesis for final viva voce examination by the end of Year 4
Reporting and Supervision
For trial-related outputs, the study coordinator will report directly to the scientific lead—RECENT TB. Regular performance reviews will be conducted by the Scientific Lead in alignment with IDI’s performance management framework. For academic purposes, s/he will report to the RECENT TB Capacity Building Lead as well as her designated PhD supervisory committee in accordance with the requirements of Makerere University and/or the Graduate School of the Amsterdam University Medical Center.
Academic Qualifications
Bachelor’s degree in medicine and surgery (MBChB), plus a Master’s degree in Public Health, Epidemiology, Clinical Research or Internal Medicine
Minimum of 5 years of experience working in clinical research or public health in the Ugandan setting, preferably in TB, HIV, or other infectious diseases.
Demonstrable interest in research, scientific writing and publication with at least one first author peer reviewed publication
Person Specification
Experience with electronic data capture tools and statistical software (RedCap, STATA, R)
Training in Human Subjects Research (HSP) and Good Clinical Practice (GCP)
Strong interpersonal skills and cultural sensitivity for working with TB affected communities.
More Details
Job Code: PJC001 No of Positions: 1 Station: IDI Mulago Classification: Full-time Duration: 9 Months Reports to: co-investigator Posted Date: 2026-07-01 10:45:53.000 Closing Date: 2026-07-14 17:00:00.000
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