Health
MakCHS Commemorates the ‘Silent Teacher’
Published
5 months agoon
By
Zaam Ssali
At a ceremony held on 30th May 2025, themed ‘They taught us without saying a word’, the Makerere University College of Health Sciences (MakCHS) commemorated the silent teacher which are the cadavers (bodies) used in anatomy classes for medical students. In addition to a commemoration service, the event was used to create awareness and sensitise the public about the the importance of whole body donation.
The chief guest at the commemoration was Professor Mukadasi Buyinza, Deputy Vice Chancellor – Academic Affairs representing the Vice Chancellor, Professor Barnabas Nawangwe. The event attended by MakCHS students, staff and alumni was organised by students under Anatomy Society of MakCHS supported by Department of Anatomy and MakCHS leadership.

Welcoming guests to the event, Waziwu Mordecai–final year student of medicine and surgery who serves as President of the Anatomy Society, MakCHS explained that the reason for the gathering is three-pronged: to commemorate the silent teachers who make a profound contribution to medical education; to instill knowledge, compassion, and professionalism in future healthcare providers; and call on the community to support this noble act through awareness, advocacy, or future donation. ‘May the memory of our silent teachers live on in every life we will one day save’, he said.
The Anatomy society was founded in 2013 with aim of students providing peer mentorship to fellow students in lower years, such mentorship sessions help students appreciate better the anatomy of the human body. The society has supported:enhanced learning and mentorship; promoted academic participation including internal and external quizzes; and fostered connections including strengthen relationships between students across classes and with alumni.

Professor Elisa Mwaka, Head – Department of Human Anatomy welcomed all present for attending the ceremony. He thanked the College management led by the Principal, Professor Bruce Kirenga for the support provided in organizing the ceremony. He also expressed utmost appreciation to the Vice Chancellor for attending despite the competing priorities requiring his attention.
Professor Mwaka highlighted that we are here today, to pay our respect to the individuals whose bodies have been used for medical examination and research at MakCHS through offering prayers as well as sensitize people about willful/consented whole body donation.

Professor Mwaka explained that globally, sources of whole bodies for medical education and research are got through willed whole-body donation, unclaimed bodies in hospitals, imported bodies, executed persons among other means. In Uganda, unclaimed bodies in hospitals are used for medical as determined by the Uganda National Rules in the Penal Code Act of 1957.
In 2012 International Federation of Anatomy Associations (IFAA) recommended voluntary donation as the desirable and the only acceptable source for acquiring bodies. Almost all Africa countries and some European countries lack national body donation programs.

Speaking at the event, Professor Bruce Kirenga, Principal – MakCHS thanked Professor Mwaka for the insightful presentation. He welcomed Professor Buyinza to MakCHS and for accepting to attend despite the late invitation. He recognized the presence of the staff present and support towards the college activities.
Professor Kirenga underlined the importance of biomedical science under which human anatomy falls in medical education. ‘Biomedical sciences play a key role, once someone in grounded in the area, then he will be a good doctor’, he said.

The Principal also stressed that during his term of office operation efficiency will remain key ingredient for service delivery as well as rebuilding and rehabilitation of teaching and learning facilities. ‘Works to make the Biochemistry laboratory a model lab has commenced with a contract awarded to service provider; the refurbishment will be in phases’.
Professor Buyinza Mukadasi thanked the College, Human Anatomy department and the students for organizing the commemoration. ‘The amount of joy I have this morning, we should have done this a long time ago’, he said.

He expressed happiness at this commemoration for the silent teachers who unknowingly give so much to medical education and therefore mankind. He advised that community engagement to create awareness about the need for whole-body donation, regulatory compliance, and alignment to best practices.
He noted that disciplines like medicine is more like charity because medical practitioners give so much of themselves. ‘The number of people attending this ceremony is show of love for the discipline and commitment to the calling’ he said.

Professor Buyinza reiterated the commitment of Makerere University management to support MakCHS endeavours including this culture of commemorating the silent teacher. ‘Well-trained and season doctors are a result of the process explained here and the absence of bodies affects the quality of education provided and therefore the doctors produced’, he added.
Candles for the cadavers were lit and services representative of Anglican, Catholics and Muslims were conducted to remember the souls of the departed and wish them a peaceful rest. Ordinand Cosmas Ddembe for Anglican, Father Valentine Amuneke for Catholic and Dr. Haruna Kiryowa for Muslim preached the importance of respect for the dead and sacrifices of the dead for advancement of research and education in the medical field and health services.



Giving closing remarks, Professor Mwaka noted that setting up whole-body donation programs in Africa requires a holistic approach involving education, cultural sensitivity, legal structures, and partnerships with medical institutions.
Reasons why Africa has failed to establish body donation programs:
- Low awareness and willingness to donate bodies.
- Cultural and traditional beliefs
- Religious beliefs
- Fear of mishanding bodies
- Lack of legislation/ ambiguous regulations
- Lack of institutional policies and standard operating procedures
- Institutions should be encouraged to hold Services of thanksgiving or commemoration for those who have donated their bodies for medical education and research.

The following is required to change the current status:
- Cultural sensitivity and awareness
- Community engagement and awareness creation
- Educational campaigns
- Developing legal and ethical frameworks
- Building partnerships between hospitals and medical institutions
- Establishing local body donation systems i.e.,
- donation registration process,
- consent documentation,
- Logistical infrastructure necessary for the
- donation process.
- Effective communication, public trust,transparency.
- Training and professional development of healthcare providers.
- Global collaboration and funding: to share knowledge, best practices, and resources.
- Government support
- Funding and incentives
- Inclusion of body donation in national health strategies.


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Health
Makerere, Karolinska Reflect on 25 Years, Encourage University Research Equality
Published
3 days agoon
October 17, 2025
STOCKHOLM — Makerere University and Karolinska Institutet (KI-Mak) marked 25 years of collaboration on Oct. 15, 2025, with a hybrid forum on research equity, highlighting lessons for universities striving toward fair and sustainable global partnerships.
The event, part of the Global Conversations on Sustainable Health, explored the theme, “Exploring Power Dynamics & Equity in Partnerships.” Scholars, policymakers, and university leaders gathered to discuss how institutions can build collaborations grounded in trust, shared ownership, and mutual respect.
Organized by the Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Health (CESH), a joint initiative between Makerere University and Karolinska Institutet, the forum reflected on how equitable partnerships drive progress toward the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.
Hours before the event, Sweden’s Ambassador to Uganda, H.E. Maria Håkansson, posted on X (formerly Twitter):
“The partnership between Makerere University and Karolinska Institutet is both dynamic and exemplary in how many years of development cooperation can lay the foundation for mutually beneficial relations between institutions in Sweden and Uganda.”

Equity, Trust, and Warmth at the Core
Panelists navigated questions of power, agency, and mutual respect. Policymakers, researchers, and academics agreed that successful partnerships depend not only on fairness but also on warmth, the human connection that sustains collaboration and ensures initiatives respond meaningfully to local realities.
Dr. Andreas Göthenberg, executive director of the Swedish Foundation for International Cooperation in Research and Higher Education (STINT), recalled that earlier models often reduced African researchers to “data farmers” in one-directional projects led from the North.
“We now support balanced research collaborations, not capacity building alone,” he said.
Over the past decade, he added, STINT has seen a surge of high-quality proposals from African researchers seeking genuine collaboration.
“When partners bring different expertise and learn from each other, that is when collaborations work well,” he said. “Institutions with fewer resources can now do very advanced things; that’s a real game changer.”
Göthenberg said Africa’s rapid advances in microfinancing, cloud computing, and even space research show that “technology development means institutions with fewer resources can still do very advanced things,” offering lessons for innovation systems in Europe.

Why Equitable Partnerships Matter
Professors Rhoda Wanyenze and Stefan Swartling Peterson have argued that traditional models often concentrate leadership and funding in the Global North, thereby limiting the agency of Southern partners.
Their work from long-term collaborations in Ethiopia, Uganda, Lao PDR, and Vietnam shows that shifting leadership to where research occurs strengthens local capacity and aligns agendas with community needs.
They demonstrate that equity relies on mutual trust, transparency, and shared decision-making, principles that transform funding into a tool for empowerment rather than dependency. Joint PhD programs, reciprocal staff exchanges, and twinned supervision models have further enabled two-way knowledge flow and reduced brain drain.
“Partnerships grounded in reciprocity, inclusion, and respect are not only ethically sound but also more effective,” Wanyenze said. “They build local ownership, lasting capacity, and context-driven innovation.”

Championing South-to-South Knowledge Exchange
Associate Professor Caroline Wamala-Larsson, director of the SPIDER program at Stockholm University, underscored that the Global South must set its research agendas.
“The agenda must be set by Southern institutions. Swedish institutions act as collaborators, not directors,” she said.
She cited projects in Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Bolivia, and Mozambique where South-to-South learning has flourished.

“Bolivians traveled to Tanzania to share source codes from a research management system. Now, the University of Dar es Salaam wants to adopt it,” she said. “Solutions developed within the South often fit local contexts better than Northern models.”
Wamala-Larsson added that innovation and digital transformation have strengthened institutional systems. “We need new funders, private sector partners, and universities to participate equally.” Respect for each partner’s contribution is essential for sustainability,” she said.
Adapting to a Changing Global Landscape
Shifting global priorities and limited funding are reshaping how universities collaborate. Ms. Brenda Wagaba, partnerships officer at Makerere University, noted that while funding remains limited, the Government of Uganda, for instance, has taken steps to support local research through the Research and Innovation Fund. “The government started setting aside money for university research even before the recent cuts,” she said.
“Now, with those cuts, the need for sustained domestic investment is even greater.” She added that such initiatives strengthen the confidence of Southern partners to engage as equal contributors in global collaborations.
Dr. Rawlance Ndejjo, a Makerere University researcher, said local initiatives could help sustain momentum. “Local funding opportunities allow countries to find resources for research and partnerships. Such efforts can improve equity through bottom-up collaborations,” he said.

Göthenberg noted that new opportunities lie in multidisciplinary work. “Many of the challenges we face today demand broadly defined solutions,” he said. “Multidisciplinary projects lead to broader societal impact and stronger partnerships.”
He also pointed to Africa’s demographic advantage: “With its young population and rapid innovation, Africa is driving technological development in ways that can benefit both continents.”
Equitable Partnerships Deliver Results
Wagaba said engaging communities early is key to success. “When we engage communities early, we can bridge the gap between large-scale interventions and local acceptance. Whether it’s water, vaccines, or health infrastructure, success depends on understanding immediate community priorities,” she said.
She cautioned that top-down projects often fail to deliver lasting impact.
“You may build a vaccine plant or develop a vaccine, but if a community’s immediate need is safe water, your intervention will falter,” she said, adding that warmth, respect, and open communication are as critical as technical expertise.
Makerere Vice Chancellor Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe highlighted tangible results from Sweden’s long-term support.

“Under the SIDA program, 500 PhD students were trained, all of whom returned to Uganda,” he said. “The program made them feel at home while gaining knowledge abroad. Without mutual respect, equity will always face challenges.”
Prof. Annika Östman Wernerson, president of Karolinska Institutet, said sustainable partnerships depend on continuous engagement.
“Every collaboration begins with people meeting. Warmth and curiosity are crucial between individuals and institutions,” she said. “Equity is not static; it requires continuous work. Trust and transparency are critical.”

A Global Model for Sustainable Partnerships
The 25-year collaboration between Makerere University and Karolinska Institutet demonstrates how long-term, equitable partnerships can strengthen research systems and inform policy.
As Nawangwe put it:
“Students return home, communities benefit, and research informs global health policy. This is a model of how equity and trust drive sustainable partnerships.”

The Makerere–Karolinska (KI-Mak) partnership shows how universities, funders, and governments can work together fairly and Like many others working in this field, the Center recognises that there is still much to learn and discuss about how partnerships can continue to evolve through openness, dialogue, and shared reflection.
As Makerere and Karolinska look to 2030, their renewed agreements promise more than ceremonial goodwill. The two universities will intensify exchanges between students and faculty, expand joint research, share academic output, and organise lectures, conferences, and workshops. They will also open new paths for training, scientific collaboration, and shared learning. After 25 years, the partnership has proven that long-term cooperation can endure and excel with mutual respect, steady investment, and a clear purpose.
Health
TWAS recognises Dr. Angelina Mwesige Kakooza for her research
Published
1 week agoon
October 13, 2025By
Zaam Ssali
Dr. Angelina Mwesige Kakooza, Associate Professor of Paediatrics in the Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, School of Medicine, Makerere University College of Health Sciences (MakCHS) received the 2025 TWAS-Fayzah M. Al-Kharafi Award in Medical Sciences. She was recognised for her research on neurodevelopmental disorders – particularly epilepsy, cerebral palsy, and nodding syndrome – and for advancing policy and research, mentorship, as well as local community interventions to enhance children’s health.
The award was given at the recent 17th General Conference of The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS) held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil under the theme ‘Building a Sustainable Future: The Role of Science, Technology, and Innovation for Global Development.’ Organized in partnership with the Brazilian Academy of Sciences (BAS) and TWAS, the conference brought together leading scientists, policymakers, and institutional leaders from across the global South and beyond.
In her remarks after receiving the award, Dr. Kakooza said, “This award highlights the importance of neurodevelopmental disorders which are a great health problem worldwide, often diagnosed late and treated poorly,” said Kakooza. “It affirms my contribution to science in Africa, strengthens advocacy for gender equity in science and education and makes me a role model for others, increasing my influence in the scientific community.”

Dr. Angelina Kakooza Mwesige is a Ugandan scholar with over 25years teaching experience whose research focuses on neurodevelopmental disorders in children centred on their epidemiology, early screening, identification and community based interventions in Uganda. Her current areas of research cover studies on early detection and interventions for young infants at high risk of neurodevelopmental delay and disability in Nepal and Uganda; development of community engagement projects to empower adolescents living with epilepsy in Uganda reduce stigma in their communities; as well as development and testing of an interactive epilepsy smart phone application to improve resilience among them.
TWAS is a global merit-based science academy based in Trieste, Italy, and administered as a UNESCO Programme Unit. Read more here: https://twas.org/
Health
Refugee Health Journalism as Empowerment: Why Accuracy, Dignity & Context Matter
Published
1 week agoon
October 10, 2025
In July this year, I joined a study tour to Imvepi Refugee Settlement in Uganda’s West Nile region under the RISK-WASH Project, led by Dr. Richard Mugambe. Established in 2017 in what is now Terego District, Imvepi is one of several settlements created to host people fleeing conflict in neighbouring South Sudan. Now home to more than 60,000 refugees, it reflects Uganda’s progressive refugee policy, anchored in the 2006 Refugee Act, which promotes the integration of displaced families within host communities, allocates land for livelihoods, and ensures access to national services. It remains a model both commendable and instructive for the region.
With nearly two million refugees and asylum seekers, most of whom are women and children, Uganda stands among the world’s leading examples of inclusive, community-based refugee protection. The RISK-WASH Project, implemented by the Makerere University School of Public Health (MakSPH) in collaboration with IHE-Delft, BRAC, and icddr,b, with support from the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, organised the three-day visit. The project builds evidence for better Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) decision-making in humanitarian settings, developing practical tools to assess how exposure to unsafe water, poor sanitation, and environmental hazards affects the health of both displaced and host populations.

In Imvepi, that evidence takes human form. Water points run dry under intense demand or drought; latrines overflow during rains; fragile health systems strain to contain preventable diseases that flourish in such conditions. One nurse may attend to hundreds of patients in a single day, treating malaria, respiratory infections, and diarrhoeal diseases directly linked to inadequate WASH infrastructure. The images linger long after one leaves, especially when reflecting on the media’s role in shaping refugee narratives. What struck me most was how such realities are often reduced to statistics or fleeting headlines that reveal little about the lives behind them. I left Imvepi convinced that we, in the media, must not only report but listen differently.
When we cover refugees, we often begin with numbers. Yet behind every statistic is a heartbeat and a history the news cycle rarely pauses to hear. Refugee health, perhaps the most human measure of displacement, is still too often framed as a crisis rather than a continuum of resilience, policy, and rights. The World Health Organisation’s World Reports on the Health of Refugees and Migrants reminds us that refugees frequently experience poorer health outcomes than host populations, not because they are inherently vulnerable, but because access to care is often obstructed by law, language, and logistics. Health, like truth, then, becomes interestingly dependent on who is allowed to speak and who is heard.

It was in this spirit that, on October 3, 2025, we convened the Media Training Workshop on Refugee Health and Migration Reporting at MakSPH. The one-day seminar brought together twenty journalists from Kampala, Kyaka II, Adjumani, and other refugee-hosting districts. Our goal was not to add another humanitarian angle to the news but to rethink how the media can report with depth, ethics, and empathy. Working with partners such as Africa Humanitarian Action, Emesco Development Foundation, and Farmamundi, we explored the subtle power the media wields to either dignify or diminish, to clarify or distort, the lived realities of refugees, particularly in the realm of health.
During my session, “Refugee Health Reporting as Empowerment: Negotiating Accuracy, Dignity, and Context,” I invited participants to view journalism through the lens of Paulo Freire, the celebrated Brazilian transformative educator who wrote the Pedagogy of the Oppressed while in exile in 1970. Through his influential work, Freire argued that oppression persists when those in power control language and narrative, when others are spoken for rather than heard. Liberation begins, he said, when people “name their world.” That principle remains profoundly relevant to our craft as journalism and communications practitioners. Refugees must not remain objects of our storytelling; they are its subjects. Journalism, in its truest public function, becomes liberating only when it is dialogic, when we report with people, not merely about them.

This transformation begins with accuracy. In Uganda, refugees share the same health system as host communities, one already strained by staff shortages, drug stock-outs, and donor fatigue. Yet many stories stop at official statements or NGO press releases. Limited access, shrinking newsroom budgets, and bureaucratic gatekeeping tempt journalists to rely on polished humanitarian narratives. But when we do, we risk becoming megaphones for the powerful. Accuracy demands courage, the willingness to verify, to cross-check, and to step beyond curated camp tours. In refugee reporting, truth is not just a professional standard; it is an act of respect.
Still, truth without dignity can harm. Too often, images of refugees serve as shorthand for despair—dust, hunger, tents. Such imagery may evoke sympathy, but it often strips away humanity. From practice, I have seen journalists lower their lenses before asking names. I have also seen how a small shift in approach, say seeking consent, giving space, and listening before photographing, can restore dignity to both subject and story. Words matter too. Calling someone an “illegal immigrant” or describing an “influx” of refugees turns people into problems. Language should humanise, not flatten. To describe refugees as mothers, health workers, or students is to reassert their agency and affirm our shared humanity, something Freire would have deeply valued today.

And no story exists in isolation. Every health headline in a settlement echoes across systems of policy, climate, economics, and gender. A cholera outbreak in Kyangwali is not merely a medical event or isolated incident; it may be showing broken sanitation infrastructure and the politics of aid, which may result in a national disease outbreak. Context is the soul of credibility. Without it, even accurate stories can mislead. In Imvepi, I saw first-hand that refugees’ health challenges are inseparable from Uganda’s own development journey, from how budgets are made to how global partners value African hospitality. The more connections we draw, the closer we come to the truth.
By the close of the workshop, it was evident that empowerment in journalism is not a slogan but a discipline. It demands patience, humility, and persistence. It calls for the co-production of stories, revisiting them, verifying them, and allowing refugees to narrate their realities. It also calls on institutions to invest and fund field reporting, train correspondents in trauma-sensitive and peace journalism, and protect journalists pursuing uncomfortable truths. Without such support, even good intentions dissolve into soundbites.
I often return to Freire’s words of wisdom: “To speak a true word is to transform the world.” This means that words are not just passive descriptions but powerful tools for action and social change, especially when they are paired with critical reflection and a commitment to praxis (work and action). Refugee health journalism, at its best, is precisely that kind of speech: accurate, dignified, and deeply contextual. It is not merely charity reporting; it is solidarity reporting. For anyone, given the wrong circumstances, can become a refugee. And solidarity, unlike sympathy, does not look down; it stands beside. When we write from that conviction, our stories do more than inform. They humanise, connect, and remind us that telling the truth well is, in itself, an act of justice.

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