Health
Makerere University College of Health Sciences marks Centenary with expansion of Super-Specialized healthcare Training
On 30th July 2025, Makerere University hit a milestone in specialized healthcare training as it proudly graduated 16 fellows from their Paediatric Hematology and Oncology (PHO) Fellowship Programme. These dedicated physicians who successfully completed a two-year rigorous fellowship program will serve as elite experts in treating life-threatening blood disorders and cancers in children.
The pioneering fellowship program of Makerere University College of Health Sciences (MakCHS) commenced in 2016. This cohort included fellows from Uganda, Kenya, South Sudan, Tanzania, Malawi, Nigeria, and Congo which enhances Africa’s capacity to deliver highly specialized care, promising improved survival rates and quality of life for countless young patients.
In his address to the congregation, Professor Barnabas Nawangwe, Vice Chancellor – Makerere University emphasized the university’s guiding vision of research-led, noting that the institution remains committed to producing highly skilled professionals who address Uganda’s and Africa’s evolving health challenges while acknowledging the resilient hard work of fellows during training and the vital sacrifice as well as support from family and friends.
Prof. Nawangwe recounted Makerere’s significant historical contributions to public health and medical research recalling the College of Health Sciences’ past achievements, including it’s 1964 recognition for lymphoma research leading to nomination for a Nobel Prize for the discovery of the cells that cause the cancer of the lymphoma. He cited the university’s instrumental efforts and contribution in combatting disease on the continent like the Ebola, Marburg, Nodding Disease and the recent COVID-19 pandemic.
He outlined Uganda’s demographic realities and the resultant increase in health challenges with exponential growth of a young population alongside the alarming statistics of childhood cancer and sickle cell disease. With an estimated “7,000 children and adolescents cancer with less than 50% access in treatment,” and over “20,000 babies are born with sickle cell every year,” the need for specialized care is critical, he said. Professor Nawangwe also stressed the urgency of the situation, “It is reported that many of the deaths from cancer and blood disorders are preventable,” stating, “We must produce enough doctors to manage the disease burden we have.”
Prof. Nawangwe recognized the instrumental role of partners such as Texas Children’s Global and Baylor College of Medicine, among others, who supported MakCHS in setting up the PHO fellowship that began in 2016. He underlined the success of the program, which has since trained 24 paediatricians serving as healthcare leaders across Africa.
In his remarks, Professor Bruce Kirenga, Principal – MakCHS highlighted the institution’s century of medical training excellence and its forward-looking vision as the College holds its third graduation ceremony of the PHO Fellowship Program. He emphasized MakCHS’ commitment to advancing healthcare in the region, adding that this future is geared towards more scientific research, innovation and cutting-edge medical care.
Professor Kirenga proudly announced that the fellowship program is the first of their sub-specialized training programs. He revealed the expansion of these crucial programs, noting that the college currently offers three additional sub-specialized training pathways: Neonatology, Interventional Radiology, and Fetal and Maternal Medicine, with two more programs under review; in this regard, Professor Kirenga extended gratitude to partners and collaborators, affirming the college’s unwavering dedication to its mission.
Representing the Director General Health of Services and Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Health, Dr. Richard Mugahi – Commissioner for Child and New-born Health highlighted the vital role of the new specialists in transforming Uganda’s healthcare landscape. Dr. Mugahi emphasized the graduation as not only fellows’ dedication, but also an important step forward for Uganda’s healthcare system citing the critical need for their expertise.
He detailed the alarming burden of childhood cancer in Uganda, with 1,500 to 3,000 new cases reported annually, yet only 30% access specialized treatment, resulting in tragically low survival rates of 20-30% beyond three years. In response, the Ministry of Health is strengthening its partnership with Makerere University, recognizing that “the role of research, the role of academia is well highlighted and emphasized,” and crucial for producing skilled professionals.
Dr. Mugahi announced the government’s strategic plans to absorb these new specialists, actively developing human resource structures and mobilizing resources to utilize their skills nationwide. He also revealed ongoing efforts to decentralize cancer care through regional centres, citing the operational facility in Gulu and planned sites in Arua, Mbarara, and Mbale, all of which will strongly need the fellows’ expertise to serve our population. He concluded by reiterating the core mission: “Our mission is clear. We now have the inputs, you’re one of the inputs of providing Uganda with the best possible quality of care.” He stated.
Encouragingly, Dr. Rosemary Byanyima Mulago National Referral Hospital (MNRH) revealed that the Hospital is charting a new course towards offering highly specialized medical services, emphasizing that they can only offer that when they have people who have trained as super-specialists.
“This strategic move is predicated to building a robust local human resource, specifically super-specialists, whose rigorous training pathway extends beyond a first degree and master’s to include a specialized fellowship. The traditional approach of training abroad is very expensive” Dr. Byanyima noted. To overcome this, Mulago is actively working with collaborators to build the capacity to train locally. This innovative model involves sponsoring a select few for training abroad, who then return to establish and lead local programs, significantly enhancing the hospital’s self-sufficiency.
“Mulago is uniquely positioned as an ideal training ground due to its infrastructure. We have the equipment. And of course, there are many patients who require the service.” Dr. Byanyima said. She noted that while Mulago provides the environment, it collaborates with accredited training institutions like Makerere University for academic awards.
The benefits of local training are multifaceted; it not only builds internal capacity but also allows the hospital to continuously identify and address service delivery gaps in infrastructure, equipment, medicines, and sundries, Dr. Byanyima added. Local training is also cheaper and eases the very strenuous emotional burden on advanced-age trainees with families, who would otherwise have to relocate abroad for years. Crucially, as these experts train, they simultaneously offer services, with patients directly benefiting from their evolving skills. In addition, she noted, Mulago leverages collaborations to acquire essential resources, while simultaneously lobbying the government for sustained funding to ensure the long-term continuity of the services.
Addressing the escalating challenge of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) like cancer and diabetes, Dr. Byanyima acknowledged the continuously increasing number of patients, necessitating a proportional increase in human resource infrastructure, medicines and surgeries to be able to meet the demand. She also stated Mulago’s role in health education at the tertiary level, empowering patients to disseminate crucial health information within their families and communities, complementing primary healthcare prevention efforts by the Ministry.
In his speech, Dr. Joseph Lubega, a Children’s Cancer and Blood disease Specialist and Assistant Professor at Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Children’s Hospital, USA, recognized the significant advancements in child healthcare across Africa with specialists trained in children’s cancer and sickle cell disease.
Dr. Lubega emphasized the profound impact of PHO Fellowship Program on patient outcomes stating that ‘whereas when we started this work, most children with cancer anywhere in Africa would die within a month of a diagnosis, now most of them are cured.’ Despite this progress, he stressed the imperative to expand reach beyond major cities like Nairobi, Kampala, and Dar es Salaam, aiming for comprehensive coverage across all countries, especially given the much bigger challenge posed by sickle cell disease. The ultimate goal, he explained, is for the specialists to train lower health workers in their countries, ensuring every child is reached.
Challenging the conventional focus on infectious diseases in Africa, Dr. Lubega advocated for greater attention to non-communicable diseases (NCDs), saying, “Sickle cell disease is one of the most common non-communicable diseases. It is part of African DNA, 2% of new-borns get this diseases.” He noted that unlike acute infections, NCDs demand lifelong follow-up and community-based care, necessitating a re-evaluation of health system training.
One of the fellows, Dr. Ankunda Siyadora who works with Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital, noted that the fellowship will revolutionize the landscape of childhood cancer and blood disorder care in Western Uganda. In her words, “my passion was ignited during internship at St. Mary’s Hospital in Gulu, Uganda. I witnessed numerous children suffering from advanced Burkitt’s lymphoma, often receiving only palliative comfort. That made me a bit sad, but also built the passion I have for paediatric haematology.” she recounted.
Motivated by the stark contrast between 80% survival rates in Western countries and the grim reality she encountered, Dr. Ankunda’s desire is to change the narrative that every child with cancer or blood disorder should die or be in pain. Her fellowship, she believes, will lessen the burden by ensuring every child who has a cancer or a blood disorder, gets an early diagnosis and then get the right treatment for their disease.
Addressing the common misconception that childhood cancers stem from environmental or lifestyle factors, she clarified that “in children, it’s more about the genetics, it’s just a mistake, something went wrong in the genetics, it’s nothing to do with the family or the environment, majority, close to 99% of childhood cancers, are a result of spontaneous mutation.” While a small percentage (1-3%) can be inherited, like retinoblastoma, most cases are simply “bad luck, nothing to do with the environment, nothing to do with your parents.” This understanding is crucial for families, alleviating guilt and redirecting focus to early intervention.
The experts will be pivotal in improving care for children with blood disorders and cancers, addressing the country’s high childhood cancer burden and with the Ministry of Health planning will integrate these specialists into the healthcare system and establish regional cancer centres. This in turn will increase access to specialized care, improve treatment outcomes, and enhance the quality of life for children with cancer and blood disorders in Uganda and beyond.
In most health systems, attention turns to illness after it appears in clinics and hospitals. Environmental Health works earlier, often invisibly, by preventing disease before treatment becomes necessary. At Makerere University School of Public Health (MakSPH), this preventive philosophy shapes the training of students learning to manage health risks at their source, through sanitation systems, safer environments, community engagement, and evidence-based public health action.
This year, as MakSPH presents 29 graduands approved by the Makerere University Senate for the award of the Bachelor of Environmental Health Science (BEHS) degree, four outstanding students graduate with first-class honours. Their journeys, shaped by different personal histories and professional ambitions, provide a clear view of how the School prepares practitioners whose work begins long before patients reach health facilities. Through academic training, field practice, research exposure, and leadership experience, the programme equips graduates to address the environmental and social conditions that determine health outcomes across communities.
Environmental health occupies a distinctive position within public health practice. Rather than focusing primarily on diagnosis or treatment, practitioners work at the intersection of science, policy, and society, addressing risks linked to water and sanitation, food safety, occupational health, climate change, and urbanisation. The discipline demands technical competence alongside communication, systems thinking, and community engagement, capabilities that increasingly define modern public health leadership.
The journeys of Nakulima Bushirah, graduating with a CGPA of 4.58 on February 25, 2026, Mujurani Alphersiiru with 4.44, and Cherop Eric with 4.41, alongside Phillip Acaye, the cohort’s overall best student with a CGPA of 4.63, demonstrate how MakSPH shapes students from varied beginnings into professionals grounded in prevention. Their paths reveal a shared formation that links classroom learning with real-world health challenges and prepares graduates to prevent disease before it occurs.
Bushirah Nakulima’s Turn Toward Prevention
For Bushirah Nakulima, environmental health began during a period of uncertainty. The COVID-19 pandemic repeatedly disrupted her Bachelor of Pharmacy studies at Kampala International University, prompting reflection about the kind of health professional she wanted to become. A conversation with a family friend working in preventive health introduced an alternative path, one focused not on treating illness after onset but on preventing it altogether.
“When I applied to Makerere University in 2022, I was considering two career paths,” she recalled. “I prayed to Allah to guide me toward the best one. When I was admitted to the Bachelor of Environmental Health Science, I accepted it wholeheartedly, and I came to appreciate it even more as I studied.”
Her academic foundation had already demonstrated consistency. She progressed from Melody Junior School in Nansana, where she obtained aggregate eight in 2010, to Shuhada’e Islamic School in Nyamitanga, completing O-Level with 25 aggregates in 2016 and A-Level with 10 points in 2018. Pharmacy initially appeared the logical continuation, yet environmental health offered something broader in scale and impact.
“Environmental Health offered an opportunity to prevent illness and suffering before it occurs,” she explained. “It allows a single intervention, such as WASH or health education, to protect many people at once, and it provides flexibility to work across diverse environments. It offered freedom to operate in various settings, which truly connects with my personality since I love exploration.”
At MakSPH, classroom concepts quickly translated into practice. During her internship at Mukono Municipal Council, she conducted school health education sessions, participated in inspections of markets and abattoirs, and engaged communities facing sanitation challenges. Field exposure deepened her understanding of how environmental conditions directly shape disease patterns, reinforcing prevention as both a scientific and social responsibility.
Leadership further expanded her training. Serving as the 90th Female Guild Representative Councillor (GRC), she represented the School of Public Health in the Student Guild structure, facilitating engagement between students and School leadership on academic and welfare matters. The role strengthened her capacity for representation, negotiation, and collaborative problem-solving, skills central to public health practice, where advocacy and systems engagement are inseparable from technical expertise.
Graduating with a CGPA of 4.58, Bushirah’s research examined roadside vendors’ exposure to air pollution in Kampala, reflecting growing concern about occupational and urban environmental risks. She now plans to pursue advanced training in public health, building on MakSPH’s emphasis on evidence-driven and community-centred practice.
Cherop Eric’s Return to the Classroom
Eric Cherop’s journey into environmental health began not in lecture halls but in community service. Raised in Kapchorwa District, he was shaped by economic hardship and resilience, experiences that informed his commitment to community well-being.
He completed his Primary Leaving Examinations at Chema Primary School, a Universal Primary Education institution, attaining 24 aggregates in 2008. He later joined Sipi Secondary School, where he obtained 37 aggregates at Uganda Certificate of Education in 2012 and continued at the same school for A-Level, earning 8 points at Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education in 2014.
After earning a Diploma in environmental health sciences from Mbale School of Hygiene between 2015 and 2017, he entered public service as an Environmental Health Officer and Community Field Facilitator with Kapchorwa District Local Government. His work included sanitation campaigns, climate resilience initiatives, nutrition education, and household behaviour change programmes. Over time, field experience revealed the limits of practice without deeper theoretical grounding.
“I wanted to understand not only what works in communities, but why it works,” he explains. Enrolling in the BEHS programme at MakSPH in 2022 allowed him to connect practical experience with analytical training. Coursework strengthened competencies in environmental risk assessment, participatory engagement, and data-driven planning. Mentorship reshaped how he interpreted evidence.
“My lecturers helped me move beyond seeing data as numbers,” he said. “I learned to see it as evidence that guides decisions and improves accountability.” Graduating with a CGPA of 4.41, Eric now aims to advance evidence-driven leadership at the intersection of climate change, nutrition, and environmental health, ensuring interventions remain grounded in community realities.
Mujurani Alphersiiru’s Path into Environmental Health
For Mujurani Alphersiiru, Environmental Health arrived at an unexpected moment, when his academic future appeared uncertain. Financial pressures had begun to threaten the continuation of his Bachelor of Nursing Science studies at Kampala International University Western Campus, raising the real possibility that his university education might end prematurely. The turning point came when the government district quota admission list was released, offering him placement at Makerere University under Bunyangabu District and opening an alternative academic pathway he had not previously considered.
At the time, environmental health was unfamiliar to him. “I didn’t know what environmental health was,” he recalls. “But I celebrated because I had reached my dream university.” Orientation sessions and early coursework gradually reframed that uncertainty, revealing a discipline grounded in prevention, systems thinking, and public health policy. What began as an unexpected opportunity soon developed into a clear professional direction.
Serving as class president and 90th Male GRC for the School with Nakulima Bushirah, Mujurani organised student activities, mobilised community outreach initiatives, and advocated for improved learning environments. Balancing leadership responsibilities with academic performance required deliberate discipline and time management.
His educational foundation began at St. Augustine Butiiti Demonstration Primary School in Kyenjojo, where he scored 12 aggregates in 2014. He later attended Pride Secondary School in Mityana, attaining 25 aggregates at O-Level in 2018, before proceeding to Kibiito Secondary School in Bunyangabu, where he obtained 13 points at A-Level in 2021, performance that earned him government sponsorship for university education. At MakSPH, faculty mentorship further strengthened both his academic rigour and commitment to public service.
“Government sponsorship meant responsibility,” Mujurani said. “I had to plan my time carefully while remaining active in school programmes.” Graduating with a CGPA of 4.44, his interests now centre on governance and accountability within health systems, particularly strengthening the implementation of public health policies.
Training Prevention Professionals
Taken together, the three journeys demonstrate how MakSPH’s Environmental Health training converts diverse personal backgrounds into a shared professional orientation centred on prevention. Through interdisciplinary coursework, field placements, research mentorship, and leadership opportunities, students develop competencies that extend beyond technical knowledge to include systems thinking and public engagement.
The BEHS programme, established in 2000 within MakSPH’s Department of Disease Control and Environmental Health, remains the School’s only undergraduate degree and has trained more than 1,000 graduates who now serve across government institutions, non-governmental organisations, academia, and international health programmes. Its continued evolution reflects growing recognition that strengthening health systems requires professionals capable of addressing environmental risks before illness occurs.
The achievements of this year’s graduates, therefore, represent more than academic distinction. They reflect a model of training designed to prepare professionals whose work reduces the need for treatment by preventing disease at its source, reinforcing MakSPH’s role in shaping Uganda’s environmental health workforce.
As Makerere University School of Public Health (MakSPH) presents 29 graduands on February 25, 2026, at Makerere University’s 76th Graduation Ceremony, for the conferment of the Bachelor of Environmental Health Science (BEHS) degree, the journey of the cohort’s best student provides a compelling window into both individual resilience and institutional impact. Philliph Acaye, graduating with a CGPA of 4.63, represents more than academic distinction. His story reflects the lived realities that shape many public health professionals in Uganda and shows how rigorous training can transform experience into leadership within health systems.
Education Shaped by Conflict
Acaye was born on October 2, 1993, in Wangduku Village, Palenga Parish, Pajule Sub-County, Pader District in northern Uganda, a region deeply affected by the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) insurgency in the early 2000s, where education and security often existed in constant tension. As a child, schooling unfolded alongside displacement and uncertainty, conditions that shaped an entire generation growing up during the conflict.
“Around 2002, before we had fully moved into the IDP camps, we often ran with our parents whenever there were LRA attacks,” he recalls. “But on several occasions, they caught us unaware. During one of the attacks, they abducted me and moved with me for close to seven kilometres, from Wangduku to Pajule Trading Centre in Pader. At first, they said I was too young to be moved with. I was around nine or ten years old. Later, I understood that someone among them personally knew my father and did not want me taken, so he used my age as the reason, and they left me behind.”
He narrates that several relatives and neighbours, including some of his childhood friends, were not spared, among them an uncle whose whereabouts remain unknown to this day. “If they had gone with me,” Acaye reflects quietly, “I could be dead, or I might not have studied.” The remark sits deep and places his graduation in context, not simply as personal success, but as the outcome of persistence through years when conflict repeatedly disrupted education across northern Uganda.
Between 2002 and 2006, his schooling continued inside Pajule Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) Camp, where families lived in overcrowded settlements and depended largely on relief food. Learning environments were unstable, teachers travelled under risk, and lessons were frequently interrupted by insecurity. Even within the camps, attacks remained possible. Education progressed slowly, but it continued, sustained by families and teachers who insisted that schooling remained essential despite uncertainty.
When communities gradually returned home, Acaye rebuilt his academic track record step by step. He completed Primary Leaving Examinations in 2007 with an aggregate of 19 and was the best pupil at Wangduku Primary School, at a time when enrolment remained low because many families feared returning to villages. He proceeded to Pajule Senior Secondary School, completing O-Level in 2011 with 31 aggregates, and later obtained 10 points at A-Level in 2013 from Kitgum High School.
However, his progression was shaped by consistent recovery after disruption, supported by relatives, teachers, community mentors, and educational assistance from Invisible Children, a post-LRA conflict recovery NGO led locally by Ms. Laker Jolly Okot, which supported his A-Level education.
Professional direction emerged during his training at the Mbale School of Hygiene, where he pursued a Diploma in Environmental Health Science from 2014 to 2016 and graduated with a strong CGPA of 4.4. The diploma opened immediate employment opportunities in community and humanitarian health settings back home, followed by service in local government. Today, he works as a Health Inspector in Kitgum District Local Government, implementing sanitation monitoring, infection prevention activities, and community health interventions. Practical experience strengthened his understanding of public health challenges but also revealed limits in technical depth that he felt required further training.
Training the Public Health Professional
His admission to MakSPH in 2022 through the government diploma-entry sponsorship scheme represented a deliberate academic decision rather than a career reset. He sought broader analytical skills and a stronger grounding in environmental health systems, particularly in areas of surveillance, planning, and evidence-based decision-making.
“I realised some technical aspects were not fully covered at the diploma level. I wanted to understand public health beyond implementation and learn how decisions are justified scientifically,” Acaye explained.
The sponsorship, he observed, transformed that ambition into possibility and remains central to how he understands his academic journey at Makerere University. “I am grateful to the Makerere University selection committee, the MakSPH selection committee, and the Government of Uganda for this opportunity. Opportunities like this are not guaranteed, and I recognise the trust placed in me to undertake and complete the three-year BEHS programme.”
The transition into university study was not seamless, though. His admission had come earlier than planned, and he began coursework without formal study leave while still tied to workplace obligations in Kitgum. Sustained support from district leadership, particularly Dr. Okello Henry Otto, the District Health Officer, eventually enabled him to secure study leave and concentrate fully on academic work. Now with stability came rapid academic improvement, supported by peer learning, faculty mentorship, and a strong curriculum that emphasised analytical reasoning alongside applied practice.
Acaye attributes his transformation to the programme’s academic culture rather than individual brilliance. “The programme helped me realise that what I was doing before was only a surface understanding,” he argued. “I learned to approach public health more deeply.” Exposure to research methods, he revealed, reshaped how he interpreted field experience and encouraged him to submit an abstract to an international academic conference, marking his transition from practitioner to emerging researcher.
For Mr. Abdallah Ali Halage, the MakSPH Coordinator of the BEHS programme, such outcomes reflect intentional design rather than coincidence. He noted that student success is rooted in a training philosophy that combines technical instruction with professional discipline from the moment students enter the programme. According to him, orientation focuses not only on coursework but also on expectations of conduct, independence, and responsibility. “When students join, we brief them on how seriously they must approach their academic journey,” he said. “That grounding helps shape their performance over time.”
Mr. Halage argued that while some high-performing students enter through diploma schemes, achievement ultimately depends on commitment and effort rather than background. He cited Acaye’s consistent curiosity and self-motivation as defining traits, noting that strong academic results tend to follow students who actively engage with the learning process.
“I congratulate Philliph and his colleagues upon attaining first-class honours and performing very well academically. Philliph has been hardworking and self-motivated. He has consistently shown a strong interest in his studies, and that commitment has helped him achieve this result. He has been a very good student,” Mr. Halage attested.
He added that the achievement reflects a broader culture within the programme. “Our students are disciplined and independent. Their commitment, together with support from the School management, the College and University leadership, has contributed greatly to their success.”
From Individual Achievement to Institutional Impact
The broader significance of Acaye’s achievement becomes clearer when placed within the evolution of the BEHS programme itself. Established in 2000 within MakSPH’s Department of Disease Control and Environmental Health (DCEH), the programme remains the School’s sole undergraduate degree and was among the earliest environmental health bachelor’s programmes in East Africa. In more than two decades, it has produced over 1,000 graduates, expanding professional capacity beyond diploma-level training and strengthening Uganda and the region’s environmental health workforce across government, non-governmental organisations, educational institutions, and points of entry such as airports and border services.
Mr. Halage explained that the programme helped redefine career pathways within the government of Uganda’s public service structures by introducing degree-level expertise into environmental health roles. Graduates now serve as Environmental Health Officers, Senior Environmental Health Officers, and technical specialists contributing to policy implementation and service delivery across multiple sectors. The academic pathway has also expanded vertically, with postgraduate training opportunities at MakSPH currently enabling graduates to progress into research, teaching, and doctoral-level specialisation, ensuring continuity within the discipline.
A Programme Shaping Regional Practice
The reputation of Makerere University’s Bachelor of Environmental Health Science programme is also increasingly influencing regional institutions. During a strategic benchmarking visit to MakSPH on July 30, 2025, Dr. Ratib Dricile, Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences at Muni University, described the School of Public Health as a reference point for universities seeking to strengthen environmental health training in the region.
The main reason the delegation visited Makerere University School of Public Health was that Muni University remains a young and growing institution located in north-western Uganda along the borders with the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan, where porous borders contribute to frequent cross-border diseases, many of which are preventable through strong environmental health approaches, Dr. Dricile explained.
“Makerere University, with over 100 years of institutional experience and 25 years running the Environmental Health programme, was the right place for us to benchmark, particularly in curriculum design, course content, programme structure, and implementation,” he said. “We were impressed by the work being implemented and gained more than we initially expected. By integrating these experiences, we believe the Muni University curriculum can become even stronger. The collaboration will allow us to adopt innovations built on Makerere’s long experience, and we believe that working together with Makerere University will strengthen Muni University institutionally and contribute positively to our university’s growth and ranking.”
It is within this institutional tradition, built over decades of training environmental health professionals across Uganda and the region, that Philliph Acaye’s achievement takes meaning. For him, graduating top of the class remains grounded in practical purpose rather than prestige. He views a first-class degree as an opportunity rather than an endpoint. Recalling guidance from his lecturers, he said strong academic results can open doors but must be followed by demonstrated competence. “A first class helps you get shortlisted,” he said. “After that, you must prove yourself.”
His immediate plans reflect that perspective. He is currently pursuing additional training in Health Services Management at Gulu College of Health Sciences while preparing for postgraduate study in either public health or environmental and occupational health. At the same time, he continues supporting pupils in his community and plans to mobilise resources to provide sanitary pads for girls at his former primary school, an initiative he believes will help reduce school dropout rates in rural areas.
Acaye’s journey, from disrupted schooling in an IDP camp to graduating top of MakSPH’s BEHS programme for the 2022 cohort, reflects the deeper purpose of public health education. As MakSPH presents its newest cohort for graduation this week, his story demonstrates how the programme turns lived experience into professional capacity, strengthening communities and health systems across Uganda and the region, one graduate at a time.
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