On August 20, 2025, Makerere University School of Public Health (MakSPH) convened a timely workshop on Strengthening Equitable Partnerships in International Research Collaboration in Uganda. Held at the MakSPH Auditorium, the event brought together researchers, policymakers, and institutional leaders to reflect on how Uganda, and indeed the wider region, can engage more effectively and derive greater benefit from global research collaborations.
Delivering the keynote address, Prof. David Musoke Serwadda, a Professor Emeritus at Makerere University and a globally recognised HIV researcher and epidemiologist, urged a rethinking of how international research partnerships are structured. A former head of the Institute of Public Health (IPH) and later Dean of the School, serving between 2003 and 2009, Serwadda is also the founding director of the Rakai Health Sciences Programme (RHSP), which is one of Uganda’s most influential research initiatives on HIV. While acknowledging the many benefits Uganda has gained from global research collaborations, he cautioned that too many times, these partnerships remain transactional, shaped by donor priorities, bound to project cycles, and offering limited long-term value to local institutions once projects close.
Prof. Serwadda, himself a globally recognised and well-accomplished researcher, with over four decades of experience and numerous awards for his contributions to science and global health, observed that Ugandan partners are many times included in research projects for visibility rather than substance, often excluded from core roles such as Principal Investigators or from influencing agenda-setting, budget control, and authorship. “Partnerships are not an end in themselves; they exist to help us achieve mutually agreed objectives built on shared responsibility and reciprocal obligations. Too often, Southern institutions are brought into projects late, simply for optics. That is not equitable collaboration,” he insisted.
Prof. David Musoke Serwadda delivering his keynote address on Strengthening Equitable Partnerships in International Research Collaboration in Uganda. August 20, 2025.
During his talk, he stressed that this imbalance undermines both research quality and sustainability, noting that normally, when local researchers are sidelined, studies often fail to align with national priorities or build capacity that endures. By contrast, partnerships that are grounded in mutual respect, fair resource sharing, co-design, and shared decision-making have the impact of producing knowledge that is globally relevant and locally impactful.
“Equity in partnerships is about fairness, ensuring that all partners, regardless of context, can contribute meaningfully. This also requires responsibility on our part in the Global South. We must insist on involvement from project conception, negotiate fair terms, and strengthen our own systems to manage collaborations effectively,” Prof. Serwadda advised, emphasising that strong institutions, clear strategy, agenda and objectives are key for local institutions to engage in mutually fair and beneficial research collaborations at the global and continental stage.
As Director and later Dean of MakSPH, Prof. David Serwadda spearheaded numerous research collaborations and attracted substantial grants that elevated the School and the University’s global standing. Today, MakSPH is recognised as Makerere University’s flagship unit for its wide-ranging partnerships and robust research management systems. Since its beginnings as a small Department of Preventive Medicine in 1954, through its transformation into the first Institute of Public Health in sub-Saharan Africa in 1975, its elevation to School status in 2007, and most recently its reinstatement as a standalone School with college status within Makerere University in January 2025, a status first granted in 2001, MakSPH has built a 70-year legacy of advancing public health through research, training, and policy engagement.
The School’s evolution, as often couched by its leadership, has been anchored on strategic and strong partnerships. These collaborations, be they local, regional or global, have driven health systems innovation, strengthened capacity, and informed policy, making partnerships the cornerstone of the School’s past achievements and future ambitions. At the celebration of the School’s 70th Anniversary, marked in December 2024, Makerere University Vice Chancellor Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe hailed MakSPH’s research output, community impact, and strong partnerships cultivated throughout the years. The Mak VC cited the School’s pioneering role in the HIV response led by Prof. Serwadda in the 1980s, the establishment of nutrition centres such as the Mwana Mugimu Unit at Mulago Hospital and across Uganda by the late Prof. John Kakitahi in the 1990s with support from Rotary International, and community projects like Kasangati Health Centre along Gayaza Road with support from the Rockefeller Foundation in the late 1950s, which advanced public education on healthy environments and wellness.
Current MakSPH building (left) and the new eight-storey facility under construction (right) near Eastern gate, Makerere University, developed through strong partnerships, including generous support from the American people via the USAID ASHA Program, to meet the School’s growing space and infrastructure needs.
“The School of Public Health brings in almost half of all research grants at Makerere University, both in number and value, and these partnerships have been central to tackling Uganda’s public health challenges. From pioneering HIV/AIDS work that shaped global prevention strategies to interventions in maternal health, malaria, and infectious diseases, MakSPH has consistently combined academic excellence with community service. Its leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic further showed its ability to respond to national health emergencies with evidence-based solutions that directly benefit the people,” Prof. Nawangwe said with gratitude for the work done by the School through collaboration.
Makerere University Vice Chancellor, Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe, exchanges documents with UNICEF Uganda Representative, Dr. Robin Nandy, during the signing of an MoU on August 14, 2025. The two-year renewable partnership seeks to advance child rights and well-being, a critical public health priority in Uganda.
In 2024, the School had over 350 peer-reviewed publications in high-impact international journals as a result of this wide network and partnerships. MakSPH currently maintains a strong mix of North–South and South–South collaborations. Within the continent, the School is actively working in more than 25 countries, often partnering with multiple institutions within individual countries to advance research, capacity building, and policy influence. One such recent collaboration is the Partnership to Enhance Technical Support for Analytical Capacity and Data Use in Eastern & Southern Africa (PERSuADE) Project, funded by the Global Fund. Under PERSuADE, MakSPH, the prime grant recipient, hosted the secretariat led by Dean Prof. Rhoda Wanyenze as Principal Investigator, tasked with overall coordination across 12 countries, while a Steering Committee chaired by Prof. David Serwadda provided oversight.
PERSuADE was implemented in two phases between 2018 and 2023. The project brought together 12 universities and 12 Ministries of Health in East and Southern Africa to strengthen analytical capacity and promote data use in national health programmes, cascading skills to districts and lower facilities. In its second phase, the project trained over 1,500 health staff, including 934 at the sub-national level, in data analysis and use, and generated more than 80 analytical outputs on HIV, TB, and malaria. These informed National Strategic Plans in seven countries and improved programme strategies in all 12. Sixteen in-service staff from seven countries received specialised training in HIV key population surveillance, health information systems, and data use. The project also piloted the Maturity Index Model in five countries, helping ministries track progress in institutionalising data-driven decision-making.
MakSPH team led by Prof. Rhoda Wanyenze (centre, in red) with Dr. Estifanos Biru Shargie of the Global Fund (to her right) and other delegates at the PERSuADE II Regional Partners Meeting in Harare, Zimbabwe, December 11–14, 2023. The meeting reinforced regional collaboration in strengthening data use and health systems.
In Uganda, the PERSuADE project was implemented in Kiboga, Buikwe, Kasanda, Mukono, and Mityana districts, selected by the Ministry of Health. According to the Principal Investigator, Prof. Rhoda Wanyenze, strengthening data analysis and use has greatly enhanced the capacity of Ministries of Health to deliver targeted interventions that directly benefit communities. She noted that improved analytical skills at national and subnational levels now enable ministries to identify disparities in HIV, TB, and malaria burdens, while district and facility health workers can use data to strengthen local service delivery. “With better data, districts can plan more efficiently, allocate medicines, and implement tailored prevention campaigns to address specific risks, raise awareness, and reduce new infections,” she said, emphasising the role of equitable collaboration as a key success factor in Uganda and across the continent for this partnership.
Indeed, during a learning visit to Uganda in September 2024, Dr. Estifanos Biru Shargie, Senior Specialist for Monitoring, Evaluation, and Country Analysis at the Global Fund, commended the PERSuADE Project for strengthening local capacity and fostering sustainable health system improvements through South-South partnerships among schools and ministries. “The impact has been significant. In Kiboga, I was impressed by how teams mapped gaps in services and addressed them over four years, using data to inform decisions and monitor progress. Working with Makerere University School of Public Health has been an honour. The School blends academic excellence with practical implementation, backed by strong financial management and a long-standing relationship with the Ministry of Health. Their coordination, networking, and efficiency have been exemplary,” Dr. Shargie said.
Another currently ongoing initiative at the School is the African Leadership and Management Training for Impact in Malaria Eradication (ALAMIME) program, led by MakSPH with ten participating institutions across nine malaria-endemic countries, funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Co-led by Prof. Elizeus Rutebemberwa and Prof. Dosithée Ngo Bebe, ALAMIME is cultivating the leadership Africa needs to defeat malaria by strengthening institutions, building capacity, and fostering regional networks. In 2024 alone, the program trained over 250 participants, nearly half women, from national malaria programs, ministries, and NGOs. Through structured training, alumni-led webinars, and cross-country exchanges, the program has demonstrated how equitable, multi-country partnerships translate investment into sustainable systems and shared momentum toward malaria elimination.
During MakSPH@70 celebrations in December 2024, Hon. Margaret Muhanga, State Minister for Primary Health Care, launched the School’s new five-year Strategic Plan alongside key partners from the Ministry of Health, WHO, and Makerere University leadership, including Council Chairperson Ms. Lorna Magara, Vice Chancellor Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe, and Dean Prof. Rhoda Wanyenze. The Plan places partnerships at the heart of MakSPH’s vision for public health impact and comes at a defining moment as the School regains standalone status within Makerere University.
For nearly 15 years now, MakSPH has also hosted the NTU–Mak Partnership, a collaboration between Makerere University and Nottingham Trent University, first conceived in 2010, with Assoc. Prof. David Musoke and Prof. Linda Gibson as the Uganda and UK Co-Leads. One of the key reasons for the success of this partnership is equity, and it has since attracted over £1.4 million in grants, trained more than 900 Village Health Teams in Wakiso District, supported over 350 practitioners in antimicrobial stewardship, and facilitated exchanges for more than 200 students and faculty. It has also equipped community health workers to respond to non-communicable diseases, antimicrobial resistance, and the COVID-19 pandemic, while generating over 30 peer-reviewed publications and convening global platforms such as the first International Community Health Worker Symposium, held in Kampala in 2017.
Dr. Musoke, the Co-Principal Investigator for the project on strengthening equitable research collaborations in Uganda, described the NTU-Mak partnership as a model North–South partnership that has produced both joint scholarship and lasting institutional ties. He noted that its success has inspired wider collaborations, as the current project on equitable partnerships builds on this foundation. Emerging from a British Academy regional workshop in Nairobi in 2024, MakSPH extended its engagement to Mountains of the Moon University (MMU), Uganda Martyrs University (UMU), and the National Agricultural Research Organisation (NARO). Together with Nottingham Trent University, these institutions are now advancing reforms to embed equity in research partnerships across Uganda’s research ecosystem.
Assoc. Prof. David Musoke, Mr. Awel Uwihanganye, and the MakSPH Equitable Partnerships Project Team during the workshop on equitable partnerships. August 20, 2025.
The Makerere University School of Public Health 2025 Annual Report documents a defining year in the School’s institutional journey. Effective January 2025, MakSPH attained stand-alone status within Makerere University, recognising seven decades of growth in public health training, research, policy engagement and community service. The transition gives the School greater focus and institutional agility to respond to Uganda’s and Africa’s evolving health priorities.
During the 2024/2025 academic year, MakSPH had more than 1,000 students across 12 degree programmes and different years of study. It presented 269 graduands at Makerere University’s 75th Graduation Ceremony, more than 80 per cent at graduate level, while 12 doctoral candidates successfully defended their studies. Training remained closely connected to practice through eight district field-training sites and student participation in outbreak response, disease surveillance and community-based public health action.
The School produced more than 350 peer-reviewed publications. Its evidence informed national and global action across HIV, tuberculosis, maternal and newborn health, antimicrobial resistance, health systems, climate change, urban health, injuries and noncommunicable diseases. MakSPH’s contribution to the PURPOSE 1 trial supported evidence showing more than 99 per cent protection from twice-yearly injectable lenacapavir, while locally led programmes expanded HIV screening, prevention and referral services for underserved populations.
This work was sustained through partnerships with government, communities, funders, universities and implementation agencies. MakSPH’s research and training network extended across more than 35 African countries, while longstanding collaborations were renewed and new institutional relationships established. Strong research governance, unqualified audits and positive due-diligence assessments continued to reinforce partner confidence in the School’s ability to manage complex national and multi-country programmes with accountability.
Construction of the new MakSPH building on Makerere University Main Campus advanced during 2025, with completion targeted for 2026. Designed as a modern public health hub, the facility will expand teaching and specialised laboratory space, strengthen digital learning and research, and provide improved environments for students, faculty, innovation and collaboration.
These achievements reflect the shared contribution of faculty, staff, students and partners. Guided by its 2025–2030 Strategic Plan, MakSPH remains committed to training public health leaders, generating evidence that informs policy and practice, strengthening health systems and improving health in Uganda, across Africa and beyond.
The post holder will be required to provide nursing care to patients attending IDC, provide health education and advise to patients and their family members, provide translation whenever necessary, guide in clinical practice and duties of other nurses. Participate in clinical research studies.
Key Responsibilities
Provides nursing care to patients attending the IDC
To provide clinical care including triaging, clinical assessment of patients of patient’s problems, investigations to HIV/AIDS patients attending IDI-supported health facilities in line with standard treatment guidelines.
Assist in management of very sick patients brought in Urgent care with knowledge, skills and Support appropriate referral of complex patients’ through liaison with immediate team members, senior clinicians and other specialized facilities.
Lead education and facility sensitization efforts to continuously build knowledge among clients and the attendants at Urgent care and the general clinic.
Participate in identification, implementation and documentation of continuous quality improvement activities along client care and treatment.
Assists medical doctors in carrying out clinical procedures.
Provides translation services to visiting medical doctors as required
Ensures patient flow in the clinic ( IDC)
Performs quality assurance and quality control (QA/AC) to ensure completeness of source documents.
Participates in giving Medicines when required.
Checks medical supply stock and ensures procedure charts are fully equipped
Guides the clinical practice and duties of other nursing staff
Participates as a full member of the IDC health care team
Attends clinic staff meetings on a daily basis as available
Participate whenever requested to do so in clinic research studies.
Participate in compilation and submission of accurate activity reports according to the set guidelines.
This job description is not exhaustive and the post holder will need to be flexible and to undertake such other duties as may become necessary with the development of the Infectious Diseases Institute.
Academic Qualifications
Diploma or Bachelors Degree in Nursing
Full and active registration with the Uganda Nurses and Midwives council (Valid general practice license).
Person Specification
Completion of Nurses Training in a recognized educational institution with Diploma/ Bachelors
Minimum of 3 years work experience in a clinical setting
Full and active registration with the Uganda Nurses and Midwives council (Valid general practice license).
Self- motivated and capable of meeting deadlines.
Excellent communication skills.
Good interpersonal skills and able to interact productively with other team members.
More details
Job Code: NPCT001 No of Positions: 1 Station: IDI-Mulago Classification: Full-time Duration: 1 Months Reports to: NURSE TEAM LEAD Posted Date: 2026-07-06 09:06:27.000 Closing Date: 2026-07-19 17:00:00.000
Across Kampala, families use saucepans, cooking pots, frying pans, kettles, and pressure cookers every day. Makerere University School of Public Health is now investigating whether some of these items may expose households to lead, a toxic heavy metal that can enter food during cooking if contaminated materials are used to make them.
The year-long study, titled “Assessment of Lead Contamination in Domestic Cookware, Supply Chains, and Exposure Pathways in Informal Settlements of Kampala,” was launched on 11 June 2026 at MakSPH’s ResilientAfrica Network (RAN) in Kololo. Supported through the Lead Exposure Elimination Project (LEEP), with funding from Bloomberg Philanthropies, and led by Mr. Douglas Bulafu, Mr. Tom Okade, and Dr. Rawlance Ndejjo, the study will assess total and leachable lead levels in commonly used cookware, map how the products are sourced, distributed, and sold, and identify feasible interventions to reduce household exposure to lead.
Ms. Prossy Nabaggala, Senior Standards Officer at the Uganda National Bureau of Standards, pictured centre, consults with study co-investigators Mr. Tom Okade and Mr. Douglas Bulafu during the launch of MakSPH’s study on possible lead exposure from domestic cookware in Kampala.
Today, lead remains a major and preventable public health concern globally. WHO reports that no level of exposure is known to be without harmful effects and estimates that lead exposure contributes to more than 3.5 million deaths worldwide, mainly through cardiovascular effects. Children and women of child-bearing age are said to be especially vulnerable, with exposure linked to impaired brain development, reduced learning ability, harm to unborn children, high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease and kidney damage.
In Uganda, lead exposure concerns also extend to household products and informal markets. Aluminium pots and saucepans, particularly low-cost locally fabricated items, may be made from recycled scrap metal. If contaminated materials are used, lead may leach into food during cooking or other food-contact use, creating a possible route of exposure in homes.
During the launch, Assoc. Prof. David Musoke, Head of MakSPH’s Department of Disease Control and Environmental Health, underscored the importance of involving stakeholders throughout the research process. He said engaging stakeholders from the generation of research ideas to implementation and dissemination helps ensure findings do not remain within the University but are translated into evidence that can inform policy, practice, and community action.
“We engage with stakeholders throughout the research process, from developing ideas and designing projects to implementation and dissemination,” Dr. Musoke noted. “I am pleased that this workshop brings together policymakers, the Ministry of Health, non-governmental organisations, Kampala Capital City Authority, academia, staff and students. This helps ensure that research findings do not remain at the University but are beneficial to our stakeholders.”
Assoc. Prof. David Musoke delivers remarks during the study launch, emphasising sustained stakeholder engagement to ensure research findings inform policy, practice and community action.
He observed that the study was timely, as it addresses an important yet under-examined public health concern, arguing that while lead exposure from paint, pipes and drinking water has received considerable attention, exposure through cookware remains less understood despite its widespread use in many households. He added that the new research builds on MakSPH’s broader work in disease control and environmental health and will generate critical evidence to inform action on lead exposure risks in Uganda. Dr. Musoke also commended the study team for initiating this work.
Previously, MakSPH researchers Mr. Abdullah Ali Halage, Mr. Tom Okade, Dr. James Muleme and Dr. Juliet Kiguli, together with Mr. Ahmada Zziwa and Mr. Robert Mugabi, assessed knowledge, perceptions and practices related to heavy metal contamination and health risks among residents living near Kiteezi in Kampala, Katikolo in Mukono and Nkumba in Entebbe. The study, done in 2024, reached 505 residents and captured community and frontline perspectives from people living and working around the dumpsites. It showed how daily contact with dumpsite environments may expose communities to toxic heavy metals such as lead, arsenic, cadmium, and mercury through soil, water, air, food crops, animal products and waste-handling practices.
Evidence from the study, funded by the Government of Uganda through the Makerere University Research and Innovation Fund (MakRIF) and disseminated on 26 June 2025, showed that heavy metal exposure risks around the three municipal dumpsites within the Kampala Metropolitan Area were shaped by both environmental conditions and community behaviour.
Dr. Sabrina Kitaka, Member of the MakRIF Grant Management Committee, pictured centre, with research team members including Mr. Abdullah Ali Halage, Mr. Tom Okade and Dr. Juliet Kiguli, following the dissemination of findings on heavy metal exposure risks around Kampala Metropolitan dumpsites on 26 June 2025.
Although residents lived near dumpsites where waste can release heavy metals into soil, water and food chains, 76.4 per cent could not define heavy metals, and only 45.9 per cent had adequate knowledge of contamination and related health risks. Gaps extended to daily exposure pathways, with 38.4 per cent unaware that vegetables grown near dumpsites may contain high heavy metal levels and 39.8 per cent unaware that milk or meat from animals grazed near dumpsites may also be contaminated. More than half viewed dumpsite soils as fertile, 50.7 per cent considered such milk safe, and 51.3 per cent believed dumpsite waste could be used as manure.
The study recommended stronger risk communication, environmental monitoring, safer land-use enforcement and community education. The work on lead in domestic cookware now extends this focus from dumpsite-related heavy metal exposure to a possible household pathway. Mr. Douglas Bulafu, an early-career researcher and Principal Investigator of the study, said the team will examine whether commonly used cooking pots, saucepans and related utensils contribute to exposure, and generate evidence to guide safer cookware use, standards and market oversight.
“Lead contamination has been documented from sources such as paint, fuel and air pollution, but less attention has been given to cookware as a potential pathway of exposure. That is the gap this study seeks to address,” Mr. Bulafu said. “We focused on Kampala because it has many informal settlements, small-scale cookware workshops and a large consumer market where low-cost cookware is widely produced, sold and used. When people buy these products, they often do not know where they were made, what materials were used, or whether they contain lead. The supply chains are also poorly understood, meaning households could be exposed without knowing.”
Mr. Douglas Bulafu, Principal Investigator, speaks during the launch of the MakSPH study on possible lead exposure from domestic cookware in Kampala, highlighting the need for evidence to guide safer cookware use, standards and market oversight.
The study will use a cross-sectional, mixed-methods design to connect laboratory evidence with supply-chain realities in Kampala’s informal settlements. The team will purchase about 100 cookware samples from open-air markets, roadside vendors, retail shops and supermarkets in Kisenyi, Katanga, Bwaise, Namuwongo, Banda and Kasubi, test them for total and leachable lead, and conduct about 30 key informant interviews across the supply chain to understand how cookware is sourced, produced, distributed and used.
Findings will be validated with stakeholders and used to identify feasible interventions, including stronger regulation and enforcement, raw-material control, better manufacturing practices, market surveillance and consumer awareness. The evidence is expected to support standards development, product testing, policy uptake, safer manufacturing practices and public guidance on cookware choices, helping reduce household exposure to lead and associated health risks.
Speaking on behalf of the Ministry of Health, Dr. Didacus Namanya, a health geographer and environmental health expert, welcomed the study, saying scientific evidence on lead exposure is critical because public health decisions can have lasting consequences for life and wellbeing.
Dr. Namanya implored the research team to ensure the evidence from the study informs decisions beyond academia, shaping policy, strengthening public health practice and guiding practical measures to reduce lead exposure in communities. He emphasised that research should not remain in the “ivory tower” but reach decision-makers and the public, so that evidence from the study translates into policy, practice and stronger protection for communities.
Dr. Didacus Namanya, speaking on behalf of the Ministry of Health, delivers remarks during the study launch on 11 June 2026, urging the research team to ensure evidence on lead exposure informs policy, practice and practical community protection measures.
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