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Dr. Samalie Namukose and the Quiet Work of Making Nutrition Count

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4 months ago

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Dr. Samalie Namukose.
Dr. Samalie Namukose.

Between Tuesday, February 24 and Friday, February 27, 2026, Freedom Square at Makerere University will fill with a familiar choreography of anticipation. The air will fill with the rustle of academic gowns, the nervous laughter of graduands, and the careful positioning of proud families searching for familiar faces in a sea of crimson, green, and black. It is a moment of ceremony, yes, but also of reckoning.

Up close, the doctoral gowns feel heavier than they look. The deep crimson fabric, warm and deliberate, settles on the shoulders. Green panels edged in gold are gently pressed against the chest. Wide sleeves gently brush against clasped hands, soft bonnets rest low on foreheads, and tassels remain motionless. Beneath the regalia are steady breaths, quickened heartbeats, and bodies carrying the quiet fatigue of years spent balancing work, study, and life. These are garments worn not only for display but also for endurance, stitched to nights without sleep, to questions carried long before they were answered.

At this four-day Makerere University’s 76th Graduation Ceremony, 185 doctoral degrees will be conferred. Each PhD will represent years of unanswered questions, interrupted sleep, financial strain, and relentless intellectual persistence. Among them will be Dr. Samalie Namukose, a woman whose academic journey was never separate from the health system she serves, only threaded through it.

For more than two decades, Samalie Namukose has worked inside Uganda’s Ministry of Health, rising steadily from Nutritionist to Assistant Commissioner for Health Services/Nutrition. She has helped write policy, coordinate national programs, supervise districts, respond to emergencies, and advocate for mothers and infants whose voices rarely travel beyond clinic walls. Her PhD did not pull her away from that world but plunged her deeper into it.

Dr. Namukose (R) with health workers in one of the facilities.
Dr. Namukose (R) with health workers in one of the facilities.

The Question That Would Not Let Go

Dr. Namukose’s doctoral journey began not in a library, but in a pattern she kept seeing and could no longer ignore.

Uganda’s nutrition policies are robust. They speak clearly about the importance of maternal and infant nutrition, especially in the first 1,000 days of life. Yet in health facilities across the country, nutrition services often appeared fragmented, present in principle, and inconsistent in practice. Mothers attending antenatal or postnatal care were weighed, yes, but not always counselled. Infants were measured, but follow-up was irregular. Nutrition existed, but it was not always integrated.

“I kept asking myself,” she recalls, “not whether nutrition interventions exist, but how well they are embedded in routine care, and what prevents health workers from delivering them consistently.”

That question shaped her PhD research at Makerere University’s School of Public Health, where she examined the integration of Nutrition Assessment, Counselling, and Support (NACS) into routine health services in the Tororo and Butaleja districts in Eastern Uganda.

At its core, NACS integration is deceptively simple: assess nutritional status at every health point, provide tailored counseling, and link clients to support within the same system and beyond. But in practice, it tests the very backbone of health systems: workforce capacity, financing, governance, supervision, and community linkages.

“When NACS is well integrated, health facilities can identify nutrition risks early, prevent deterioration, and provide timely support rather than responding only when malnutrition becomes severe,” she says.

Inside Resource-Constrained Health Facilities

What Dr. Namukose found was not a clear story of failure or success, but something in between. Many health facilities were offering basic nutrition education and assessments, and health workers were clearly trying their best. However, long patient queues, limited time, and a shortage of basic tools and job aids often hindered counseling and follow-up. Food demonstrations were rare. Growth monitoring was inconsistent. Efforts to improve quality occurred only sporadically.

In facilities without trained nutritionists, nurses, and midwives, already stretched thin, took on nutrition work alongside many other duties, leaving little room to support mothers and children in a steady, continuous way.

And yet, her findings revealed something deeply hopeful: “facilities with knowledgeable, motivated, and supported health workers delivered better nutrition services, even within the same constraints.” To Dr. Namukose, this showed that leadership, mentorship, and attitude mattered. Where nutrition was treated not as an extra task but as essential care, outcomes began to improve.

One of the strongest findings from Dr. Namukose’s research was that even when nutrition services were only partly integrated, they still made a visible difference. Mothers gained weight more steadily during pregnancy and in the early months of breastfeeding. Babies were born heavier and grew better in their first months of life. Across health facilities with more fully integrated nutrition services, children consistently showed healthier growth patterns.

These were not just numbers on a page; babies started life stronger, and mothers were better supported to care for them.

“To me,” she explains, “the improvements in maternal weight gain reflected the value of regular assessment and context-specific counseling. For infants, the better growth outcomes showed that a package of nutrition interventions, delivered consistently, can make a real difference during the most critical window of life.”

It was clear evidence that nutrition integration works effectively, though gradually and significantly.

The Fragility of Progress

Dr. Namukose’s research also exposed how fragile these gains remain. Weaknesses in financing and governance emerged as the greatest threats to sustainability. Nutrition services often depended on unpredictable partner funding rather than routine government budgets. Essential supplies, anthropometric tools, job aids, and therapeutic foods were frequently unavailable or externally dependent.

Her study captured glaring governance gaps that compounded the problem. For instance, nutrition was not always clearly positioned within accountability structures, and this, according to Dr. Namukose, often led to limited supervision and weak performance monitoring. Many districts lacked dedicated nutritionists altogether.

She notes that community follow-up was essential for sustaining behaviour change after clinic visits, especially for those who suffered most. Village Health Teams and care groups struggled without supervision, feedback mechanisms, or resources.

“Most nutrition-related behaviours, such as maternal diet, infant and young child feeding, and care practices, are shaped and sustained within households and communities,” says Dr. Namukose.

She contends that nutrition integration cannot rely on projects but must be embedded in systems.

A PhD Written in the Margins of Life

Conducting this research while holding a senior national leadership role in the Ministry of Health was, by her own admission, one of the hardest things she has ever done.

Dr. Namukose did not request study leave. Partly self-sponsored, she worked full days at the Ministry of Health, then wrote at night, often between midnight and 4:00 am, and again in the early mornings, on Saturdays, and on borrowed hours of Sunday.

“There were days when I sacrificed sleep completely,” she says quietly.

National emergencies such as COVID-19, Ebola, and MPOX repeatedly interrupted her doctoral journey, drawing her back into crisis response. To her, returning to her PhD after each interruption felt like re-entering a conversation mid-sentence, struggling to find the thread.

At one point, she simultaneously prepared for a Top Management Committee presentation, attended a doctoral committee meeting, and sat for Health Service Commission promotional interviews.

“The pressure from the supervisors kept me on my toes. The PhD forum was another motivating factor, consistently sharing updates, books, courses, encouragement, and invitations to PhD defenses. Peer support was tremendous. Without a supportive family, you can’t make it,” she remarks.

A Career That Prepared the Ground

Dr. Namukose’s PhD sits atop a formidable professional foundation. She holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Agriculture from Makerere University, a Postgraduate Diploma in Food and Nutrition Security from Wageningen University in the Netherlands, and a Postgraduate Diploma in Business Administration from Makerere University Business School. She has undergone extensive training in nutrition leadership, research methods, health systems, and quality improvement across Africa, Europe, and Asia.

Within the Ministry of Health, she has served as a Public Health Nutritionist, Senior Nutritionist, Principal Nutritionist, and now Assistant Commissioner, coordinating national nutrition interventions, designing training modules, mobilising resources, and overseeing district implementation.

She has played key roles in multi-million-dollar initiatives, from HIV-Free Survival programmes to Integrated Child Health Days, public food procurement policy, and the scale-up of Multiple Micronutrient Supplements (MMS) for pregnant women.

Her research has been published in leading peer-reviewed journals, including PLOS ONE and BMC Health, Population and Nutrition, ensuring that her findings speak both to policy and global evidence.

On a mission to keep research from gathering dust

Now a Doctor of Philosophy, Dr. Namukose has determined that her work will not sit quietly on a shelf. Her findings have already informed Uganda’s Health Sector Nutrition Strategic Plan, strengthening the case for financing, governance reform, and recruitment of skilled nutrition cadres. She continues to champion platforms, such as national nutrition symposia, that bring student research into policy dialogue and implementation spaces.

“Very often, excellent student research is left on the shelves. I plan to allocate some days during these symposia to nutrition students to showcase best practices and innovations,” she says.

Adding that, “I urge mothers and their infants to actively engage in self-care, growth-promotion, and monitoring activities to improve their own health and that of their children.”

Central to her recommendations is a call to embed nutrition services within routine health and community systems, with sustained government leadership, financing, and competent human resources.

Integration, she insists, is not achieved by guidelines alone, but through continuous engagement with frontline health workers and communities.

As graduation day approaches, Dr. Namukose’s thoughts turn outward. To frontline health workers delivering nutrition services under pressure, her message is one of respect and reassurance. Even with limited resources, the assessments they conduct, the counselling they provide, and the care they offer can change outcomes.

“Endeavor to participate in training programmes whenever available to bridge gaps in nutrition knowledge and skills, including on-the-job and rotational training to support cost-effective and efficient nutrition service delivery,” she asks.

To mothers and caregivers, she urges active engagement in self-care, growth monitoring, and nutrition programmes, especially those strengthened through digital innovation.

And to policymakers, her research offers both evidence and urgency that nutrition integration is no longer optional but foundational to maternal and child health.

Dr. Namukose (c) flanked by her supervisors, Associate Professor Suzanne Kiwanuka (L) and Dr. Wamuyu Gakenia Maina, in a cake-cutting ceremony shortly after her PhD defense on October 15, 2025.
Dr. Namukose (c) flanked by her supervisors, Associate Professor Suzanne Kiwanuka (L) and Dr. Wamuyu Gakenia Maina, in a cake-cutting ceremony shortly after her PhD defense on October 15, 2025.

When Dr. Samalie Namukose walks across the stage at Freedom Square, followed by applause, the true weight of that moment lies in health facilities where nutrition is no longer an afterthought. In mothers whose pregnancies are better supported. In infants whose growth curves bend upward, quietly, decisively.

Among the 185 PhDs conferred at Makerere University’s 76th graduation, the School of Public Health Communications Office shares her story, which is a reminder that the most transformative scholarship is not always loud. It builds patiently, between policy meetings and midnight writing, between emergencies and examiners’ comments, until it transforms systems and lives from within.

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Davidson Ndyabahika

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The silent teachers: why body donation matters

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3 days ago

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June 5, 2026

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Assoc. Prof. Erisa Sabakaki Mwaka, Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon and Chair, Department of Anatomy, College of Health Sciences (CHS). Makerere University, Kampala Uganda, East Africa.

By Assoc. Prof. Erisa Mwaka and Joyce Nabukalu-Kiwanuka

In every hospital, there is a moment when knowledge becomes a matter of life and death. A doctor must know where to place an incision, how to avoid damaging major organs, how to identify a nerve, how to deliver a baby safely, how to interpret a scan, or how to explain disease to a worried family. That knowledge does not begin in the operating theatre, it begins much earlier, in the anatomy laboratory.

For generations, the study of the human body has been the foundation of medical education. The regular use of human bodies for medical training purposes began in the late Middle Ages and spread during the 18th and 19th centuries. Initially, anatomists depended on gallows, poor houses, mental asylums, or jails as sources of bodies. However, the 1960s and 1970s saw the emergence of wilful body donation. Before students become doctors, surgeons, dentists, nurses, physiotherapists, radiographers, and other health professionals, they must first understand the human body in its real form. They must learn not only from books and diagrams, but from the body itself. This is why cadavers, though silent, remain the most important teachers in medical education. In simple terms, a cadaver is a dead human body used by health professions students to study anatomy; and Anatomy is the study of the physical structure and organization of the human body, both at macroscopic and microscopic levels.

As the Department of Anatomy at Makerere University College of Health Sciences  prepares to commemorate the “silent teachers” whose bodies are used for medical education on June 11, 2026,  Uganda is invited to reflect on a subject that is rarely discussed in the public domain, willed body donation. Body donation simply means a person willfully donates their body for educational purposes after death, and consent to it in life. This is a sensitive topic, but it is also a deeply human one. It touches our beliefs, families, culture, understanding of death, and responsibility to future generations.This commemoration ceremony is not symbolic but, it is a public statement that the contribution of silent teachers is sacred, educational, and deeply appreciated.

To donate one’s body after death is not an ordinary decision; it is an altruistic act of extraordinary generosity. It is a final gift to society. It allows health professions students to learn and appreciate the human body before they treat living patients. Cadavers are therefore not “specimens”, they are silent teachers and partners in medical education who continue to serve humanity even after death. Learning anatomy using a cadaver helps students to understand and appreciate the complexity of the human body, appreciate its natural variations, and develop the confidence and competence needed to serve the public. Students are also taught laboratory etiquette that emphasises dignity, empathy, and utmost respect for the cadavers, which attributes they carry into the clinical years when they interface with hospital patients.

In Uganda, where the demand for health workers continues to grow, medical education must be strengthened at every level. Our country needs well-trained doctors and health professionals who can serve in hospitals, health centres, universities, research institutions, and communities. But good training requires good teaching resources. One of these resources are the silent teachers who never complain, but impart immeasurable knowledge to future health professionals. Modern technology has introduced many useful tools into medical education. Students can now learn from videos, computer applications, digital images, plastic models, three-dimensional models, and virtual platforms. These tools are important and should be embraced, however, they cannot completely replace learning from the real human body. A cadaver teaches what a diagram cannot fully show; the true position of organs, the texture of tissues, the relationship between structures, and the natural differences that exist from one person to another. More importantly, cadaver-based learning teaches respect. It reminds students that medicine is not simply a technical profession, it is a calling rooted in human dignity. The first lesson students learn in the anatomy laboratory is that the body before them belonged to a person who had a name, a family, a story, and a life. That lesson shapes how they later treat patients.

Currently, most, if not all universities in Uganda, and similar settings in Africa use unclaimed bodies for learning Anatomy. The use of cadavers in Uganda is governed by the Penal Code (Anatomy Rules) of 1957 that permits public hospitals to transfer bodies unclaimed for at least 14 days to a medical training institution like Makerere University. Unfortunately, these cadavers are used without the consent of the deceased because most of them are unknown and with no known relatives to claim them. Many opponents to the use of unclaimed bodies opine that the practice is unethical. There is a global push toward ethical use of cadavers in medical education, where a person consents and bequeathes his/her body for medical education when still alive. For this practice to be sustainable, there is a need for a well regulated body donation program. Unfortunately, the concept of willful body donation is still not well understood by many people, and neither has it been a topic of public debate. Further, there are lots of myths surrounding death and dying in Africa, including Uganda that have hindered the establishment of successful body donation programs. Willingness to donate bodies for medical education is however, influenced by several factors including cultural and religious beliefs, respect for the dead and the need to fulfil burial rites, fear for mutilation and disrespect, to mention a few. These concerns are real and should not be dismissed. But they should be addressed with accurate information, openness, and utmost respect.

It is important to understand that body donation does not mean that a person is forgotten. On the contrary, it creates a legacy. A body donor may teach hundreds of future health professionals, in that way, one person’s final act of generosity can touch and save countless lives.  This is kind of patriotism is largely unkown in Uganda and we do not speak about enough. We often talk about serving our country through leadership, business, farming, teaching, parenting, or community service. But there is also service beyond life. Body donation is one way of saying: “Even when I am gone, let me contribute to the health of my people.”

Currently, Uganda now has more than 15 universities training medical students and the demand for cadavers for learning anatomy is on the rise. Actually, the supply of cadavers cannot fulfil the demand, and medical educationists need to find alternative source of cadavers. Wilful body donation is the answer. 

Uganda needs a national conversation on body donation. There is a need for deliberative public engagement involving various stakeholder including the public, religious and cultural leaders, civic leaders, the media, educationists, health professionals, medical training institutions, etc. 

This commemoration ceremony will involve inter-denominational prayers for the silent teachers, and a reflection of their contribution to healthcare in Uganda. We hope this ceremony will provoke public debate on a subject that is hitherto considered a taboo by many. We talked about some of these issues last year, in the first ever such ceremony in Uganda, and have received several requests for more information on the procedure for donating one’s body for teaching purposes upon death. Like President Obama’s said, “yes we can”, an the dialogue starts from you and me. You are all invited for the commemoration ceremony at 9.00 am on June 11, 2026, at the Makerere University School of Public Health auditorium on main campus. 

To donate one’s body is to give a final lesson, a final service, and a lasting gift to the nation.

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Makerere Health Services Guidance on Ebola Virus Disease (EVD)

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1 week ago

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June 1, 2026

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How to protect yourself and your loved ones from Ebola. Ministry of Health, Kampala Uganda, East Africa.

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Uganda recently reported an outbreak of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD), which is a serious and often deadly disease caused by a person being infected by the Ebola virus.

The virus spreads through direct contact with body fluids such as blood, saliva, faeces, vomit, urine, sweat or genital fluids from a person who is infected with EVD.

The symptoms of EVD usually develop after 8 – 10 days from contact with an infected person and may include fatigue, high fever, headache, sore throat, muscle and joint pains, vomiting and diarrhea and in severe cases, bleeding.

What should we do as the Makerere University community?

The Chief, Makerere Health Services, Prof. J.K. Byamugisha advises as follows:

  1. Avoid unnecessary contact such as shaking hands, hugging etc.
  2. Place alcohol disinfectants or hand washing equipment at all entry points within the University and ensure everyone is using them.
  3. Students should sit in single-person chairs while in class, avoiding contact with their neighbours.
  4. Do not sit too close to one another especially in frequently crowded places such as classrooms, library or any other waiting area.
  5. While at the University Hospital, wash hands a the gate, use alcohol disinfectant at the reception.
  6. All patients should have a maximum of one caretaker – others can check on them by calling.
  7. Avoid bringing luggage to the University Hospital.
  8. Target to do as instructed by the health worker.
  9. For further information and guidance on Ebola, please call Dr. Charles Basigara on Tel: 0702 966652 and Sr. Eunice Namubiru on Tel: 0779 950978 (Contact persons for the University Health Services)

Additionally, always look out for and ensure full compliance with Ministry of Health (MoH) Infection Prevention and Control measures such as the one below.

How to protect yourself and your loved ones from Ebola. Ministry of Health, Kampala Uganda, East Africa.
How to protect yourself and your loved ones from Ebola.
How to report suspected Ebola cases to Health Authorities. Ministry of Health, Kampala Uganda, East Africa.
How to report suspected Ebola cases to Health Authorities.

Please find attached detailed communications from Prof. Byamugisha and
the Permanent Secretary Ministry of Health.

Makerere-Health-Services-Ebola-Virus-Disease-Memo-28-May-2026Download
Ministry of Health Circular on Mass GatheringsDownload

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Call for Applications: Masters Support in Self-Management Intervention for Reducing Epilepsy Burden

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2 weeks ago

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May 25, 2026

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An aerial photo of the College of Health Sciences (CHS), Makerere University showing Left to Right: The Sir Albert Cook Memorial Library, School of Biomedical Sciences, Davies Lecture Theatre, School of Public Health, Mulago Specialised Women and Neonatal Hospital (MSWNH)-Background Left and Nakasero Hill-Background Right, Kampala Uganda, East Africa.

The Makerere University College of Health Sciences and Case Western Reserve University, partnering with Mbarara University of Science and Technology, are implementing a five-year project titled “Self-management Intervention for Reducing Epilepsy Burden Among Adult Ugandans with Epilepsy.”

The program is funded by the National Institute of Health (NIH) and the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS). One aspect of the program is to provide advanced degree training to qualified candidates interested in pursuing clinical and research careers in Epilepsy. We aim to grow epilepsy research capacity, including self-management approaches, in SSA.

The Project is soliciting applications for Master’s Research thesis support focusing on epilepsy-related research at Makerere University and Mbarara University, cohort 3, 2026/2027.

Selection criteria

  • Should be a Master’s student of the following courses: MMED in Internal Medicine, Paediatrics, Surgery and Neurosurgery, Psychiatry, Family Medicine, Public Health, Master of Health Services Research, MSc. Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Nursing, or a Master’s in the Basic Sciences (Physiology, Anatomy, Biochemistry, or any other related field).
  • Should have completed at least one year of their Master’s training in the courses listed above.
  • Demonstrated interest in Epilepsy and Neurological diseases, care and prevention, and commitment to develop and maintain a productive career, and devoted to Epilepsy, Clinical Practice, and Prevention.

Research Programs:

The following are the broad Epilepsy research priority areas (THEMES), and applicants are encouraged to develop research concepts in the areas of: Applicants are not limited to these themes; they can propose other areas.

  • The epidemiology of Epilepsy and associated risk factors.
  • Determining the factors affecting the quality of life, risk factors, and outcomes (mortality, morbidity) for Epilepsy, epilepsy genetics, and preventive measures among adults.
  • Epilepsy in childhood and its associated factors, preventative measures etc.
  • Epilepsy epidemiology and other Epilepsy related topics.
  • Epilepsy interventions and rehabilitation

In addition to a formal master’s program, trainees will receive training in bio-ethics, Good Clinical Practice, behavioral sciences research, data and statistical analysis, and research management.

The review criteria for applicants will be as follows:

·      Relevance to program objectives

  • Quality of research and research project approach
  • Feasibility of study
  • Mentors and mentoring plan; in your mentoring plan, please include who the mentors are, what training they will provide, and how often they propose to meet with the candidate.
  • Ethics and human subjects’ protection.

Application Process

Applicants should submit an application letter accompanied by a detailed curriculum vitae, two recommendation letters from Professional referees or mentors, and a 2-page concept or an approved full proposal describing your project and addressing Self-Management Intervention for Reducing Epilepsy Burden Among Adults or an epilepsy-related problem.

For more information, inquiries, and additional advice on developing concepts, don’t hesitate to get in touch with the following:

Makerere University College of Health Sciences

Prof. Mark Kaddumukasa:  kaddumark@yahoo.co.uk

Mbarara University

Ms. Josephine N Najjuma: najjumajosephine@yahoo.co.uk

Only short-listed candidates will be contacted for Interviews.

A soft copy should be submitted to the Administrator of the Epilepsy Project. Email: smireb2@gmail.com; Closing date for the Receipt of applications is 5th July 2026.

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