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When Birth Becomes the Most Dangerous Moment, Wanduru & the Work of Making Labour Safer

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4 months ago

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Makerere University School of Public Health Communications Office, Graduation Profiles Series, 76th Graduation Ceremony, Phillip Wanduru, “Intrapartum-Related Adverse Perinatal Outcomes: Burden, Consequences, and Models of Care from Studies in Eastern Uganda,” Kampala Uganda, East Africa.
Phillip Wanduru, Research Associate in the Department of Health Policy, Planning, and Management, MakSPH.

The ward is never quiet during labour. Even at night, there are cries, some sharp with pain, others muted by exhaustion. Monitors beep. Midwives move quickly between beds. In the moments just before birth, everything narrows to breath, pressure, and time.

It was in places like this, years ago, that Phillip Wanduru first learned how fragile that moment can be.

Working as a clinical nurse at Nakaseke Hospital in central Uganda, he watched babies who should have survived struggle for breath. Some were born still. Others cried briefly, then went silent. Many were not premature or unusually small; they were full-term babies whose lives unraveled during labour.

“What troubled me most,” Wanduru recalls, “was that these were complications we have known how to manage for more than a hundred years, prolonged labour, obstructed labour, and hypertension. And yet babies were still dying or surviving with brain injuries.”

Those early encounters never left him. They became the questions that followed him into public health, into research, and eventually into a doctoral thesis that would confront one of Uganda’s most persistent and preventable tragedies.

A mother lovingly cradles her newborn baby hospital room.
A mother lovingly cradles her newborn baby hospital room.

A Public Defense, Years in the Making

On Friday, June 13, 2025, Wanduru stood before colleagues, mentors, and examiners in a hybrid doctoral defense held at the David Widerström Building in Solna, Sweden, and online from Kampala. The room was formal, but the subject matter was anything but abstract.

His PhD thesis, “Intrapartum-Related Adverse Perinatal Outcomes: Burden, Consequences, and Models of Care from Studies in Eastern Uganda,” was the culmination of years spent listening to mothers, following newborns long after delivery, and documenting what happens when birth goes wrong.

He completed the PhD through a collaborative programme between Makerere University and Karolinska Institutet, under the supervision of Prof. Claudia Hanson, Assoc. Prof. Peter Waiswa, Assoc. Prof. Helle Mölsted Alvesson, and Assoc. Prof. Angelina Kakooza-Mwesige, a team that bridged global expertise and local reality. His doctoral training unfolded as the two institutions marked 25 years of collaboration, a partnership that has shaped generations of public health researchers and strengthened research capacity across Uganda and beyond.

By the time he defended, the findings were already unsettlingly clear.

Phillip Wanduru holds a bound copy of his Thesis shortly after his Defense at the David Widerström Building in Solna, Sweden. Makerere University School of Public Health Communications Office, Graduation Profiles Series, 76th Graduation Ceremony, Phillip Wanduru, “Intrapartum-Related Adverse Perinatal Outcomes: Burden, Consequences, and Models of Care from Studies in Eastern Uganda,” Kampala Uganda, East Africa.
Phillip Wanduru holds a bound copy of his Thesis shortly after his Defense at the David Widerström Building in Solna, Sweden.

One in Ten Births

In hospitals in Eastern Uganda, Wanduru’s research found that more than one in ten babies experiences an intrapartum-related adverse outcome. This medical term refers to babies who are born still, die shortly after birth, or survive with brain injury caused by oxygen deprivation during labour.

Among those outcomes, stillbirths accounted for four in ten cases. Five in ten babies survived with brain injury.

“These are not rare events,” Wanduru explains. “They are happening every day, often in facilities where care should be available.”

But survival was only part of the story.

Following infants diagnosed with intrapartum-related neonatal encephalopathy for a year, his research revealed that about seven in ten babies with severe brain injury died before their first birthday. Among survivors, many faced lifelong challenges, difficulty walking, talking, and learning.

“What happens in labour,” he says, “does not end in the delivery room. It follows families for years.”

He describes the findings of his PhD research as appalling, evidence of an urgent failure in how labour and delivery are managed, and a call for immediate action to prevent avoidable complications. “Babies with severe brain injuries,” he notes, “faced the greatest odds. Even when they survived birth, nearly seven in ten died before their first birthday. Of those who lived beyond infancy, about half were left with long-term challenges, including difficulties with walking, talking, or learning.”

Wanduru with some of his supervisors including Prof. Peter Waiswa at the David Widerström Building in Solna, Sweden. Makerere University School of Public Health Communications Office, Graduation Profiles Series, 76th Graduation Ceremony, Phillip Wanduru, “Intrapartum-Related Adverse Perinatal Outcomes: Burden, Consequences, and Models of Care from Studies in Eastern Uganda,” Kampala Uganda, East Africa.
Wanduru with some of his supervisors including Prof. Peter Waiswa at the David Widerström Building in Solna, Sweden.

Mothers at the Centre—Yet Often Invisible

Wanduru’s work did not stop at numbers. Through in-depth interviews with mothers and health workers, he uncovered a quieter truth that parents, especially mothers, were desperate to help their babies survive, but often felt unsupported themselves.

Mothers followed instructions closely. They learned to feed fragile babies, keep them warm, and monitor breathing. They complied with every rule, driven by fear and hope in equal measure.

“The survival of the baby became the only focus,” Wanduru says. “But the mothers were exhausted, emotionally drained, and often ignored once the baby became the patient.”

Even as mothers remained central to care, their own physical and mental well-being received little attention. For the poorest families, the burden was heavier still: long hospital stays, transport costs, and uncertainty about the future.

These insights shaped one of the thesis’s most powerful conclusions: saving newborn lives requires caring for families, not just treating conditions.

Why Care Fails—Even When Knowledge Exists

One of the most uncomfortable findings in Wanduru’s research was that emergency referrals and caesarean sections did not consistently reduce the risk of brain injury, except in cases of prolonged or obstructed labour.

The problem, he found, was not the intervention, but the delay.

In many facilities, hours passed between identifying a complication and acting on it. Ambulances were unavailable. Referral systems were weak. Operating theatres lacked supplies or staff.

“These are not failures of science,” Wanduru says. “They are failures of systems.”

His work reinforces a sobering reality for policymakers that most intrapartum-related deaths and disabilities are preventable, but only if care is timely, coordinated, and adequately resourced.

From Bedside to Systems Thinking

Wanduru’s path into public health began at the bedside. After earning a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Mbarara University of Science and Technology in 2011, he trained as a clinician, caring for patients during some of their most vulnerable moments. He later completed a Master of Public Health at Makerere University in 2015, a transition that gradually widened his focus from individual patients to the health systems responsible for their care.

His work gradually drew him deeper into the systems shaping maternal and newborn care. As a field coordinator for the MANeSCALE project, he worked within public and private not-for-profit hospitals, helping to improve clinical outcomes for mothers and babies. Under the Preterm Birth Initiative, he served as an analyst, contributing to efforts to reduce preterm births and improve survival among vulnerable infants through quality-improvement and discovery research across Uganda, Kenya, and Rwanda.

In the Busoga region, he coordinated prospective preterm birth phenotyping, following mothers and babies over time to better understand the causes and consequences of early birth. Since 2016, this work has been anchored at Makerere University School of Public Health, where he serves as a Research Associate in the Department of Health Policy, Planning, and Management.

Across these roles, he found himself returning to the same question: why babies continue to die during a moment medicine has long learned to handle.

Models of Care That Could Change Outcomes

Wanduru’s thesis does more than document failure; it points toward solutions.

He highlights family-centred care models, including Kangaroo Mother Care, which keep babies and parents together and improve recovery, bonding, and brain development. He emphasizes early detection of labour complications, functional referral systems, and rapid access to emergency obstetric care.

“These are not new ideas,” he says. “The challenge is doing them consistently.”

He also calls for recognizing stillbirths, not as inevitable losses, but as preventable events deserving data, policy attention, and bereavement support.

“Stillbirths are often invisible,” he notes. “But they matter to mothers, to families, and to the health system.”

Research That Changes Practice

For Wanduru, the most meaningful part of the PhD journey is that the evidence is already being used. Findings from his work have informed hospital practices, advocacy reports, and quality-improvement discussions.

“Yes, the PhD was demanding,” he admits. “But knowing that the work is already contributing to change makes it worthwhile.”

His mentors see him as part of a broader lineage, researchers committed not only to generating evidence but to ensuring it improves care.

With a PhD in his bag, Wanduru sees his work as a continuation rather than a conclusion.

L-R: Irene Wanyana, Nina Viberg, Kseniya Hartvigsson, Faith Hungwe and Monika Berge-Thelander members of the CESH working group, a collaboration between Makerere University and Karolinska Institutet congratulate Wanduru Phillip on his PhD. Makerere University School of Public Health Communications Office, Graduation Profiles Series, 76th Graduation Ceremony, Phillip Wanduru, “Intrapartum-Related Adverse Perinatal Outcomes: Burden, Consequences, and Models of Care from Studies in Eastern Uganda,” Kampala Uganda, East Africa.
L-R: Irene Wanyana, Nina Viberg, Kseniya Hartvigsson, Faith Hungwe and Monika Berge-Thelander members of the CESH working group, a collaboration between Makerere University and Karolinska Institutet congratulate Wanduru Phillip on his PhD.

“The fight to make birth safe for every mother and baby continues,” he says. “I want to contribute to improving care and to building the capacity of others to do the same.”

That means mentoring young researchers, strengthening hospital systems, and keeping the focus on families whose lives are shaped in the delivery room.

Dr. Wanduru joins fellows in the MakSPH PhD forum who concluded their doctoral journeys in 2025, and his work speaks for babies who never cried, for mothers who waited too long for help, and for health workers doing their best within strained systems. It insists that birth, while always risky, does not have to be deadly.

— Makerere University School of Public Health Communications Office, Graduation Profiles Series, 76th Graduation Ceremony

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Davidson Ndyabahika

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The silent teachers: why body donation matters

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10 hours 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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5 days 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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