Mbarara University of Science and Technology (MUST) is proud to have several alumni, mentors, and mentees participating in the new NIH Fogarty International Center Program. This program builds upon the success of its predecessor, the Fogarty Global Health Training Program, by offering mentored research opportunities in global health at established institutions within low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). It provides opportunities for both pre-doctoral and post- doctoral trainees from diverse backgrounds.
The program aims to enhance the research expertise and careers of early-stage investigators from the U.S. and LMICs. It achieves this by providing supportive mentorship, research opportunities, and a collaborative research environment.
MUST’s vision aligns perfectly with this program’s goals.
The university strives to be a leading institution for academic and professional excellence in science and technology. MUST aims to provide high-quality, relevant education with a focus on science and technology’s application to community development, both nationally and internationally. Having several alumni, mentors, and mentees participating in the program exemplifies MUST’s commitment to developing strong public health leaders.
Specifically, MUST has five alumni and faculty candidates, along with one candidate from Makerere University who will be mentored by MUST faculty, participating in the Harvard-Boston University-Northwestern-University of New Mexico Partnership for Global Health Research Training Program. This program focuses on training future health professionals in the U.S. and LMICs for careers in research, healthcare, and academia. It aims to develop their ability to plan, implement, and assess innovative research to reduce illness and death in areas like HIV/AIDS, non-communicable diseases, mental health, and maternal and child health. The program brings together leading research institutions with strong ties to LMICs in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. These institutions have a variety of disciplines and multidisciplinary research capabilities. Mbarara University of Science and Technology (MUST) in Uganda is one of the 21 qualified institutions participating from 14 LMICs
Dr. Grace Kansiime: Dr. Kansiime, a lecturer and department head at MUST, will focus her research on the outcomes and healthcare needs of HIV patients with kidney disease in Uganda. Grace will be under the mentorship of Drs. Francis Bajunirwe, MBChB, MSc, PhD, Mark Siedner, MD, MPH, Robert Kalyesubula, MD, PhD, and Esther C. Atukunda PhD. Her long-term career goals are to conduct implementation science research generating local evidence for adoption of evidence-based strategies for prevention and early detection of kidney disease, and its risk factors, in Africa. Dr. Kansiime is passionate about prevention and early detection of kidney disease for better outcomes in LMICs, motivated by her witnessing the financial impacts to patients from the cost of dialysis and chronic kidney disease (CKD) care during her clinical work in a dialysis unit.
Dr. Winnie Kibone: Dr. Kibone, a medical doctor at Mulago National Referral Hospital, will explore the lived experiences of individuals in Uganda living with both sickle cell disease and HIV. She will be mentored by Drs. Muzoora K. Conrad, MBChB, MMed, Davidson Hamer, MD, and Felix Bongomin, MBChB, MMed, MSc.Dr. Kibone aspires to become a renowned global health specialist, addressing clinical issues of public health significance with insight and evidence-based interventions. Her career has been influenced by early exposure to medical research and formal training in Community-Based Education and Research, as well as mentorship from distinguished
Dr. Dorah Nampijja: Dr. Nampijja, a cardiologist and senior lecturer at MUST, will investigate the use of short, structured phone calls to improve heart failure self-care management in Uganda. Dorah will be under the mentorship of Drs. Stephen Asiimwe, MBChB, MS, PhD, and Jessica Haberer, BS, MD.Dr. Nampijja is a Senior Lecturer and a cardiologist at Mbarara University of Science and Technology. Her long-term goal is to become an independent clinician-scientist in cardiac care management in sub-Saharan Africa. She hopes to improve knowledge and identify and solve other barriers to implementation of self-care and management among patients with heart disease, particularly heart failure through development of mobile health (mHealth) innovations that address health challenges with the goal of improving health outcomes in the face of the growing cardiovascular disease epidemic in sub-Saharan Africa. Through her experience as a cardiologist in Southwestern Uganda, she has seen first-hand how self-care is essential in the management of heart failure, as it empowers patients to better care for themselves where access to health care is limited.
Dr. Moses Ochora: Dr. Ochora, a research clinician at MUST, will focus on adapting a screening tool to assess neurocognition in adolescents with perinatally acquired HIV. Moses will be under the mentorship of Drs. Kumbakumba Elias, MBChB, MMed, Sahera Dirajlal-Fargo, MS, DO, FAAP, FPIDS, and Reuben Robbins, PhD. His research will focus on adapting NeuroScreen as a screening tool to assess neurocognition among Runyankole-speaking adolescents aged 12-19 years with perinatally acquired HIV. His career goal is to become a clinical researcher advocate for pediatric infectious disease, genetics, and global health equity. He aspires to build a bridge between research and clinical practice, translating scientific discoveries into practical interventions that can be implemented in resource-limited settings. He is passionate about leveraging MedTech and digital health to improve access to care, diagnosis, and follow-up. With training in pediatrics and child health, Dr. Ochora hopes to utilize these tools to make healthcare more individualized, affordable a sustainable for children in low-resource settings.
Dr. Josephine Tumuhamye will spend her fellowship year at Mbarara University of Science and Technology in Mbarara, Uganda under the mentorship of Prof Joel Bazira and Freddie Bwanga MBChB, Mmed, PhD and Dr. Victoria Nankabirwa, MBChB, MPH, PhD. Her research will focus on the effect of 4.0% Chlorhexidine single cleansing on bacterial colonization of newborn umbilical cord stumps in Uganda, a randomized controlled trial. Dr. Tumuhamye is a Professor at Makerere University. Her career goal is to become an independent researcher in maternal and child health research. She would like to inspire and mentor young scientists especially girls in the field of infectious disease epidemiology, antimicrobial resistance and genomics. Dr. Tumuhamye career goal is to become an independent researcher in maternal and child health research and would like to inspire and mentor young scientists especially girls in the field of infectious disease epidemiology, antimicrobial resistance and genomics.
Dr. Jonathan Kajjimu will spend his fellowship year at Mbarara University of Science and Technology in Mbarara, Uganda under the mentorship of Esther C. Atukunda, PhD and Matthew Heimann, MD. His research will focus on emergency care research in Uganda: Priorities, Barriers, and Strategies. Dr. Kajjimu is a Medical Intern Doctor at St. Francis Hospital-Kampala. He has interest in addressing the critical need for research-driven improvements in effective emergency care. His career goals include becoming strong emergency doctor and global health expert to enhance emergency care in low resource settings.
MUST Alumnus Selected for Reputable Global Health Fellowship
The Global Health Equity Scholars (GHES) program, established in 2012, brings together four U.S. universities – Yale, Stanford, Arizona, and UC Berkeley – with training sites across 17 countries. This program strengthens global health research, education, and practice to address challenges in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).
Unlike programs targeting single diseases, GHES takes a comprehensive approach to complex health issues in slums, addressing chronic diseases, infectious diseases, environmental hazards, maternal and child health, and mental health. The program also supports research on delivering high-quality healthcare in resource-limited settings and managing scarce resources effectively.
MUST Alumni Dr. Stella Zawedde Selected
Mbarara University of Science and Technology (MUST) is proud to have alumna Dr. Stella Zawedde (MBChB 1997) selected for the GHES program. Dr. Zawedde, a medical doctor with a 2022 PhD in Health Sciences, will spend her fellowship year at Makerere University in Kampala under Dr. Achilles Katamba and Dr. Luke Davis. Her research will focus on how multiple non-communicable diseases affect treatment outcomes for TB/HIV co-infected patients in Uganda. Dr. Zawedde-Muyanja brings over ten years of experience managing TB and TB/HIV programs to this important research