A delegation of 7 members from Western University and Joint Clinical Research centre visited Mbarara University of Science and Technology (MUST) to strengthen the partnership in Science and Technology led research.
The team from the University of Western Ontario (UWO) branded as Western University included Asst. Prof. Abbas Jessani (UWO), Dr. Melanie Katsivo (Associate Director of African Institute UWO), Prof. Eric Arts (Microbiology, UWO), Ms. Silke Klenk (Director of Internalization, UWO), Assoc. Prof. Jessica Prodger (Director Global Health systems, UWO), Dr. Opiyo Oloya (Associate Vice President Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, UWO) and Dr. John Yoo (Dean school of medicine and Dentistry, UWO).
The team was received by MUST Vice Chancellor Professor Celestino Obua who applauded them for choosing Uganda and particularly MUST. Prof. Obua briefed the team about the history of MUST as the second public University in Uganda, the University curriculum and the achievements MUST has registered since its establishment.
‘’Mbarara University was established in 1989 by the government of Uganda to extend higher education to the rural settings of Uganda. the success of MUST has given birth to the establishment of other public universities in the rural areas of Uganda. As our vision states, all the courses offered here are aimed at solving societal problems with the aspect of community engagements. We train health workers through research, and we take them to communities to learn more as they’re offering services to Ugandans. we have both full time and visiting international students studying from MUST and the number is expected to grow with more partnerships such as this one coming onboard. We are privileged to have you at MUST and what you’ve seen reflects the true image of a university of science and technology,’’ Prof Obua communicated.
The team visited the Faculty of Applied Sciences and Technology and inspected innovations done in the Biomedical Engineering( BME) Departments. The tour was led by Dr. William Wasswa and Mr. Ivan Muhumuza the Head of Department (BME). These were shown the prototypes for malaria diagnosis, incubator for premature babies (Photo Kabada Project), carpentry and joinery workshops, quality assurance laboratories among others. MUST also exhibited a state-of-the art laboratories under the PHARMBIOTRAC Project that deal with the standardization of herb Medicines to match the international standards market.
The project aims at building a critical mass of specialized and skilled human resource that can advance traditional medicine and Pharm-Biotechnology for socio-economic development of Africa.
The team later had a meeting with the Ear, Nose, and throat (ENT) Dental Surgery department. These presented their successful stories in the delivery of health services to the Ugandans, their teaching capacity with emphasis on postgraduate and the gaps in the respective departments. These looked forward to the collaboration with the two organizations
Dr. John Yoo appreciated the work done by the government of Uganda and MUST in promoting science-based innovations. “Notwithstanding community engagement helps you and the community to create real-time solutions to pressing challenges”. Dr.Yoo expressed interest in working with MUST to explore possible areas of collaboration between the two institutions and potentially include multi-institutional projects given MUST’s 147 partnerships worldwide.
In attendance, there was Dr. Joseph Ngonzi Dean Faculty of medicine Dr. Obungoloch Dean FAST, Dr. Wasswa Willian HOD, Biomedical Sciences and Engineering.
The University of Western Ontario is a public research University in London, Ontario, Canada. The University operates twelve academic Faculties and schools.
The Joint Clinical Research Centre (JCRC) is a medical research institution in Uganda, specializing in HIV/AIDS treatment and management.