The School of Public Health (MakSPH), College of Health Sciences, Makerere University together with the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) under the MakSPH-CDC fellowship program organized the Fellowship@12 and grand dissemination workshop to celebrate 12 years of great service to the nation in the area of capacity building for health leadership and management in Uganda.

The workshop held on 17th December 2014 at Silver Springs Hotel, Kampala was also aimed at disseminating the findings of 13 fellows from the 2013/14 intake.
According to the acting Dean, School of Public Health (MakSPH), Prof. Christopher Garimoi Orach, the MakSPH-CDC fellowship program as the oldest and largest capacity building program at the school, has yielded tremendous results in terms of the number of individuals trained and their impact on the Ugandan health sector.

“Individuals who have gone through this program have been able to acquire leadership and management skills in various areas of public health. This has not only credited Makerere University as a training institution but also added value more value to the health and education sectors in Uganda,” he said.

Supported and funded by the US Government, the MakSPH-CDC Fellowship program was initiated in 2002 to develop health leadership and management capacity in Uganda. The program of offers various training sessions including the long and medium term fellowships, short courses and technical placements which all avail students with management and leadership skills in the public health sector.

At the function 13 fellow graduates shared experience, skills and knowledge they attained in social marketing, behavioral change communication, advocacy, monitoring and evaluation programs and communication strategy in public health, for the two years they have been under training. The MakSPH-CDC Fellowship program presented three awards to i) the Most Outstanding Fellow 2013-14, Ms. Joan Kabayambi-attached to the Center for Health, Human Rights & Development (CEHURD), ii) the Best Academic Mentor, Dr. Frank Kaharuza and iii) the Best Host Institution, Jinja District. The 13 graduating fellows of the year 2013-14 were also awarded certificates in recognition of their respective achievements.

In his speech the Makerere University Chancellor Prof. George Mondo Kagonyera, acknowledged the tremendous support from US Government to this program, “I would like to thank the US Government, which has generously supported the Makerere University School of Public Health-CDC fellowship program, for the last 12 years.”

“Through this support we have not only trained over 300 young fellows who have made a great contribution to health sector in the country but also led to the re-establishment and expansion of the field training,” the Prof. Kagonyera added

The US Ambassador to Uganda His Excellency Scott DeLisi, congratulated the fellowship partner members for the visible and wonderful achievements accomplished during the program. The Ambassador therefore urged the fellows to utilize the skills they attained during the training to develop the community.

“Despite your personal successes, however, the challenge of developing Uganda’s human capital more broadly is daunting and will require your committed and focused leadership to make a difference in the years ahead,” the Ambassador said.

Ambassador DeLisi outlined population growth, education and delivery of health services as important variables affecting human capital development in Uganda. He noted that an additional 200million dollars would be needed to fund the Government’s 90-90-90 HIV goal urged Ugandans to think of creative ways to fund this ambitious target. The Government of Uganda’s 90-90-90 goal envisages that by the year 2020, 90% of all people living with HIV will know their status; 90% of all people diagnosed cases will receive sustained antiretroviral therapy; and 90% of all people receiving antiretroviral therapy will have viral suppression.

In his remarks, the Associate Director for Communications at CDC Uganda and Acting Country Director, Mr. Erik Friedley applauded Makerere University School of Public Health for the doubled efforts in controlling health threats from infectious diseases in the country and the world at large.

“What you have done in shaping the country’s education and health future is typically important, besides the many challenges. You have indeed made new strides in the development of your community,” he said.

Honourable Victoria Sekitoleko is a former Minister of Agriculture in the Ugandan Government and former representative for the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in China, Mongolia, and South Korea. In her motivational talk to the audience; Seizing Opportunities and Living a Life that matters, she shared that the only way to deal with one’s challenges is to turn them into opportunities. She encouraged the day’s graduates to take advantage of their training as leaders to fight against the inferiority complex which limit individuals from attaining their goals.

“Wherever you are, whichever way life treats you, insist on being leaders. I have been seeing all your articles in the newspapers so please do not stop writing. Family is very important so those of you intending to get into academic writing or research should learn how to optimally balance your time,” Hon. Sekitoleko advised.

The 13 Mak-SPH fellows for 2013-14 and their respective host institutions were; Daniel Mwanja-Mumpe-National Tuberculosis & Leprosy Program; Francis Lwanga-The AIDS Support Organisation; Joan Kabayambi-Center for Health, Human Rights & Development; Michael Kasusse-Central Public Health Laboratories; Sharon Nakanwagi-Reach Out Mbuya; Sharon Ahumuza-AIDS Information Center; Elizabeth Asiimwe-Jinja District; Vincent Kiberu-Ministry of Health Resource Centre; David Roger Walugembe-Knowledge Translation Network, MakSPH; Michael Owor-Baylor Uganda; Anne Nabukenya-Mildmay Uganda; Stephen Alege-Uganda Health Marketing Group; and Rosette Mugumya-Ministry of Health STD/AIDS Control Programme.

Article by Nabatte Prossy, Intern-Public Relations Office

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Capacity Building Initiatives through the Makerere UniversitySchool of Public Health Fellowship Program was initiated in 2002 with the two-year Long-term Fellowship.

The purpose of the long-term Fellowship is to enhance program leadership and management capacity for health-related programs through hands-on training of individuals (long-term Fellows). The program which initially focused on building leadership capacity for management of HIV programs (2002-2010) expanded the scope in 2011 to include other health priorities (e.g. Malaria, Tuberculosis, Maternal and Child Health, Informatics, among others). 107 Fellows have been trained since 2002, including 13 who graduated on 17th December, 2014.

In 2008, the program initiated the 8-months work-based, modular training dubbed the Medium-term Fellowship. The Medium-term Fellowship is aimed at building institutional capacity in technical areas, including Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) and continuous quality improvement (CQI) for health programs. 207 Fellows have been trained since 2008, including 40 Fellows who completed in December 2014 and will graduate this month January 2015. This year, the Medium-term Fellowship will start another capacity building program for district health managers.

The program has trained more than 2000 health managers through various short courses e.g. Leadership/management, Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E), Quality improvement, Grants writing, Scientific writing, among others. Future plans of the program include developing a comprehensive national capacity building program that responds to the national health capacity building needs at district and national level and providing additional support to graduate programs within the School of Public Health, College of Health Sciences (CHS), to enhance quality of the graduates.

Please see Downloads for the detailed report. A video commemorating twelve years of the program was produced and may be accessed by clicking here.

Related Article

 MakSPH-CDC Mark 12years of Mentoring Public Health Leaders

The School of Public Health, College of Health Sciences, Makerere University is offering short courses in Epidemiology and Biostatistics to graduates of various disciplines. This is in response to increasing demand for research and analytical skills at places of work and among post graduate students and researchers. Applications are requested for the following courses:

Specific short courses offered are;
a. Applied Biostatistics I,
b. Applied Biostatistics II-Logistic regression,
c. Principles and Practice of Epidemiology and
d. Clinical and Community trials.

Courses Schedule

Applied biostatistics I - 6th to 17th July 2015
Principles and Practice of epidemiology - 6th to 17th July 2015
Applied Biostatistics II - 20th to 31st July 2015
Clinical and Community trials - 20th to 31st July 2015

The deadline for submission of the applications is 30th May 2015

Please see Downloads for details

For application forms and more details please visit the website at:
http://www.musph.ac.ug/index.php/study/navigations/short-courses?layout=edit&id=82
or contact the following at the School of Public Health:

Course administrator,
Ms Max Walusimbi,
Email: mwalusimbi@musph.ac.ug,
Tel: +256-772-449555,

Deputy Coordinator
Dr Victoria Nankabirwa
Email: vnankabirwa@musph.ac,ug,
Tel: +256-755-757-460

The coordinator
Assoc Prof Nazarius Mbona Tumwesigye,
Email: naz@musph.ac.ug
Tel: +256-782-447771
 

The ResilientAfrica Network (RAN), School of Public Health, College of Health Sciences (CHS), Makerere University has joined other development partners including; the American University of Beirut Lebanon and Chatham University USA in a Steering Committee and Partners meeting for the joint establishment of a Global Master’s program in Health and Sustainable Development. The meeting hosted by Earth University, Costa Rica February 23-27, 2015, is focused on establishing joint efforts to globally achieve Health and Sustainable Development.

Makerere UniversitySchool of Public HealthResilientAfrica Network (RAN) as a partner will make available the learning communities that integrate environmental awareness and community outreach in the education syllabus as well as an entrepreneurial focus that combines production, processing and commercialization of agricultural products.

Additionally, RAN will avail Global fellows with mentors and offer the fellows Design Thinking (DT) training during their field project design. With Earth University and the American University of Beirut Lebanon as lead partners, MakerereUniversity is proud to co-facilitate this program. “Makerere University is committed to working with development partners to globally achieve Health and Sustainable Development among others. Moving forward, a few tweaks in the education curricula to break the silos are vital” said Prof. William Bazeyo.

Article By Harriet Adong, ResilientAfrica Network

The pioneer One Health Residency Program in Africa has successfully been completed at Makerere University under the auspices of the College of Veterinary Medicine, Animal Resources and Biosecurity (CoVAB). The former residents comprising 2 Veterinarians; Dr. David Muwanguzi, Dr. Shamilah Namusisi, and one nurse, Ms. Jacinta Waila (in absentia) received their postgraduate certificates of completion during a ceremony held in Kampala on 1st April 2015. Following a rigorous and highly competitive interview process, the residents were selected in 2012 to undergo this 2-year unique residency, the first of its kind in Africa.

Hosted by the College of Veterinary Medicine, Animal Resources and Biosecurity (CoVAB), the One Health Residency was modelled along the lines of a Veterinary Public Health Residency Program offered by the University of Minnesota, where a team from CoVAB travelled to receive first-hand experience on how to run the program at Makerere. However, the program was upgraded to a One Health Residency to accommodate not just veterinarians, but other professionals in the health sector.

CoVAB and the School of Public Health, College of Health Sciences (CHS) are members of One Health, East and Central Africa (OHCEA), which was instrumental in funding the residents during their stay on the program.

Recruits on the One Health Residency program are mentored to become One Health practitioners through applied, problem-based training. The program targets a combination of early- to mid-career health professionals such as Veterinarians, Nurses, Public Health specialists and Medical Doctors to work as a team while applying general knowledge towards complex health challenges. They are expected to participate in One Health projects comprising “practice” or “clinical” component in industry, government agencies, intergovernmental agencies and university faculty. The residents are also required to get a service component of 75%, working with the private sector, public sector & academia on competency based projects and an optional 25% towards an advanced degree for those who need academic growth. All the 3 residents enrolled for a Masters’ degree and are currently in the process of completing them. Dr. Namusisi and Ms. Waila enrolled for a Masters in Public Health while Dr. Muwanguzi, opted for a Masters in Infectious Diseases Management at Makerere University.

Speaking at the ceremony, Dr. Shamila Namusisi said that the residency program was a turning point in her life. “I needed something fresh to rejuvenate myself to go back to communities and the Residency Program did it for me. Not only has my thinking and approach to issues changed,butI have also made a lot of connections, acquired skills and stepped beyond my comfort zone”, Dr. Namusisi noted.

Both Dr. Namusisi and Dr. Muwanguzi appealed to OHCEA to give an opportunity to as many professionals as possible to undergo this unique program, which according to them, is different from the one-way education system that is offered to students at University.

Prof. Francis Ejobi, the in-charge of the program at CoVAB explained that since this was the pioneer program, a lot of challenges were met but at the same time, a lot was learnt and that enough experience was therefore gained to make the next phase even better. “We hope to attract more residents and are looking into alternative funding for the second phase of this project,” he said.

The program Manager OHCEA Uganda, Dr. Geoffrey Kabagambe congratulated the residents upon the successful completion of the residency program. He encouraged them to document their experiences for purposes of promoting acceptability and understanding of the program within the University and beyond.

Dr. innocent Rwego, the representative from the University of Minnesota noted that his university was still interested and committed to supporting the residency program. He was also happy to note that unlike in 2010 when the University of Minnesota first approached CoVAB, the residency program has gained a little more acceptance and understanding within the College.

Dr. Kabagambe expressed optimism that under the new One Health Task force project, there is hope for further funding of the One Health residency program, which he said should be evaluated and findings used to assess its impact.

The Deputy Principal CoVAB praised the One Health Residency Program for producing well rounded professionals with a lot of skills that undergraduate students at the University usually lack at the time of graduation.She urged the former residents to be available when called upon in regard to propelling this program further since it has immense potential to contribute to Makerere University’s internationalization agenda.

Article by Ms. Jovia Musubika Kavulu, College of Veterinary Medicine, Animal Resources and Biosecurity

The Uganda Public Health Fellowship Programme (PHFP) was on Thursday 30th April 2015 launched by the Minister of Health, Honourable Dr. Elioda Tumwesigye. The launch ceremony, attended by over 150 guests was held at Serena Hotel, in Kampala.

The Uganda Public Health Fellowship Programme (PHFP) is a partnership by the Uganda Ministry of Health, School of Public Health, College of Health Sciences (CHS), Makerere University and the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The overall purpose of the fellowship is to “reinforce implementation of priority public health programmes to reduce morbidity and mortality, and cultivate core capacities for International Health Regulations compliance”, said Associate Professor Rhoda Wanyenze, the Programme Director. She said each of the partners involved in the implementation comes with a set of skills critical for the success of the programme.

Recent Ebola outbreaks in West Africa and Marburg in Uganda provide significant lessons in the importance of strong health systems and sound public health structures.

“At this critical point as we plan to effectively control disease occurrences, the role of key players in different aspects, collective responsibility, role of communities in mobilization, awareness creation, behaviour change in regard to sanitation and personal hygiene, and tracing of contacts cannot be underestimated”, said the Minister of Health, Honourable Dr. Elioda Tumwesigye.

Dr. Tumwesigye applauded the country on achievements registered in containment of outbreaks like Ebola in Bundibugyo, Marburg, Hepatitis and Typhoid, successful implementation of the Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response Guidelines, improvement of the data management system and the improved turn-around time for lab test results due to the National Sample and Results Transportation network.

A word of caution though: “despite these successes we still have a lot of challenges. We fell short of achieving the MDGs. The vital indicators of health service delivery are still poor. The burden of disease remains very high, with communicable diseases alone contributing more that 50% of Disability-Adjusted Life Years (DALYs) lost in the country. The health systems remain weak. For instance there is inadequate human resource for health both in terms of numbers and competencies. Access to health facilities is challenging because of poverty.  Coordination is still inadequate in many aspects of financial and technical responses. The gap between evidence and policy as well as inadequacy in the implementation science i.e. translation of policy to action is still evident”, he said.

Dr. Tumwesigye said the different components of the programme are critical to public health, but the Ministry of Health needs to think critically about their career paths.

The Uganda Public Health Fellowship Programme is therefore one of the strategies by the Ministry of Health, working in partnership with School of Public Health, College of Health Sciences (CHS), Makerere University and the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and partners to address some of the challenges.

Professor George Mondo Kagonyera, the Chancellor applauded Makerere University for its central role in building capacity for the health sector in Uganda. He emphasized the University’s deliberate efforts to form partnerships for effective implementation of programmes and projects. “The College of Health Sciences in general and the School of Public Health in particular, are giant powerhouses in the area of capacity building in the health sector. The College of Health Sciences has got the expertise that is necessary to influence the health affairs of this country. I am therefore happy to note that School of Public Health and the Ministry of Health have teamed up to jointly improve the skills and competences of the public health workforce. As a University, it is always a pleasure for us to work with the respective sectors of the economy as we build for the future”, he said.

He lambasted those individuals who “carelessly criticize Makerere University for training only through theory, yet we train through learning by doing”, he said.

The Vice Chancellor, Prof. John Ddumba Ssentamu was happy to note that the Uganda Public Health Fellowship Programme has put emphasis on evidence-based public health practice, staying in sync with the University’s role of knowledge generation and dissemination. He expressed the University’s readiness to partner and work with other organisations for the health of all Ugandans. He thanked the US Government for the support to capacity building programmes at the School of Public Health, with over USD 30M invested in these programmes.

World Health Organisation Country Representative, Dr. Wondimagegnehu Alemu expressed happiness about the partnership between the various organisations that have come together to implement the programme and committed the support of WHO to its successful implementation. He emphasized the critical need for workforce in efforts to revitalize surveillance system, a fact that brings out the importance of the fellowship programme clearly.

Associate Director, Communications, CDC Uganda Mr. Erik Friedly, representing the CDC Country Director and the US Ambassador, said that the US government through CDC is very proud to be associated with the programme and happy to continue to support it. “The need for countries and governments to be prepared and respond to public health emergencies is very real, as seen in West Africa in the recent past”, he pointed out.

He said strong public health systems in Uganda do not only protect the people of Uganda but other countries as well, as far as the USA.

The Dean, Makerere University School of Public Health, Associate Professor William Bazeyo pointed out that Makerere University no longer teaches for the sake of it, but teaches to meet the human resource needs of the country. “Uganda has well-trained health workers, even the lowest level has training programmes designed for them and many have undergone this training”, he emphasized.

Prof. David Serwadda, the Principal Investigator of the Makerere UniversitySchool of Public Health - CDC Fellowship Programme, said that there are gaps in health sector and numbers and competences available not well-matched to the existing gaps. He particularly singles out challenges of new epidemics, rise in non-communicable diseases and the high population growth in Uganda as health challenges that require certain skill sets to manage.  He therefore emphasized the need for aligning training programmes with the health needs of the population, which can be done by working in partnership with the Ministry of Health and other players in the sector.

Steven Kabwama one of the current fellows – based in the Mental Health and Substance Abuse Unit of the Ministry of Health- made a presentation of experiences in investigation of the typhoid outbreak in Kampala, showcasing the epidemiologic value of the fellowship programme.

The Director General of Health Services, Ministry of Health Dr. Jane Ruth Aceng noted that the existing capacity at both national and sub-national levels is sub-optimal with “lack of essential practical exposure and competencies in public health practice; human resource gaps in numbers and deficiency to use evidence to make decisions”. This further emphasizes the need for the fellowship programme. She committed the Ministry of Health to create an environment conducive to the fellows' productivity for in so doing, the Ministry stood to greatly benefit from their technical capability. She said the initial cohort of fellows were recruited under the Field Epidemiology Track (FET). It is expected that in 5-7 years a network of public health practitioners at national and sub-national levels will be formed to strengthen human resources for disease surveillance.

Article by Milly Nattimba, College of Health Sciences

The Supporting Policy Engagement for Evidence-based Decisions (SPEED) project at the School of Public Health, College of Health Sciences (CHS), Makerere University invites abstracts its First Symposium on Universal Health Coverage (UHC) in Uganda.

Theme: Towards Universal Health Coverage in Uganda: Building on Successes and Ensuring Health Systems Resilience

Sub themes:

• UHC in Uganda, past, present and future strategies.
• Health Systems Capacity for UHC
• Stakeholder Capacities and roles for successful UHC in Uganda

Important dates and timelines

Abstract submission deadline: 17th June 2015

Abstract acceptance notification: 17th July 2015.

Deadline for Early registration: 17th July 2015.

Symposium Dates: 26-28th August 2015.

Venue: Silver Springs Hotel, Bugolobi Kampala

Symposium Registration Fees

Ugandans:
Non students: 100,000/ (150,000/= for late registration)
Students: 50,000/= (80,000/= for late registration).

International:
Non-students: USD 200.
Students: USD 100.

Instructions on payment at: http://speed.musph.ac.ug/

Symposium fees cover only meals & teas. Limited funding is available for the best abstracts.

Please see Downloads for details on registration, payment procedure and abstract submission.

The New Voices in Global Health (NVGH) initiative promotes the active participation of young scientists in the World Health Summit. It is supported by the M8 Alliance of Academic Health Centers, Universities and National Academies. The NVGH is aimed at empowering research, policy and advocacy initiatives among future leaders in global health, who are invited to send in abstracts of their scientific work and ideas.

Selected candidates will present their work in a special poster exhibition, thus playing an active role in the WHS. Abstracts will be published digitally at www.worldhealthsummit.org.

Please see Downloads for detailed information on topics and application procedure.

Apply before July 31, 2015, via email to science@worldhealthsummit.org.

More information is also available online at: http://bit.ly/NVGH2015
 

The Ministry of Health (MoH) in partnership with Makerere UniversitySchool of Public Health (MakSPH) and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is implementing the Public Health Fellowship Program (PHFP), an initiative to develop the next generation of public health leadership for Uganda. The goal of this program is to develop competent workforce by learning-throughservice and responding to real public health problems of Uganda.

The PHFP is offered in five tracks, namely: Field Epidemiology Track (FET); Laboratory Systems Track; Health Informatics Track; Health Economics (Prevention Effectiveness) Track, and Monitoring and Evaluation Track.

The FET is a 2-year training-through-service program in applied epidemiology and public health leadership. Fellows develop competencies by providing valuable public health services to the Ministry of Health and District Health Teams;

Please see Downloads for details on the FET including required qualifications

How to Apply:

Interested applicants should visit the website at http://www.musphcdc.ac.ug for a detailed description of the program and to download application materials. Completed copies of application materials should reach the undersigned not later than Friday, July 17th, 2015:

The Dean,
School of Public Health,
College of Health Sciences
Makerere University
P.O. Box 7072, Kampala.

Hand delivery:
Room 215, 2nd Floor, MakSPH Building,
New Mulago Hospital Complex.

For more information please contact:
Mr. Joseph KB Matovu,
Telephone: +256 414 533 958,
Email: jmatovu[at]musph.ac.ug
 

The Deputy Vice Chancellor, Finance and Administration, Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe, has launched the Regional Universities Mediated Partnerships for Enhancing Livelihoods and Health in Africa (RUMPELHA). This was during the 4th International Scientific Meeting on sustainable Livelihoods and Health in Africa held on the 18th and 19th of June 2015 at Imperial Royale Hotel, Kampala.

The scientific meeting was organized by the College of Veterinary Medicine, Animal Resources and Biosecurity (CoVAB) and her partners in the Africa-US Integrated Disease Management (AFRUS-IDM) Network.

AFRUS-IDM is a network of higher educational institutions from East and Central Africa and North America that was established to advance higher education led development in Africa. It is under the CIMTRADZ project that has been running since 2011 with support from USAID’S Higher Education for Development (HED).
Held under the theme, “Sparking Innovations for Sustainable Livelihoods and Health Security in Africa”, the international scientific meeting marked the end of Capacity Building in Integrated Management of Trans-boundary Animal Diseases and Zoonoses (CIMTRADZ) project, and the beginning of RUMPELHA one of the several novel initiatives that emerged from CIMTRADZ. The AFRUS-IDM network is however expected to continue growing by leveraging additional resources to sustain activities initiated under CIMTRADZ.

Speaking at the launch, Prof. John David Kabasa, CoVAB Principal called for action to engage in the RUMPELHA mechanism whose emphasis is on food Security, Global Health Security and Transformative Higher Education for Development. Prof. Kabasa said that one of the areas that RUMPELHA will address is increased production and safety of animals and their products in the next 20 to 30 years to cope with the ever increasing populations in Africa.

RUMPELHA comprises University-led partnerships structured at regional levels (with member Universities) and the summit housed at The African Union (AU). The proposal for RUMPELHA has already been endorsed by the AU and if implemented will be one of the self-sustaining University-led partnerships in Africa. Makerere University will therefore partner with other universities from East, Central and Southern Africa as well as the United States and Canada within the RUMPELHA mechanism.

Present at the meeting were among others, academicians, researchers, practitioners, Makerere University staff and Students from regional universities and North America. Among the students were 12 who participated in the Annual Summer school program that has been running under CIMTRADZ. The students were from the partnering Universities of Sokoine University of Agriculture (Tanzania), Mekelle University (Ethiopia), National University of Rwanda, University of Nairobi (Kenya), Mississippi State University and Makerere University (COVAB). Each of these students received a certificate of completion of the one-month summer school that started on 24th May 2015.

The meeting was also attended by the Vice ChancellorMakerere University represented by Prof. Bernard Bashasha, Principal of the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CAES). In a speech read by Prof. Bashasha, the Vice Chancellor said that Makerere University recognized the importance of the scientific meeting in bringing togetherresearchers from the region and America to forge ways of achieving sustainable health and livelihoods among populations in Africa.

The scientific meeting was characterized by both oral and poster presentations which focused on five key areas of Capacity building, Community Service Learning, Zoonotic and Trans-boundary Animal diseases,  Ecosystem Health and Biodiversity Managementplus  Food Security and Food safety.

Prof. Nawangwe thanked CoVAB under the leadership of Prof. Kabasa for its hard work and resilience in liberating Africa through the various innovations taking place within the College. One such innovation was the development of a multi-stakeholder platform-AFRISA, an academic-community-public-private partnership on basis of value chain approach in animal source food to address food security and unemployment.

All the different focal persons from the partnering Universities were recognized for their efforts in the CIMTRADZ project. They each received a plaque in appreciation for their services. Prof Nawangwe particularly thanked Prof. Margaret Khaitsa from Mississippi State University and Prof. Florence Wakoko from Columbus State University for not forgetting Uganda, even though they are working from abroad.

“Go to the world and deliver knowledge. Be the torch for Africa”, Prof. Nawange told participants as he declared RUMPELHA launched.

Prior to this scientific meeting, CoVAB had hosted the annual international cultural boma, which attracted over 200 participants. The boma was characterized by presentations based on experiences of various professionals on several topics ranging from research, training and outreach opportunities in regional and American Universitiesfrom to communication and financial sustainability, among others.

Article by Jovia Musubika Kavulu, CoVAB
 

The Academic Registrar of Makerere University invites applications for admission to Master of Health informatics - MHI (Full time) programme for 2016/17 Academic Year. It is a two-year programme open to both Ugandans and International applicants who fulfill the admission requirements.

Only graduates from universities recognized by the National Council of Higher Education (NCHE) will be considered for admission to the MHI training programme. The School of Public Health (SPH) and School of Computing & Informatics Technology (SCIT) may conduct interviews for eligible candidates so as to ascertain their suitability for the program.

Please see Downloads for detailed requirements.

Application Procedure

1. Hard copies of application forms are obtainable from Directorate of Research and Graduate Training, 3rd Floor Senate Building, Room 307 after payment of an application feeof Ug. Shs. 50,000 (Ugandan applicants) Ug. Shs. 151,500 (International applicants) to any Stanbic Bank Branch and DFCU Bank Branch in favour of the Makerere University Council. International applicants should pay by bank draft as cheques will not be honoured. Bank pay – in slips are obtainable from the Directorate of Research and Graduate Training, Room 307, Level 3, Senate Building, Makerere University.
2. The Account Name is Makerere University Fees Collection Account numbers: 0140018690001 for Stanbic Bank and 0101013500181512 for DFCU Bank.
3. Application forms should be down loaded from our Website: http//rgt.mak.ac.ug/
4. Completed application forms should be returned to the Directorate of Research and Graduate Training, Room 307, Level 3, Senate Building and must be accompanied by relevant supporting certified copies of certificates and academic transcripts, and the letters of referees.
5. Annual tuition fees: Ugandan & EA Ug. Shs. 5,000, 000, Non Ugandans Ug. Shs. 11,500,000 or Equivalent
6. There will be a call for scholarship that will be announced later.

Deadline for submission of applications: 31st March 2016.

The Monitoring and Evaluation Technical Support (METS) programme has been officially launched by the Minister of Health Hon. Dr. Elioda Tumwesigye at the Serena Kampala Hotel.

In his speech, Dr. Elioda Tumwesigye remarked that the Vision2040 emphasises the importance of Monitoring and Evaluation to provide relevant information for focusing programmes and plans. He noted that the contribution of the METS to HIV M & E data will in turn contribute to channelling funds. “The mandate of METS is in line with the vision of the NRM and provides support to enabling government achieve its health sector objectives. One of the challenges now is to accurately know how many people are on ART; some may be registered at different service centres while others come for testing and do not initiate treatment”, he emphasised.

He was happy to note that as part of the work package, the METS will introduce a biometric system that will help address this challenge since now people will be easy to identify and track, irrespective of where they are receiving treatment from. He said the system will also be helpful in monitoring commodities in stores to know early the status of the stocks.

In a special way, Dr. Tumwesigye thanked the District Health Officer for their part in supporting the management of epidemics in the country, adding that many times they are working in settings of limited resources.  On a happy note, he reported that the Ministry of Health has secured substantial funding for testing people in West Nile, Lango, Acholi and Karamoja regions for Hepatitis. He said more funding is expected that will enable the Ministry extend the efforts to Teso region. He further said support for HIV programming will be leveraged to respond to Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C.

He posed questions related to how data is used at district level, wondering whether it is used for decision-making or shared with district councillors for policy making.

He also applauded the College of Health Sciences for the new academic programmes on board including cytotechnology, emergency medicine and biomedical engineering, among others. He requested that many more be started in oncology, nuclear physics, oncology nursing and critical care.

The US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Uganda Country Director, Dr. Steven Wiersma said that the key outcome expected out of this initiative is to ensure use of one comprehensive national functional M & E system in Uganda. He pointed out that coverage of HIV programmes has increased over the years; lack of quality national data and limited use hinders achievement of the 90 90 90 goal.

He further noted that all the work METS is doing will lead to identification of challenges and areas that need to be addressed.

In his remarks, the Principal Makerere UniversityCollege of Health Sciences Associate Professor Charles Ibingira appreciated CDC for the support it has provided to different research initiatives in the College. He added that the mainstay of research at the College is based on funds from US agencies; the government and others. He thanked the School of Public Health for being at the forefront in building critical capacities in health-related fields, adding that key programmes have been brought on board and they are addressing critical gaps in healthcare service delivery.

The Monitoring and Evaluation Technical Support (METS) programme is a follow-on initiative to the Monitoring and Evaluation Technical Assistance (META) project; a five year CDC-supported collaborative undertaking between Makerere University School of Public Health (MakSPH) and University of California San Francisco (UCSF) and implemented in collaboration with MoH.

In a keynote address, Professor William Bazeyo, the Dean of the School of Public Health and Principal Investigator METS programme, reported that the META project registered numerous achievements in the areas of building capacity of over 3000 health workers in M&E, quality improvement, data management and use; evaluated HIV/AIDS programmes, supporting health facility staff with training, mentorship and coaching.

He however noted that that despite these achievements, there are several recurring gaps in M & E of HIV programmes requiring more focused and comprehensive efforts to address them.  “There is still parallel and uncoordinated HIV M&E and reporting systems at various levels; insufficient human resource capacity in M&E data management; limited availability and use of strategic information for HIV/AIDS programs; inadequate infrastructure and resources for HIV M&E data gathering and management and sub-optimal quality of HIV and AIDS programs and their respective data”, he emphasised.

He said the programme intends to achieve reinforced national, district and health facility capabilities in M&E and QI for HIV/AIDS programs (M&E); enhanced district-led HIV/AIDS programming and planning: district HIV/AIDS Strategic Plans and annual Work Plans (District-Led Programming); improved understanding of HIV disease burden, incidence, loss to follow-up, linkages and referral services along the continuum of care (Case-Based Population Surveillance) and a well-functioning strategic information system for increased evidence-based decision making in support of an AIDS-Free Generation (Health Management Information Systems).

The five-year programme will be implemented in 48 districts of Uganda and is funded to the tune of USD 35,687,275 for the period 2015 – 2020.

Article by OHCEA Communication Team

One Health Central and Eastern Africa-OHCEA's Board of Directors is comprised of 9 members with the Regional Program Manager as the Secretary. The Board meets on a quarterly basis to review the network’s performance, formulate policy, oversee promotion and realization of OHCEA’s vision and mission, consider annual work plans and budgets, mobilize resources, approve staff structure and appointments, and make recommendations for the Summit’s consideration.

The 16th OHCEA Board of Directors’ meeting was held at Ngorongoro Serena Hotel in Tanzania on March 21 to 22, 2016. It was attended by 7 Board members and the Director of the One Health Workshop (OHW) Project. Key among the issues discussed were: progress of implementation of year 2 OHW activities, resource mobilization and sustainability of OHCEA activities, OHCEA structure, work plan for Senegal, rationalizing US partners’ faculty support to OHCEA, and Monitoring and Evaluation of OHCEA activities. The resolutions and recommendations from the 16th Board meeting will be presented to the next Deans’ Summit that will take place in Uganda on July 13 and 14, 2016.

OHCEA Board Members

1. Prof. Philemon Wambura – Sokoine University (Chair)
2. Prof. William Bazeyo – Makerere University
3. Prof. Juvenal Kagarama – University of Rwanda
4. Prof. Gebrehiwot Tadesse – Mekelle University
5. Prof. Mahangaiko Muyumba – University of Lubumbashi
6. Prof. Deborah Kochevar  - Tufts University
7. Prof. David Urassa – Muhimbili University
8. Prof. David Kabasa – Makerere University
9. Prof. Charles Mulei – University of Nairobi

Article by OHCEA Communication Team

Faculty of Health Sciences, Universite des Montagnes (UdM) of Cameroon was the 15th member to be admitted into the One Health Central and Eastern Africa (OHCEA). UdM was not only the first member to be admitted from Cameroon but also happens to be the only private institution. To ensure proper coordination of activities, OHCEA recruits staff and also sets up an office in each of the partner countries. UdM provided office space at Bangangte for the country office.

Having recruited a Country Administrator and Focal Person, OHCEA’s next step was to set up an office and orient staff who run the office and those who lead implementation of activities. Orientation of new staff was conducted at Benco hotel in Bangangte on April 1 and 2, 2016. The orientation was facilitated by Ms Lilian Leku (UdM Senior Finance Officer), Ms Sara Nannyanzi (OHCEA Regional Manager -Finance and Administration) and Timothy Wakabi (OHCE Head M&E). Participants to the orientation included the Country Administrator, Focal Person, activity leads, and the Dean / Vice President. During the orientation, participants were trained on USAID rules and procedures, OHCEA’s Financial and Administrative Policies and Procedures, OHW M&E and reporting requirements and procedures. Participants were also trained on Asana, a project management tool used by the OHW. In addition, participants reviewed the implementation plan, ensuring that all activities have activity leads and that the implementation dates were realistic.

As part of hands-on training on procurement procedures for the Country Administrator, the Finance and Administration team from UdM and OHCEA worked with the Country Administrator to procure various office furniture, equipment and consumables. Furthermore, the team also trained the Country Administrator on how to use some of the equipment. OHCEA Cameroon Country office is now equipped and functional.
 

Article by OHCEA Communication Team

With support from the One Health Central and Eastern Africa (OHCEA), School of Public Health, College of Health Sciences (CHS), Makerere University students from Cameroon’s Universite des Montagnes have started what is believed to be the first One Health students’ club in the country. With barely two months since its start, the club boasts of a number of achievements such as:-

• Election of a multidisciplinary executive committee of 8 members consisting of 50% females
• Conducting sensitization on One Health within the student community
• Registration of more than 60 active members
• Creating a WhatsApp group that is used as a platform for sharing One Health information among members
• Setting up a Facebook page for the club
• Development of a draft strategic plan for the club
• Designing a logo for the club

Additionally, the President of the club Mr. Ewondo ndjeng Élisée has been linked with University of Rwanda’s OH Club (UROHSC) members and was added on the club’s WhatsApp group. This enables him to benefit from the rich information shared by UROHSC members, and also share the information with members of his club.

During a visit to Universite des Montagnes in April 2016, Ms Sara Nannyanzi the Regional Finance and Administration Manager and Mr Timothy Wakabi, Head M&E (OHCEA) together with Ms Lilian Leku, the Senior Finance Officer for UMN engaged the students to understand their visualization of how the club should progress and what they what activities they would wish to implement during year 3 of the OHW. The priority activities identified by the students were: organize seminars / talks on topical issues like Ebola and Zika virus; conduct interdisciplinary debates to enable students appreciate roles played by various disciplines in promoting health; community activities (sensitization and education); training in communication with emphasis on public speaking.

Article by OHCEA Communication Team

Makerere University Environmental Health Students’ Association (MUEHSA) is a student-led association started in 2002 by students on the Bachelors of Environmental Health Science programme at Makerere UniversitySchool of Public Health. With the aim of promoting environmental health in Uganda, the association holds a variety of activities including celebrating annual international health days, community outreach programmes and lobbying for improved environmental health.

Year after year, since 2003, the association has been organizing annual scientific conferences hosting participants from different countries and fields related to health. The scientific conferences provide a platform for discussion and presentation of environmental and public health work in Uganda and elsewhere in the world; giving an opportunity for comparison of systems. It is also an opportunity for presentation of innovations and research papers from students, organizational activities and findings in public health. The conferences increase knowledge of students in public health practice and enrich and rejuvenate practitioners’ knowledge-base.

This year, the MUEHSA 13th annual scientific conference was held 7th - 8th April at Esella Country Hotel, Najjera near Kampala, under the theme “Intersectoral collaboration to enhance the role of Environmental Health towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.” The conference aimed at providing a clear overview and understanding of the importance of collaborative action across different fields to achieving Sustainable Development Goals, especially in terms of health (defined as a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.) and stressing the role of environmental health.

In a keynote address, Dr. Sheba Gita noted that unlike the 8 Millennium development goals that were closed in 2015, the 17 Sustainable Development Goals emphasize 3 new aspects, i.e. universality (apply to every nation, sector, business, and organization,) integration (goals are interconnected. We need to achieve all goals, not just one,) and transformation to achieve (we require big changes to achieve the SDGs.) She therefore emphasized that the only way to achieve SDGs is through collaborative actions involving more than one agency. Dr. Gita also illustrated effective collaborative action with a case study on plague outbreak in Arua, 2008, in which an investigation team was set up, made of officials from Ministry of Health, Ministry of Agriculture, an entomologist, US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention officials, local government health practitioners, AFENET, Makerere University School of Public Health team, Veterinary doctors, engineers and anthropologists. They carried out activities including community sensitization on killing rats and keeping domestic animals out of their houses, radio talk shows on plague causes and control methods.

The Guest of Honour, Dr. Okello Ayen (Director of Public Health, Kampala Capital City Authority), hinted on the interface of urbanization and health in his address. He also mentioned that health needs to be seen as an environmental aspect and not simply a hospital issue. He gave an example of the very big solid waste management problem in Kampala affecting air quality. He expressed that Kampala is a lakeside city translating into increasing water contamination and eutrophication due to industrialization and poor waste disposal. Things such as these result in the population having the second largest lake in the world but with water that cannot be used, incurring high water treatment costs. He challenged the participants to do something about the construction of pit latrines in Kampala a largely wetland area and to pay attention to the growing non-communicable diseases burden in the country. In conclusion, he said “at the end of this conference, every person should be able to stand out and teach the public about health according to what we have learned. Publish out something, like a summary! And approach KCCA for help and advice.”

Professor John David Kabasa, the keynote speaker of day 2, introduced the importance of the One Health concept. He said that one health is about policies and systems that will shape the next generation of youth 2035 - 2050. He mentioned that from the time of the industrial revolution and civilization set in, medicine has increasingly been available, there is a decrease in infectious disease mortality, life expectancy increase, population increase and exportation of western civilization among others.

“Today, there is shrinking earth paradigm indicated by overpopulation, global warming and climate change, resource and livelihood hunger and obscure future. As a result of high population, there is high demand for quality products and services, improvement in technology, while globalization and glocalization are running together. However, there are challenges among the youth that need to be addressed in international education and language i.e, integration, ideology, culture, politics, and religion”, Professor. Kabasa said.

He added that the increased interface with the animal world has led to outbreaks of zoonotic diseases like Ebola and Marburg. While in the food industry, urbanization and income growth in Africa are driving a diet transformation, posing higher risks of biothreats. Africa is also the most severely affected region in global water scarcity.

Professor Kabasa said in order to address the challenges, knowledge, ability (skills), attitude, networks, and integrity will be crucial for competition.
The two-day scientific event hosted over 250 participants, including students and staff from 10 institutions of higher learning in Uganda, Cardiff Metropolitan, and Nottingham Trent University (both of the United Kingdom), representatives from  district health departments, civil society organisations, among others. Up to 25 presentations  were made by local and international participants, focusing on;
1.    Partnerships for health
2.    One Health concept
3.    Air pollution, climate, and health
4.    Affordable and clean energy
5.    Water, sanitation, and hygiene
6.    Food safety and food security
7.    Reproductive health
8.    Occupational health
9.    Public health legislation
10.    Opportunities for students
 
The MUEHSA patron, Ms. Ruth Neebye Mubeezi, commended the always growing enthusiasm of the students and appreciated the organizing committee. She noted that such conferences are important for health in the nation and that focusing on intersectoral collaboration this year is more than just a great idea for wider coverage but is also a perfect timing for the health systems which require more than independent silos but togetherness in action for health.

The outgoing MUEHSA president, Ms. Anyonga Prisca cherished the work of fellow students and gave open appreciations to all supporting partners especially the school administration, and gave tokens of appreciation, awards to different presenters and participants at the conference.

Article by OHCEA Communication Team

A team of gender champions formed a network within OHCEA on March 14, 2016 at Holiday Inn in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. This was during a 5-day trainer of trainers (TOT) workshop on Gender, One Health and Infectious Disease. The workshop brought together 15 faculty from the seven OHCEA countries and 3 OHCEA Secretariat Staff. Participants were drawn from different disciplines including Veterinary Medicine, Human Medicine, Nursing, Public Health, Environmental Health and Social Sciences.

The workshop facilitators were gender experts namely Dr. Hellen Amuguni from Tufts University, Ms. Niyati Shah, the USAID Senior Technical Advisor on gender and Prof Anthony Mugisha, Dean at the College of Veterinary Medicine, Animal Resources and Bio-diversity (COVAB).

Participants were exposed to highly interactive training methodologies that ensured full participant engagement, manifested cultural diversity and questioned gender biases and stereotypes. With simulation and case study development, participants demonstrated the knowledge gained at the workshop on outbreak detection, prevention and response.  Social media was also made use of. Dr. Sarah Ssali, a gender expert at Makerere University posted tweets of the interactive processes, while Agnes Yawe set up a group page using WhatsApp for the network members to interact after the workshop.

At the end of the workshop, participants drew country action plans which shall be shared with the OHCEA country teams, with the aim of devising strategies of implementing plans. The Secretariat staff too, prepared a regional work plan that will guide the process of mainstreaming gender across the network and institutionalizing gender through development of a gender policy, strategy and monitoring and evaluation indicators.

To initiate the process of integrating gender in OHCEA work, some participants shall be invited to the OH modules development workshop scheduled for May 9-13, 2016 to engender the modules. The facilitators provided a Facilitator Guide, which they refined during the TOT workshop, to each participant to guide the planned country gender-related activities for students and faculty.

Article by OHCEA Communication Team

The New Voices in Global Health (NVGH) initiative promotes the active participation of young scientists in the World Health Summit. It is supported by the M8 Alliance of Academic Health Centers, Universities and National Academies. The NVGH is aimed at empowering research, policy and advocacy initiatives among future leaders in global health, who are invited to send in abstracts of their scientific work and ideas.

Selected candidates will present their work in a special poster exhibition, thus playing an active role in the WHS. Abstracts will be published digitally at www.worldhealthsummit.org.

Please see Downloads for detailed information on topics and application procedure.

Apply before July 31, 2015, via email to science@worldhealthsummit.org.

More information is also available online at: http://bit.ly/NVGH2015
 

The Ministry of Health (MoH) in partnership with Makerere UniversitySchool of Public Health (MakSPH) and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is implementing the Public Health Fellowship Program (PHFP), an initiative to develop the next generation of public health leadership for Uganda. The goal of this program is to develop competent workforce by learning-throughservice and responding to real public health problems of Uganda.

The PHFP is offered in five tracks, namely: Field Epidemiology Track (FET); Laboratory Systems Track; Health Informatics Track; Health Economics (Prevention Effectiveness) Track, and Monitoring and Evaluation Track.

The FET is a 2-year training-through-service program in applied epidemiology and public health leadership. Fellows develop competencies by providing valuable public health services to the Ministry of Health and District Health Teams;

Please see Downloads for details on the FET including required qualifications

How to Apply:

Interested applicants should visit the website at http://www.musphcdc.ac.ug for a detailed description of the program and to download application materials. Completed copies of application materials should reach the undersigned not later than Friday, July 17th, 2015:

The Dean,
School of Public Health,
College of Health Sciences
Makerere University
P.O. Box 7072, Kampala.

Hand delivery:
Room 215, 2nd Floor, MakSPH Building,
New Mulago Hospital Complex.

For more information please contact:
Mr. Joseph KB Matovu,
Telephone: +256 414 533 958,
Email: jmatovu[at]musph.ac.ug
 

The Deputy Vice Chancellor, Finance and Administration, Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe, has launched the Regional Universities Mediated Partnerships for Enhancing Livelihoods and Health in Africa (RUMPELHA). This was during the 4th International Scientific Meeting on sustainable Livelihoods and Health in Africa held on the 18th and 19th of June 2015 at Imperial Royale Hotel, Kampala.

The scientific meeting was organized by the College of Veterinary Medicine, Animal Resources and Biosecurity (CoVAB) and her partners in the Africa-US Integrated Disease Management (AFRUS-IDM) Network.

AFRUS-IDM is a network of higher educational institutions from East and Central Africa and North America that was established to advance higher education led development in Africa. It is under the CIMTRADZ project that has been running since 2011 with support from USAID’S Higher Education for Development (HED).
Held under the theme, “Sparking Innovations for Sustainable Livelihoods and Health Security in Africa”, the international scientific meeting marked the end of Capacity Building in Integrated Management of Trans-boundary Animal Diseases and Zoonoses (CIMTRADZ) project, and the beginning of RUMPELHA one of the several novel initiatives that emerged from CIMTRADZ. The AFRUS-IDM network is however expected to continue growing by leveraging additional resources to sustain activities initiated under CIMTRADZ.

Speaking at the launch, Prof. John David Kabasa, CoVAB Principal called for action to engage in the RUMPELHA mechanism whose emphasis is on food Security, Global Health Security and Transformative Higher Education for Development. Prof. Kabasa said that one of the areas that RUMPELHA will address is increased production and safety of animals and their products in the next 20 to 30 years to cope with the ever increasing populations in Africa.

RUMPELHA comprises University-led partnerships structured at regional levels (with member Universities) and the summit housed at The African Union (AU). The proposal for RUMPELHA has already been endorsed by the AU and if implemented will be one of the self-sustaining University-led partnerships in Africa. Makerere University will therefore partner with other universities from East, Central and Southern Africa as well as the United States and Canada within the RUMPELHA mechanism.

Present at the meeting were among others, academicians, researchers, practitioners, Makerere University staff and Students from regional universities and North America. Among the students were 12 who participated in the Annual Summer school program that has been running under CIMTRADZ. The students were from the partnering Universities of Sokoine University of Agriculture (Tanzania), Mekelle University (Ethiopia), National University of Rwanda, University of Nairobi (Kenya), Mississippi State University and Makerere University (COVAB). Each of these students received a certificate of completion of the one-month summer school that started on 24th May 2015.

The meeting was also attended by the Vice ChancellorMakerere University represented by Prof. Bernard Bashasha, Principal of the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CAES). In a speech read by Prof. Bashasha, the Vice Chancellor said that Makerere University recognized the importance of the scientific meeting in bringing togetherresearchers from the region and America to forge ways of achieving sustainable health and livelihoods among populations in Africa.

The scientific meeting was characterized by both oral and poster presentations which focused on five key areas of Capacity building, Community Service Learning, Zoonotic and Trans-boundary Animal diseases,  Ecosystem Health and Biodiversity Managementplus  Food Security and Food safety.

Prof. Nawangwe thanked CoVAB under the leadership of Prof. Kabasa for its hard work and resilience in liberating Africa through the various innovations taking place within the College. One such innovation was the development of a multi-stakeholder platform-AFRISA, an academic-community-public-private partnership on basis of value chain approach in animal source food to address food security and unemployment.

All the different focal persons from the partnering Universities were recognized for their efforts in the CIMTRADZ project. They each received a plaque in appreciation for their services. Prof Nawangwe particularly thanked Prof. Margaret Khaitsa from Mississippi State University and Prof. Florence Wakoko from Columbus State University for not forgetting Uganda, even though they are working from abroad.

“Go to the world and deliver knowledge. Be the torch for Africa”, Prof. Nawange told participants as he declared RUMPELHA launched.

Prior to this scientific meeting, CoVAB had hosted the annual international cultural boma, which attracted over 200 participants. The boma was characterized by presentations based on experiences of various professionals on several topics ranging from research, training and outreach opportunities in regional and American Universitiesfrom to communication and financial sustainability, among others.

Article by Jovia Musubika Kavulu, CoVAB