Makerere University School of Public Health

Makerere University School of Public Health
Name	Makerere University School of Public Health
Established	1957
Type	Public
Parent	Makerere University
City	Kampala
Country	Uganda

Makerere University School of Public Health is a premier public health faculty located in Kampala, Uganda, affiliated with Makerere University. The School contributes to regional and global public health through education, research, and policy engagement involving institutions such as World Health Organization, African Union, United Nations, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Its work intersects with ministries, agencies, and universities including the Ministry of Health (Uganda), Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and University of Nairobi.

History

The School traces origins to departments established under Makerere University in the 1950s and 1960s alongside institutions like Uganda Protectorate, Kabaka of Buganda, East African Community (1967–1977), Imperial College London, and University of Edinburgh. During the post-independence period it engaged with initiatives led by World Bank, United Nations Children's Fund, Rockefeller Foundation, Commonwealth Secretariat, and African Development Bank. In the 1980s and 1990s it expanded amid collaborations with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, World Health Organization, Médecins Sans Frontières, Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, and UNAIDS, shaping responses to epidemics such as HIV/AIDS pandemic and Ebola virus epidemic in West Africa. Recent decades saw consolidation driven by partnerships with PPEP Network, Wellcome Trust, European Commission, DFID, and regional networks like African Field Epidemiology Network.

Organization and Governance

Governance includes a Head of School reporting to Makerere University's central administration and liaising with bodies like the Uganda National Council for Higher Education, Ministry of Health (Uganda), East African Health Research Commission, African Academy of Sciences, and Commonwealth Universities. Administrative units mirror models used by Harvard University, University of Oxford, University of Cape Town, Stanford University, and University of Toronto, and work with advisory boards containing representatives from WHO Regional Office for Africa, UNICEF, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, African Union Commission, and Global Health Council. Financial oversight coordinates grants from Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, National Institutes of Health, European & Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership, Wellcome Trust, and Rockefeller Foundation.

Academic Programs

Programs include undergraduate, master's, doctoral, and professional short courses modeled after curricula at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, Imperial College London, Karolinska Institutet, and McGill University. Degrees cover fields connected to institutions such as Ebola Response Anthropology Platform, Stop TB Partnership, UNAIDS, WHO Global Observatory for eHealth, and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. Courses emphasize competencies aligned with frameworks from World Health Organization, African Union, East African Community, Global Health Workforce Alliance, and Consortium of Universities for Global Health and are accredited by Uganda National Council for Higher Education.

Research and Centers

Research spans epidemiology, health systems, nutrition, infectious diseases, and chronic conditions with centers collaborating with Wellcome Trust-Makerere University, Infectious Diseases Institute, Uganda Virus Research Institute, MRC/UVRI & LSHTM Uganda Research Unit, Makerere University Lung Institute, and Centre for Disease Control and Prevention Uganda. Projects have been funded by National Institutes of Health, European Commission Horizon 2020, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Wellcome Trust, and World Bank and address themes prioritized by Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, Stop TB Partnership, Roll Back Malaria Partnership, UNAIDS, and WHO. The School hosts research programs aligned with networks like African Population and Health Research Center, African Academy of Sciences, Cochrane Africa Network, Consortium for Advanced Research Training in Africa, and Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.

Public Health Training and Outreach

Training initiatives engage local and regional partners including Ministry of Health (Uganda), Kampala Capital City Authority, Uganda Red Cross Society, Uganda National Expanded Programme on Immunization, and District Health Officers while linking to international responders such as Médecins Sans Frontières, WHO Emergency Medical Teams, CDC Emergency Response, and UNICEF. Outreach programs target communities in collaboration with World Food Programme, Food and Agriculture Organization, UN Women, Plan International, and Save the Children. The School contributes to policy through evidence used by Parliament of Uganda, President of Uganda, East African Legislative Assembly, African Union Commission, and WHO Regional Committee for Africa.

Partnerships and Collaborations

Formal partnerships include memoranda with Johns Hopkins University, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, University of Copenhagen, Makerere University College of Health Sciences, and regional bodies such as East African Community, African Union, African Field Epidemiology Network, Africa CDC, and Secretariat of the African Academy of Sciences. Global collaborations involve Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Wellcome Trust, National Institutes of Health, European Commission, and Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, supporting joint training, research, and service delivery initiatives with partners like Infectious Diseases Institute, Uganda Virus Research Institute, MRC/UVRI & LSHTM, and PATH.

Notable Alumni and Faculty

Alumni and faculty have included leaders who have held roles at Ministry of Health (Uganda), World Health Organization, United Nations, African Union, Parliament of Uganda, and international institutions such as Johns Hopkins University, University of Oxford, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Distinguished figures have contributed to responses for HIV/AIDS pandemic, Ebola virus epidemic in West Africa, COVID-19 pandemic, and regional health policy through appointments at World Health Organization, African Union Commission, UNAIDS, Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Category:Makerere University Category:Public health schools