Dr Jacquelyn Nambi Ssanyu while defending her PhD through a joint doctoral programme between Makerere University School of Public Health (MakSPH) and Uppsala University, Sweden.
The Makerere University Centre of Excellence for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (MNCH Centre) celebrates its mentee, Dr Jacquelyn Nambi Ssanyu, on successfully defending her PhD through a joint doctoral programme between Makerere University School of Public Health (MakSPH) and Uppsala University, Sweden.
Dr Ssanyu defended her thesis, Beyond Service Availability;Family Planning Service Delivery, Women’s Experiences, and Implementation Learning in Urban Eastern Uganda, on Wednesday, 21st October 2026. Her research examined family planning service delivery through the experiences of women, generating insights into how implementation learning can inform more responsive reproductive health services.
Looking beyond service availability
The research addresses an important question in reproductive health: how can health systems move beyond making services available to ensuring that care responds to women’s experiences and needs?
Dr Ssanyu’s work contributes to the evidence needed to strengthen family planning services and improve the quality and responsiveness of care.
The joint PhD defence brought together academic expertise from Uganda, Sweden and the United Kingdom. Associate Professor Stavros Iliadis of Uppsala University chaired the defence, while Professor Charles Anawo Ameh of the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, United Kingdom, served as the opponent.
Dr Ssanyu’s principal supervisors were Professor Mats Målqvist of Uppsala University and Professor Peter Waiswa of Makerere University School of Public Health. Her supervisory team also included Associate Professor Leif Eriksson of Uppsala University and Professor Joan Kalyango of Makerere University’s College of Health Sciences.
Congratulations, Dr Jacquelyn Nambi Ssanyu, on this milestone . The MNCH Centre celebrates your success and looks forward to your continued contribution to research, health systems strengthening and better health outcomes for women, newborns and children.
