MNCH Secretariat

Dr Peter Waiswa

Dr  Peter Waiswa is a Ugandan medical doctor, Associate professor of Health Policy Planning and Management at Makerere University School of Public Health, College of Health Sciences, Uganda. He is a health systems researcher with focus on newborn health and development and maternal-newborn-child health services. He leads the InDepth network (Network of DSS Sites around the world) on Maternal-Newborn Health and is a frequent advisor to international organizations on maternal, newborn and child health. He holds a joint PhD degree from Karolinska Institutet and Makerere University and is on the faculty at Makerere University School of Public Health, Uganda, as well as at Karolinska Institutet, Sweden.

Prof Waiswa worked as a District Medical Officer for eight years under Iganga District Local Government where he rose to the rank of Principal Medical Officer. He has extensive experience in health systems and health service management. His research and program interests in low and middle-income countries include health systems research including policy analysis, implementation, and operations research, and how well these are linked to programming. Prof Waiswa has published over 60 peer-reviewed articles in top global journals in Public Health but also books and book chapters. He is also involved in various community initiatives, especially in Busoga, his motherland and recently received an Independence medal from the president for his community service.

Email: pwaiswa@musph.ac.ug

Dr Monica Okuga

Dr Okuga is a medical doctor with a Masters in Public Health. She is currently a Research Fellow in the Department of Health Policy, Planning and Management at the School of Public Health, Makerere University College of Health Sciences. Monica has over eight years of experience in quality improvement work at the facility and community level and vast experience in maternal and newborn care. She is a trainer in the Lives Saved Tool- a modeling tool for estimating the impact of maternal and newborn interventions.

Monica is also actively involved in supervision of Field Epidemiology trainees. She has previously worked with projects funded by European Union, WHO, USAID, PEPFAR, Johns Hopkins University, and PLAN international. Her interests lie in health systems strengthening and quality improvement for maternal and newborn care, implementation research and policy influence. Currently, she coordinates the Centre of Excellence for Maternal, Newborn and Child  Health at MakSPH and is involved in numerous MNCH projects.

Email: mokuga@musph.ac.ug

Mr Kakaire Ayub Kirunda

Mr. Kakaire is a communication for development specialist with the Department of Health Policy, Planning, and Management at the Makerere University School of Public Health. Working as a Communications Specialist, Kakaire’s role is to guide communication activities that support the implementation of a couple of maternal and newborn health projects under the Centre and ensure the impact of research activities with communities, sub-national and national policymakers, and international audiences.

A former senior health writer and deputy news editor with Uganda’s Daily Monitor newspaper, Kakaire’s entry into public health came in 2009 when he resigned from his newspaper job to pursue the two-year Makerere University School of Public Health-Centres for Disease Control fellowship programme.

Although he is now largely into research communications and uptake, Mr. Kakaire is an award-winning science journalist, with so many works and fellowships to his name. He is also a media mentor and trainer. Kakaire holds a Bachelor of Mass Communication, MA in Communication for Development, and in the final year of an MA in Education, Health Promotion & International Development.

Email: akakaire@musph.ac.ug

Mr James Kalungi

Mr Kalungi oversees financial budgeting and expenditure of project grants. He has experience in donor fund management, Grant writing, Budgeting, costing study designs, and administrative related work; such as running of the office, procurement and logistics management, record management of office utilities, transport and vehicles management, and supervision of contractors.

Ms Lydia Kabwijamu

Ms Kabwijamu is a Research Fellow in the Department of Health Policy, Planning and Management at the School of Public Health, Makerere University. She holds a Masters Degree in Public Health.  She has over five years’ experience in implementing programs aimed at improving Maternal and Child health at community and health facility levels.

Currently, she works at the Centre of Excellence for Maternal, Newborn and Child health as an Assistant Coordinator and on the Early Childhood Nutrition and Development project. Lydia’s research interests include Maternal, newborn child and adolescent health. 

Email: lkabwijamu@musph.ac.ug