Message From the Principal Investigator

Makerere University School of Public Health (MakSPH) in conjunction with U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) is implementing a leadership and management capacity building program known as MakSPH-CDC Fellowship Program. The overall goal of this Program is to groom and nurture a cadre of transformative leader-managers who can think critically, have a high level of inter-disciplinarity and can effectively work with and through teams to lead and manage programs. The Progam offers long- and medium-term Fellowships as well as offsite short courses. Until 2010, the program focus was solely on HIV/AIDS. However, in a bid to respond to growing health challenges, the program expanded its focus to include HIV/AIDS, Maternal & Child Health, Health Informatics, and Other Infectious Diseases including Malaria and Tuberculosis. 

Over the past ten years, we have been able to train 193 Fellows (73 long-term and 120 medium-term Fellows) and supported 136 institutions in rural and urban areas of Uganda. We have also been able to train over 3000 individuals through off-site short courses and technical placements in different parts of the country. Eight Fellows are currently enrolled.

MakSPH-CDC Fellowship Program has made significant strides over the past ten years, and continues to be a major player in the field of program leadership and management capacity building in Uganda. Many of the Fellows who have graduated from the program have taken on senior positions in national and international agencies, including working as Executive Directors, Technical Advisors, and Monitoring and Evaluation Specialists, among others. Up to 90% of the graduates work in Uganda.

The program's strengths lie in its use of a hands-on training approach coupled with a high level of mentorship and stakeholder involvement to build Fellows' competencies both professionally and academically. Our all-round and open approach of working in close collaboration with other organizations ensures that all activities implemented by Fellows are consistent with national and organizational priorities.

I must stress that institutional capacity building is pivotal to health systems management in Uganda. New challenges are cropping up and the swiftness with which we need to handle them requires new skills, knowledge, and competencies which this program provides. The program welcomes your support to make it thrive and be able to handle critical challenges that continue to hamper effective health services delivery in our country and beyond.
Finally, I wish to thank our development partners, CDC in particular; the Fellows, host institutions, well wishers and MakSPH staff for their support.

I expect that this website will provide you with the information you need. Please don't hesitate to contact us for any additional information. We shall be grateful to receive your feedback on our website, program activities, and any other areas of our work.

Prof David Serwadda
Principal Investigator