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School of Public Health
College of Health Sciences, Makerere University

Dr. David M. Serwadda

Dr. David M. Serwadda

Dr David Serwadda is Professor in the department of Disease Control and Environmental Health Makerere University School of Public Health and was  Dean  from 2003-2009. He has a Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery degree (1982) from Makerere University; Masters in Metabolic Medicine(1986) from University of Newcastle upon Tyne, Masters in internal Medicine(1990) from Makerere University , Masters in Public health ( 1991) Johns Hopkins University and a honorary doctorate ( 2011) Johns Hopkins University. He was elected Fellow of the National Academy of Medicine in 2011.  His fields of specialty is infectious disease epidemiology and research interests include evaluation of population based HIV intervention and clinical management of HIV.

He is the founder of the Rakai Health Science Program, RHSP, which has pioneered research of HIV and how it is transmitted. Today the program includes 650 support staff and multidisciplinary investigators that have conducted high impact research with huge public health implication. Dr. Serwadda has published over 350 publication in medical journals and book chapters. He is the international Principal investigator to HIV Prevention Trial Network, HPTN and an investigator in several projects in the school, including METS, Fellowship program.  He is a member of the international editors of the Lancet HIV, a regular reviewer for the New England Journal of Medicine and AIDS journals. Dr Serwadda is a member of Board of trustee on several international organizations.

He is a receipt of numerous local and international awards. Previously he worked as Head of department of disease control and environmental health and Dean of the school of public health. 

Professor Serwadda was in December 2019 appointed to the Board of Trustees of the Population Council. In the same month, was elected together with 36 others among the world's most accomplished scientists living in or focused on the developing world by The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS). The globally recognized HIV scientist and founding member of Rakai Health Sciences Research Program, was the first to identify "Slim disease" as AIDS in Uganda in 1982; he conducted several landmark studies that have informed the test and treat concept, circumcision for prevention, and population level impact on reducing new HIV infections.

Email: dserwada@musph.ac.ug