12 Field Epidemiologists have graduated under the Makerere University Public Health Fellowship Program. This is after the fellows completed their two-years field disease analysis.
The graduates were commissioned off with certificates of completion by Hon. Robinah Nabbanja, the junior Minister of Health for General Duties who represented her boss, Hon. Dr. Jane Ruth Aceng, the Minister of Health at the 5th Graduation ceremony of the fellowship program on Friday, January 29, 2021, at Imperial Royale Hotel in Kampala.
The fellowship program is a tripartite Public Health Workforce Capacity building program of the Ministry of Health, Makerere University School of Public Health and the U.S Centers for Disease Control (US CDC),
In her remarks, Dr. Lisa Nelson, the U.S CDC Director, Uganda country representative hailed the graduating fellows for uncovering important public health problems facing communities. "This included analysis of surveillance data & investigating a couple of outbreaks".
This cohort's activities included the COVID response - airport screening, contact tracing, mental health of health workers, and border surveillance. The CDC supports the response to Malaria, HIV NCD prevention, and this cohort managed to complete 18 projects in HIV response.
Dr. Lisa Nelson says lessons learned from this program will be critical in containing COVID-19 and other epidemics such as Malaria, Tuberculosis, and HIV.
"Expertise in these areas is important because staffing challenges remain a problem to dealing with disease outbreak and emergencies. Our target is to have one (1) Epidemiologist per 200 people. Going by Uganda's population, 260 Epidemiologists are required" - Dr. Lisa.
Doreen Gonahasa, one of the graduating fellows said she was involved in screening for COVID at Entebbe airport, following up of patients, evaluating data on bacterial meningitis, screening for Ebola at points of entry as well as community sensitization against Anthrax.
She also supported a Global Health Security project, epidemiological support in Busoga, an epidemiological study on HIV, a study on late DNA testing in Kyenjojo and Kyegegwa districts as well as response to a plague in Zombo district in the West Nile region of Uganda.
Dr. John Kamulegeya, another graduating fellow was attached to Uganda Expanded Program on Immunization (UNEPI). He was involved in the mass vaccination against Measles-Rubella and Polio. John developed operational training manual & field guidelines.
He investigated four (4) public health emergencies in Nakaseke, leprosy in Lira and Albetong; supported maternal & pregnancy outcomes at Naguru; and enrolled 8 health facilities on Adverse Events Following Immunization (AEFI) tools in Nakasongola district. John supported in writing, editing UNEPI newspaper pullout.
He also supported the National COVID-19 response in 17 districts in Ankole and Eastern Regions of Uganda to effectively carry out COVID-19 surveillance, and contact tracing, case management, risk communication, infection control prevention, and district readiness assessment.
Ms. Maureen Katusiime evaluated the implementation of maternal perinatal death surveillance and response in Hoima. She established and strengthened the use of the babies matrix at Mubende Regional Referral Hospital, and supported response to Malaria in Oyam district in Northern Uganda, Leprosy in Lira district, also in Northern Uganda, and Rubella in Nakaseke district in central Uganda.
She was deployed as an epidemiologist through the regional deployment arrangement of the Ministry of Health, where she supported COVID-19 response teams in seven (7) districts under the Bombo region to respond to the pandemic. 
Dr. Irene Kyamwine Byakatonda was involved in; Malaria outbreak investigation in Zombo district, investigating a Rubella case (after vaccination) in Nakaseke district, Leprosy outbreak, and Jimsonweed poison Karamoja sub-region region - TB in Nakapiripirit district and COVID screening at the airport.
She also has published seven (7) articles in the Uganda National Institute Public Health (UNIPH) epidemiological bulletin, written three (3) of her manuscripts (on Malaria, Rubella & Malnutrition) that are still under review. 
Ronald Reagan Mutebi (another fellow) was lead epidemiologist in investigating the food poisoning outbreak in communities that received World Food Programme, food relief in Napak and Amudat where six 6 people died due to this.
He also led the COVID-19 response in the Masaka sub-region where they pioneered self-isolation as an alternative to institutional quarantine. He also conducted a TB data quality assessment and developed a policy brief on dental restoration in public facilities.
Dr. Rhoda Wanyenze, Professor and Dean Makerere School of Public Health warmly congratulated the fellows for the great work done and commitment in addition to the program supporting partners. She encouraged the fellows to help in recovery and comprehensive resilient systems for the future to add all health challenges.
According to Dr. Henry G. Mwebesa, Director General Health Services, PHFP has enrolled 80 Fellows in Advanced Field Epidemiology since its inception in 2015; with the highest ever enrollment of 14 in 2021.
Over the past 6 years, Fellows have conducted over 110 outbreak investigations most of them on high priority diseases of public health importance; thereby contributing to their effective management and control. They have also analyzed public health surveillance data and conducted an evaluation of public health surveillance systems with the aim of improving detection of disease epidemic alerts and prompting an early response.
Dr. Mwebesa also applauded the fellows for being frontline workers who are reliable, professional, and resourceful in intervening in most of the country’s epidemic outbreaks.
Dr. Julie Harris, the CDC Resident Advisor, observed that CDC has efficiently and effectively responded to health challenges in Uganda through its support to the Ministry of Health and now, the PHFP. She added that the program has over time made recruitment of highly experienced and knowledgeable fellows thus expertise output and one of the best programs in Africa. Equally, Dr. Harris noted that having such epidemiologists has helped control the spread of the global pandemic of the COVID-19 outbreak in Uganda.
To this pandemic, Uganda registered its first case of COVID-19 on March 21, 2020. Consequently, to date, Uganda suffers over 300,000 infections.
Dr. Ben Masila a representative from AFENET reechoed that this championship in health is a big achievement for Uganda as we need to think about strategic innovations on how best we can use this program to address the health challenges affecting Uganda.
Hon. Nabbanja emphasized the need to embrace the collective contribution of role players in the country. She contends that the existent efforts have seen successful immunization programs, control of child illnesses, and also disease outbreak management in a number of districts.
She also noted a strengthened surveillance system and improved levels of readiness in fighting disease outbreaks, citing that because of this, Uganda was able to control COVID-19 in the first phase, thanks to the fellowship program that has continued to provide hands-on-training, mentorship in the field to Fellows who can lead investigations and respond to epidemic threats.
