Be curious and always remain teachable

What does your professional bio entail?

I work as a public health researcher with interests in infectious diseases, especially HIV, Tuberculosis and outbreaks, including Covid-19. I am interested in adolescent sexual and reproductive health. I recently completed the National Institutes of Health Fogarty Fellowship with the ACHIEVE Consortium at Washington University in St Louis and Makerere University.

I am currently pursuing a Masters of Public Health from Imperial College London.

Briefly describe your journey into research as a career.

While I was in my third year, I encountered a lady who had advanced cervical cancer. The experience got me interested in doing research on cervical cancer but due to the busy schedule of medical school I was not able to do it.

I was introduced to writing proposals by one of my lecturers and it was not easy so I was hesitant about doing the work. I kept looking at several opportunities to learn, so I joined a number of clubs and I was in a number of leadership roles.

I had to invite people to give talks on research and my interest kept growing. My first research study was on depression and suicide among medical students, which was on the rise at the time. I had a friend who committed suicide.

During the Covid-19 lockdown I stayed around Makerere and did research on Covid-19 since it was a new disease I teamed up with my mentor, Dr Felix Bongomin, who did work on infectious diseases. He had published a lot of research papers. I sent him the concept about the study of Covid-19 and we did a lot of studies where we were collaborating with other people.

The pandemic gave me time to broaden my steps in health research. When school resumed, it became difficult to maintain the work I had been doing. I started applying for student grants in Makerere and did more work about the response to Covid-19.After medical school I applied for the NIH Fellowship in America and I went through, and I did that alongside my internship at Nsambya hospital.

What are your non-negotiables when it comes to work?

Integrity and fairness are very important to me.In the research field it is essential to tell the truth and not make up things.

What do you believe has helped you in the research field?

Mentorship. I am lucky to have the best mentors. They have been very helpful whenever I needed their support or guidance.

Being curious has helped me because I have been interested in learning new things though at times I have doubts if I can handle but I learn along the way.

I am very active in seeking out various opportunities despite not being eligible. I do not fear to communicate with people I do not know and asking for collaboration.

Any difficult decisions you have made along the way?

I used to enjoy interactions with my patients and seeing them get better was amazing but transitioning from that to research was difficult due to the medical career path. Some of my mentors could say I was doing things too quickly, which is not the norm in the medical field.

How do you manage to balance your personal life and work life?

I have learnt to allocate my time well and scheduling my work. I am learning to say no to others when I need to say no but it gets difficult when working with mentors and seniors I have worked with before. I can accept so many tasks.

How can you break down your job as a researcher?

Identifying the challenges in Public Health which is done in different ways and designing research studies that respond to the challenges. Collecting the data that is required, analysing, writing them and communicating to the necessary people. My current work is dealing with reviewing evidence on a global scale of what affects oxygen access.

Was this a path you saw taking?

No I did not. When I was in Primary Two a friend hit my right eye and I got bad cataracts, so I struggled getting a health centre in the village. I was examined at a regional referral hospital in Lira and was referred to Mengo Hospital for surgery. When the surgery happened, I knew I wanted to be a doctor.

Anything you could have done better if you turned back the clock?

I could have been involved in career mentorship earlier while in medical school. I realised it is hard to go far without people who are established in the systems. I started the mentorships towards the end of medical school.

What is the downside of this field?

Getting funding is a challenge, it is a very competitive field so you need to keep applying for grants which is competitive and many times the applications can be rejected whether applying for fellowships, scholarships and manuscripts for publishing.

Who is your role model and why?

Professor Nelson Ssewankambo. He is one of the first people that identified HIV/Aids. His achievements as a physician and researcher are unbelievable. He has achieved the most in the field of health research in the country and has received recognition from the highest bodies in America.

How do you spend time outside meetings, presentations and consultations?

I like playing football and scrabble. I read a lot of books and I like travelling.

Any advice for those interested in pursuing the field of research as a career?

Be curious about what is going on, seek mentorship, collaborate with people and remain teachable.