The Uganda PHFP graduates fourth cohort of Field Epidemiologists

Workforce Development is one of the technical areas of the IHR (2005). The Uganda Public Health Fellowship Program (PHFP) has made great strides to attainment of this capacity through an training in service of field epidemiologists since 2015. On Friday 31 January 2020, the Program graduated its 4th cohort of fellows following two intensive years of training in advanced field epidemiology bringing the total number of PHFP graduates to 40 since its inception. Ten graduates were awarded certificates in a well attended colourful ceremony hosted at the Imperial Royale Hotel, Kampala. The ceremony was attended by various stakeholders including Hon. Robinah Nabbanja (Minister of State for Health, General Duties), Dr. Charles Olaro (Director General Health Services) and other Ministry Officials, the US Embassy Deputy Chief of Mission (DCM), the CDC Country Director and staff, World Health Organization Representative, the Dean and staff of the Makerere University School of Public Health, African Field Epidemiology Network representative, and other dignitaries including PHFP alumni.

During the ceremony, the graduands presented their achievements over the two years and showed evidence based and policy-relevant recommendations for addressing some of the public

health challenges faced in Uganda over the years through the projects they implemented. Projects under taken by fellows ranged from response to public health emergencies, descriptive analyses of surveillance data, HIV, and public health interventions aimed at improving quality of service delivery.

The presentations were followed by award ceremony which was graced by the USAID DCM and the Minister of State for Health who applauded the programme for being at the forefront of building human resource capacity, which should be a priority of all resource constrained countries. She appreciated the partnership with the Ministry of Health which has enabled the program to succeed. The WHO Representative pledged that there would be many opportunities for work placement and wished the graduates success in all their future deployments.