By the year 2025 when Cohort 2023 graduated, The Uganda Public Health Fellowship Program (PHFP) had enrolled 134 Fellows in Advanced Field Epidemiology Track since inception in 2015; and 17 Fellows in the Laboratory Leadership Track since inception in 2023. Since 2015, Fellows have contributed immensely to disease detection and control by conducting outbreak investigations, analyzing public health surveillance data, evaluating public health surveillance systems and conducting projects including epidemiological studies, capstone projects and quality improvement projects. The last year of the red eyes outbreak in the country followed by the Mpox outbreak witnessed the value of having frontline responders deployed within short notice by the Ministry of Health. In the process of response, Fellows generated valuable information which has and shall be used to streamline detection and response to future outbreaks in the country.
In addition, Fellows made numerous award-winning presentations at national and international conferences. Fellows have made significant appearances in the local media, contributing feature articles on key topics of public health and laboratory system importance.
The production of policy briefs and publication of the Uganda Public Health Bulletin, where Fellows participated very effectively as editors and article contributors was another tremendous achievement. Thirty-six issues had so far been produced since the commencement of the program. In addition, Fellows continued to contribute to the production of the Malaria Quarterly Bulletin, National TB and Leprosy Program Bulletin, and Weekly Epidemiological Bulletin where the fellows and other MoH epidemiologists and officers publish valuable public health information for consumption by the public and the scientific world.
The program had 65 manuscripts submitted to reputable peer-reviewed journals; 157 of which had by then (year 2025) been published.
In this book, we present to you the profiles of Cohort 2023 Fellows and their achievements over the two-year period of training while placed within priority programs or institutions of the Ministry of Health.