Organisers

Nelson Kakande is a social scientist with a background and experience in teaching profession. He has a Masters of Arts degree in Sociology with a focus on sociology of health and medical systems. He is currently the Training and Quality Improvement Specialist at Joint Clinical Research Centre (JCRC). Nelson has over 15 years working experience in research, training, programs design, programs management, evaluating programs, grants writing and administration, developing training manuals, graduate curriculum development, scientific writing for researchers, mentorship, monitoring and evaluation of programs. Nelson has expertise in qualitative data collection methods, analysis and writing.  He is a member of the Society of Research Administrators International (SRA). He is member of the JCRC- Institutional Review Board. Founder member of Association of Research Administrators in Africa (ARAA) whose goal is in enhancing the quality of Research administration. Principal Investigator of a 5-year International Extramural Research Developments Award (IEARDA) funded by Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), NIH/FIC. He has participated as a trainer for the Initiative on Research and Innovation Management (iRIM) that conducted regional Grants Writing Training Workshops for Sub-Saharan Africa sponsored by NICHD and U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief.

Dr. William S. Tamale is a graduate of Makerere University and a holder of MBChB and MPH of the same University. He has sustained interest in Continuous Quality Improvement, to which he is a Fellow in CQI and constantly called upon to share his experience at Makerere University School of Public Health. He started managing HIV in 2002 and as such, he has gained valuable experience in the field. He is engaged in HIV programme management, Clinical and Research work. As an HIV/AIDS specialist in Uganda, William sees on average 20–25 HIV patients on anti-retroviral therapy per day. Alongside his clinical work, he manages the clinic and runs clinical trials – roughly one to two every 2 years. Accordingly, he gained great interest from overseas elective students who want to learn more about the clinical situation faced by doctors and patients in a lower- resource setting like Uganda. To date, he has supervised over 30 elective medical students from the United States, the United Kingdom, Netherlands, Kenya and Nigeria. As a host doctor, he is intrigued and excited about the local and international elective students that visit JCRC and Uganda in general. Particularly, given that trainees are soon becoming doctors faced with patients who depend on their clinical skills and judgement to solve medical and social problems. The elective serves as an ideal opportunity to begin that transition – from student to practitioner and he provides support.

Allan Atukunda is a highly skilled IT Specialist with passion for technology and a proven track record of delivering innovative solutions to complex IT challenges. He has Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from Mbarara University of Science and Technology and currently works with Joint Clinical Research Centre as an IT Specialist with over five years of experience in the field, Allan has become a trusted expert in optimizing technology infrastructure, streamlining operations, and enhancing data security for businesses of all sizes. Allan has also played a pivotal role in designing and implementing cutting-edge IT solutions that have transformed JCRC and improved operational efficiency. As an adept problem solver and forward-thinker, He has a proven track record of developing and maintaining secure and resilient IT infrastructures whether optimizing network performance, ensuring data security, or implementing cloud solutions. His expertise in cloud computing, cybersecurity, and IT best practices has helped his employers realize substantial cost savings and improved performance.

Regina Namirembe, BA, MBA, is the Training Coordinator for the JCRC-SCHULICH Collaboration based at JCRC. She has over 15 years’ experience in research administration. Before joining the JCRC, she worked at Makerere University College of Health Sciences coordinating various research capacity building projects. She co-authored various publications and has presented at various local, regional and international conferences.  She is a member of the Society of Research Administrators International. She is a mentor to junior research administrators in the Uganda and in the region.

Annet Jannet Nassali, is a Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Professional, with a Postgraduate Degree in M&E, currently in the final year pursuing a Masters degree in M&E. She has over 12 years’ experience in Monitoring and reporting for PEPFAR funded projects in HIV and TB. Annet is currently working with JCRC as the Senior M&E Officer for the IDI/KHP project. She has keen interest in data demand and utilization.  Annet is passionate about Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI), as she mentored health workers in the Kigezi region in implementation of CQI when served as the Kigezi regional coach.  She is a national HMIS trainer, and a national trainer in viral load monitoring indicators. She brings on board her valuable skill organizing conferences and in report writing.