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I was excited to begin my ACHIEVE project after a great head start with the NIH Research Orientation in July 2024. The process began with the IRB submission, which I believed would be easy, and I was expecting to get the ethical approval within 6 weeks. However, became much more challenges and complex then previously […]

My favorite part about undertaking any research endeavor is the time when I get to go to the field. I love it! During fieldwork, I lean into an old nursery school lesson that has remained with me over the years – the power of the five senses. Utilizing my visual, auditory, and olfactory cues allows […]

As of September, I’ve been setting up shop to undertake the work of my study, Adapting a nutrition intervention to address low fruits and vegetables intake, a cancer risk, among people living with HIV receiving care in HIV clinics in Uganda. I expected a very processed based, check-list type of start-up to the project similar […]

Greetings everyone! I write this update off the back of the SVRI (Sexual Violence Research Initiative) conference in Cape Town. This was a fantastic opportunity to reconnect with colleagues and collaborators, old and new, and to meet fellow early career researchers. It served me a reminder of the importance of community. Last summer, during my […]

It has been over a month since my last post and although a lot of work on the “Early Childhood Development for Maternal Mental Health” study –now rechristened the “Maternal Mental Health and Early Childhood Development in Kawempe” study–there is little observable progress to share. I’m stuck in IRB limbo:  I am just a few […]

Before participating in the ACHIEVE program, I held the belief that rigorous research was synonymous with adhering strictly to established scientific protocols and methodologies. However, my visits to the Greater Masaka and the Bidibidi Refugee Settlement in Uganda profoundly reshaped my understanding of research practices. I gained insights through observation and was motivated by the […]

Neonates with gastrointestinal disorders often face substantial nutritional challenges. These may arise due to conditions such as congenital anomalies or postoperative complications that impair nutrient absorption or oral intake. This is what has inspired me to start my ACHIEVE study on the barriers to evaluating the nutritional status of neonates with gastrointestinal disorders in Kampala, […]

My ACHIEVE project, The Early Childhood Development for Maternal Mental Health study (ECD4MMH), will explore the potential for improving maternal mental health (MMH) during the critical “first 1,000 days” of child growth and development through a community-based early childhood development (ECD) program delivered by community workers in a peri-urban area of Kampala, Uganda. Many of […]

As the mother of an adolescent girl who could benefit from the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, and as a medical provider in Uganda, it pains me greatly to see other parents refusing to vaccinate their children because of myths and misconceptions that are spread in the community. With the HPV vaccine, this includes the belief […]

My time as a trainee in the ACHIEVE Program offered a deep and expansive learning experience, filled with opportunities to explore a wealth of knowledge. My ACHIEVE year began with an engaging trip to Masaka, Uganda, for the ICHAD Forum on Child and Adolescent Global Health Research and Capacity Building, a research forum centered on […]

Using exploratory stage of the EPIS model, my project sought to identify vulnerabilities to HIV/AIDS among young single mothers employed in alcohol serving places and factors affecting their access to and use of HIV/AIDS prevention services in Rwanda. Some of the vulnerabilities identified included financial hardship, various forms of sexual exploitation, exposure to alcohol, transactional […]

We’re now entering the final stretch of the meta-aggregative review—data extraction is nearly complete, and the processes of aggregation, validation, and write-up are on the horizon. Synthesising qualitative findings across sectors continues to be a rewarding (if occasionally intricate) task, especially when working across education, public health, and social care to build practice-level theory. Last […]

My three-month visit to New York University (NYU) as part of my ACHIEVE training experience was incredibly productive and transformative. It truly marked a significant milestone in my research journey, helping me grow my understanding of dissemination & implementation (D&I) science and data science methodologies in global health. One of the most enriching aspects of […]

Implementation Science (IS) is an evolving field dedicated to understanding and improving the adoption, implementation and sustainability of evidence-based interventions in real-world settings. Its core aim is to bridge the gap between research and practice by ensuring that proven interventions are effectively translated into routine healthcare, policies, and community programs to improve health outcomes. During […]