Embarking on a journey of academic enlightenment as an ACHIEVE visiting scholar at Washington University in St. Louis (WashU) has been a revelation—an attestation to the transformative power of exposure, mentorship, and experiential learning. Being a part of this prestigious training program has been the most exciting part of my career as a researcher.
Having worked and conducted research in a rural setting in Uganda for over nine years, the opportunity to visit the US to learn from other esteemed researchers in the field of global health and implementation science was an exciting aspect for me of the program, as I knew that it would allow me to interact with researchers in the Global North and expose me to advanced research facilities and opportunities for collaboration.
I am spending a month at WashU, and so far during my stay, I must say that the opportunities are overwhelming. Having mentors with my interests at the top of their agenda and fixing time to meet with me amidst their busy schedules is worth mentioning. I want to acknowledge my global health mentor, Professor Fred Ssewamala, and my implementation science mentors, Dr. Jean Hunleth and Dr. Michelle Silver, who have been so supportive while in the US, connecting me to other researchers in the field, identifying some lectures I can attend, including presentations and networking opportunities. My local mentor, Dr. Nixon Niyonzima, was so supportive as I worked through recruitment for my study and baseline data collection. While in the US, I will be writing up a manuscript from my baseline data and with the help of my mentor, Dr. Fred, I have received all the support I need to analyze this data.
My visit here has taught me to work independently to have outputs for my research using the available opportunities from my mentors. This support has been enormous, also preparing me for my upcoming doctoral studies as I have been admitted into the PhD program in Public Health at Washington University in St. Louis.