RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Uganda Public Health Fellowship Program’s Contributions to Malaria Control Programs 2015–2022: Strategies, Implementation Challenges, and Opportunities
JF Global Health: Science and Practice
JO GLOB HEALTH SCI PRACT
FD Johns Hopkins University- Global Health. Bloomberg School of Public Health, Center for Communication Programs
SP e2300257
DO 10.9745/GHSP-D-23-00257
VO 13
IS 2
A1 Ario, Alex R.
A1 Kwiringira, Andrew
A1 Migisha, Richard
A1 Kwesiga, Benon
A1 Bulage, Lilian
A1 Kadobera, Daniel
A1 Kisaakye, Esther
A1 Asio, Alice
A1 Zalwango, Maria’ G.
A1 Zalwango, Jane F.
A1 Rutazaana, Damian
A1 Opigo, Jimmy
A1 Harris, Julie R.
A1 Rollins, Kyree
A1 Niang, Mame
A1 Boore, Amy L.
A1 Nelson, Lisa J.
A1 Belay, Kassahun
YR 2025
UL http://www.ghspjournal.org/content/13/2/e2300257.abstract
AB Key MessagesThe Uganda Public Health Fellowship Program (UPHFP) contributed to 50 malaria-related projects, including outbreak investigations, surveillance evaluations, and quality improvement initiatives. The UPHFP program also improved malaria surveillance systems by introducing the Malaria Epidemic Early Detection System, enabling the early detection and timely response to malaria outbreaks.Embedding fellows into existing Ministry of Health programs enhances workforce capacity. Fellowship programs like UPHFP can serve as a scalable model for other low-resource settings, emphasizing the importance of targeted capacity-strengthening, mentorship, and integration within national health systems.The Uganda Public Health Fellowship Program (UPHFP) is a 2-year, non-degree-granting field epidemiology training program. It enrolls only post-Master’s degree fellows, who are integrated during their training into key Ministry of Health (MOH) programs, such as the National Malaria Control Program, and supported technically and financially by the U.S. President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI) and U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. However, the nature and extent of the UPHFP contributions to the malaria control programs have not been systematically documented. We describe how the UPHFP strategies contributed to malaria control programs and share implementation challenges and opportunities to inform future programming. From 2015 to 2022, UPHFP led or supported 50 malaria projects, including 14 malaria surveillance projects, 11 malaria outbreak investigations, 7 epidemiological studies, 5 case studies, 6 malaria quality improvement projects, 3 policy briefs, and 4 training and mentorship projects. These projects have informed policy decisions and strengthened surveillance, coordination, and response to malaria outbreaks. A key challenge is single-source funding that makes the program more vulnerable to changes in donor priorities. Our documentation demonstrates the critical value of UPHFP to the country’s malaria control efforts by enhancing epidemiologic workforce capacity and strengthening epidemiological surveillance.