Training & Capacity Building
Building the next generation
Training and developing the researchers shaping health informatics in Uganda and across Africa
HIRI is more than a research portfolio — it's a training ground. Through PhD and MSc training, postdoctoral fellowships, and short courses, we work with students and early-career researchers from across the region. Many are funded by HIRI projects; all leave with experience that translates into evidence, systems, and policy improvements for Uganda's health sector and beyond.
HI-TRAIN Scholars
Building the next generation of health informaticians
The HI-TRAIN project provides scholarships in the form of research money/grants (field studies and data collection for all students; and international travel support for students who had their manuscripts published to attend conferences), mentorship, supervision and support, as part of building capacity for Health Informatics in Uganda. Here are some of our scholars — both ongoing and graduated.
PhD Health Informatics Scholars
| # | Status | Award/Completion Year | Full Name | Study Programme | University of Study | Research Area |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ongoing | Started 2026 | Mr. Africano Byamugisha | PhD in Computer Science | Makerere University | Automated Data Engineering and Interoperability over Heterogeneous Distributed Systems |
| 2 | Ongoing | Started 2026 | Mr. Owor Wilbroad | PhD in Computer Science | Makerere University | Interoperability and Machine Learning for Real-Time AMR Data Integration, Resistance Prediction and Early Warning |
| 3 | Ongoing | Started 2021 | Ms. Bartha Alexandra Nantongo | PhD in Information Systems | Makerere University | Predicting Infants at a Risk of Defaulting Basic Routine Immunisation using Machine Learning Models |
| 4 | Completed | 2026 | Dr. Achilles Kiwanuka | PhD in Information Systems | Makerere University | Digital health terminology standards for semantic interoperability of Uganda's health information systems |
| 5 | Completed | 2026 | Dr. Joseph Wamema | PhD in Information Systems | Makerere University | eHealth enterprise architecture and health information exchange frameworks for Uganda |
| 6 | Completed | 2026 | Dr. Moses Bagyendera | PhD in Information Systems | Makerere University | Interoperability data standards for health information exchange in Uganda's healthcare system |
| 7 | Completed | 2025 | Dr. Akello Kalumera Christine | PhD in Information Systems | Makerere University | Human-centred design and collaboration engineering for electronic health information systems |
| 8 | Completed | 2024 | Dr. Alunyu Andrew Egwar | PhD in Information Systems | Makerere University | Digital communication infrastructure standards for health information exchange |
| 9 | Completed | 2022 | Dr. Mariette Katarahweire | PhD in Information Systems | Makerere University | Form-based data security in mobile health data collection systems for low-resource settings |
| 10 | Completed | 2022 | Dr. Francis Fuller Bbosa | PhD in Information Systems | Makerere University | Big Data analytics and predictive modelling for malaria incidence using hybrid machine learning models |
| 11 | Completed | 2020 | Dr. Mark Magumba | PhD in Information Systems | Makerere University | Machine learning and natural language processing for public health surveillance and disease outbreak prediction |
| 12 | Completed | 2020 | Dr. Alice Mugisha | PhD in Health Informatics | University of Bergen, Norway | Usability of mobile electronic data capture forms for health data collection in low-resource settings |
Master's Scholars — Health Informatics & Information Systems
| # | Status | Full Name | Study Programme | University of Study |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ongoing | Mr. Timothy Muyingo | Master of Information Systems (MIS) | Makerere University |
| 2 | Completed | Mr. Stanley Kiggundu | Master of Information Systems (MIS) | Makerere University |
| 3 | Completed | Mr. Edward Ruhuma | Master of Health Informatics (MHI) | Makerere University |
| 4 | Completed | Ms. Catherine Kabahuma | Master of Health Informatics (MHI) | Makerere University |
| 5 | Completed | Mr. Stephen Babigumira | Master of Information Systems (MIS) | Makerere University |
| 6 | Completed | Mr. Justus Ashaba | Master of Information Systems (MIS) | Makerere University |
| 7 | Completed | Ms. Irene Wanyana | Master of Health Informatics (MHI) | Makerere University |
| 8 | Completed | Ms. Joan Nakibuuka | Master of Health Informatics (MHI) | Moi University |
| 9 | Completed | Mr. Jamiru Mpima | Master of Health Informatics (MHI) | Makerere University |
| 10 | Completed | Mr. Noah Kasiiti | Master of Health Informatics (MHI) | Moi University |
| 11 | Completed | Ms. Priscillah Balirwa | Master of Health Informatics (MHI) | Moi University |
Why we invest in people
Capacity building is how health informatics takes root
Health informatics advances only as fast as the people who can design, build, and lead it. Alongside our research, HIRI deliberately grows that talent — training graduate researchers, hosting fellows, running short courses, and embedding health-informatics skills into the institutions that train Uganda's health workforce. The goal is a self-sustaining pipeline of researchers, clinicians, and informaticians who turn evidence into systems and policy for Uganda's health sector and beyond.
PhD & MSc training
Graduate-level training anchored at Makerere University and collaborating universities, embedding students in live HIRI research from data to dissertation.
Postdoctoral fellowships
Structured fellowships for early-career researchers to deepen specialised expertise and lead their own work within HIRI's research themes.
Short courses & modules
Targeted training for health-care professionals, executives, policymakers, and regulators — building practical health-informatics skills across the sector.
Practicums & internships
Hands-on practicums, internships, and case studies that let practitioners and institutions test and validate research outputs in real health settings.
What we do
Our training & capacity-building activities
HIRI's training and capacity-building activities include but are not limited to the following — from laboratory networking and community education to graduate-level training.
Step 01
HI capacity & community health
Developing HI capacity for prevention, diagnosis, and treatment; facilitating networking among laboratories to enhance health facilities' capacity to ensure quality service; and empowering communities by promoting health education, facilitating behavioural change, and supporting mobilisation.
Step 02
Health-training curricula
Influencing, reviewing, and enriching existing health-training curricula at all levels and institutions to accommodate health-informatics modules; and supporting their delivery to all health trainees and trainers.
Step 03
Training modules for the sector
Developing and conducting training modules for health-care service training institutions, professionals, executives, policymakers, and regulators.
Step 04
Practicums, internships & case studies
Developing and conducting HI practicums, internships, case studies, and experiments for health-care service providers, professionals, practitioners, and health-training institutions to test and validate research outputs.
Step 05
Graduate-level training
Conducting training at graduate level. HIRI is also a platform for training and research in specialised PhDs and Postdocs for health-care professionals and practitioners leading to degree awards by Makerere University and collaborating universities.