George Barnabas Kirya, MBChB, MMed, MSc, Dip.Bact., LLD (Honorary), is a Ugandan physician, academic,

microbiologist A microbiologist (from Ancient Greek, Greek ) is a scientist who studies microscopic life forms and processes. This includes study of the growth, interactions and characteristics of Microorganism, microscopic organisms such as bacteria, algae, f ...

, politician, and diplomat. He served as the chairman of the Uganda Health Services Commission from 2007 to 2012. Previously, from 1997 until 2003, he served as Uganda's High Commissioner to the United Kingdom.

Background and education

He was born at

Ngora Hospital Ngora Freda Carr Hospital, commonly known as Ngora Hospital, is a community hospital in Uganda. It is affiliated with the Anglican Church of Uganda. It was founded in 1922. It has capacity of 180 beds. Location The hospital is in the small tow ...

in 1939 to Joshua Kirya, a Mugwere from the Eastern Region, and Miriam Najjemba a

Muganda The Ganda people, or Baganda (endonym: ''Baganda''; singular ''Muganda''), are a Bantu ethnic group native to Buganda, a subnational kingdom within Uganda. Traditionally composed of 52 clans (although since a 1993 survey, only 46 are officiall ...

from Uganda's Central Region. Kirya attended

Busoga College Mwiri Busoga College Mwiri, commonly known as Busoga College, is a boarding secondary school located in Uganda. Location Busoga College Mwiri is located on Mwiri Hill in Wairaka Parish, Kakira Town Council-Jinja District, Eastern Region, Uganda, Easte ...

for his O-Level studies. He then transferred to Mbale Secondary School for his A-Level education. In 1961, he entered the

Makerere University School of Medicine The Makerere University School of Medicine (MUSM), also known as the Makerere University Medical School, is the school of medicine of Makerere University, Uganda's oldest and largest public university. The medical school has been part of Makerer ...

, where he graduated with a

Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery ( la, Medicinae Baccalaureus, Baccalaureus Chirurgiae; abbreviated most commonly MBBS), is the primary medical degree awarded by medical schools in countries that follow the tradition of the United King ...

degree in 1966. He then obtained a Master of Science in

Microbiology Microbiology () is the scientific study of microorganisms, those being unicellular (single cell), multicellular (cell colony), or acellular (lacking cells). Microbiology encompasses numerous sub-disciplines including virology, bacteriology, prot ...

in 1971 from the

University of Birmingham , mottoeng = Through efforts to heights , established = 1825 – Birmingham School of Medicine and Surgery1836 – Birmingham Royal School of Medicine and Surgery1843 – Queen's College1875 – Mason Science College1898 – Mason Univers ...

in the United Kingdom. His diploma in

Bacteriology Bacteriology is the branch and specialty of biology that studies the morphology, ecology, genetics and biochemistry of bacteria as well as many other aspects related to them. This subdivision of microbiology involves the identification, classificat ...

was obtained from the

University of Manchester , mottoeng = Knowledge, Wisdom, Humanity , established = 2004 – University of Manchester Predecessor institutions: 1956 – UMIST (as university college; university 1994) 1904 – Victoria University of Manchester 1880 – Victoria Univer ...

in 1975. In 2001, in recognition of his service as a diplomat, the University of Birmingham awarded him an honorary

Doctor of Laws A Doctor of Law is a degree in law. The application of the term varies from country to country and includes degrees such as the Doctor of Juridical Science (J.S.D. or S.J.D), Juris Doctor (J.D.), Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), and Legum Doctor (LL. ...

degree.

Career

Following his internship at

Mulago Hospital Mulago National Specialised Hospital, also known as Mulago National Referral Hospital, is a component of Mulago Hospital Complex, the teaching facility of Makerere University College of Health Sciences. It is the largest public hospital in Ug ...

, Kirya joined the

Master of Medicine Master of Medicine (MMed) is a postgraduate professional clinical degree awarded by medical schools to physicians following a period of instruction, supervised clinical rotations, and examination. The degree usually takes three years to complete, ...

postgraduate program, speculating in microbiology. Upon graduation from the MMed program, he joined the East African Virus Research Institute (EAVRI), a department of the

East African Community The East African Community (EAC) is an intergovernmental organisation composed of seven countries in the Great Lakes region of East Africa: the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the United Republic of Tanzania, the Republics of Kenya, Burundi, ...

, which is now known as the

Uganda Virus Research Institute The Uganda Virus Research Institute (UVRI) is a medical research institute owned by the Uganda government that carries out research on communicable diseases in man and animals, with emphasis on viral transmitted infections. UVRI is a component of ...

. He served as a research officer before becoming the principal medical research officer and head of arbovirology at EAVRI. From 1970 until 1973, he served as visiting lecturer in the Department of Microbiology at

. From 1973 to 1975, he was a senior lecturer at Makerere, teaching microbiology, surveillance, and research at undergraduate and post-graduate levels. He served as a professor and head of the Department of Medical Microbiology at Makerere from 1978 until 1986. From April 1986 until November 1990, he served as Vice-Chancellor of

Makerere University Makerere University, Kampala (; Mak) is Uganda's largest and oldest institution of higher learning, first established as a technical school in 1922. It became an independent national university in 1970. Today, Makerere University is composed of ni ...

, Uganda's largest public university. In 1997, he was appointed Uganda's High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, serving in that position until 2003. He returned to Uganda in 2003 and was appointed chairman of the Uganda Health Services Commission, serving in that capacity until 2012. Between 2007 and 2011, he served as the Chancellor of

Lugazi University Lugazi University (LU), was a private university in Uganda. The university was founded in 2007. It closed in December 2010. Location Lugazi University was located in Lugazi, on a campus, east of Kampala on the Kampala-Jinja Highway. Academics ...

Other responsibilities

Professor George Kirya has written extensively in peer journals in the field of

virology Virology is the Scientific method, scientific study of biological viruses. It is a subfield of microbiology that focuses on their detection, structure, classification and evolution, their methods of infection and exploitation of host (biology), ...

, with emphasis on ''arbovirology''. He also writes articles in Ugandan, nationally circulated English language newspapers. He is the Chairman of the board of directors of THETA, a Ugandan NGO that aims "to improve health and access to health care through promotion of collaboration between the traditional and biomedical health care systems".

References

External links

Professor George Kirya Was A Victim of Gang Violence In London
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kirya, George Living people 1939 births Makerere University alumni Alumni of the University of Birmingham Alumni of the University of Manchester Ugandan diplomats Vice-chancellors of universities in Uganda People from Eastern Region, Uganda High Commissioners of Uganda to the United Kingdom People from Pallisa District Ugandan microbiologists People educated at Busoga College

Background and education

Career

Other responsibilities

See also

References

External links