Pauline Byakika–Kibwika (née Pauline Byakika) is a
Ugandan specialist
physician,
internist,
epidemiologist,
academic and
researcher. She was appointed and announced as the vice chancellor of
Mbarara University of Science and technology. in August 2024 after emerging the best out of the 5 candidates shortlisted for the job
.
She previously served as a
Professor of Medicine at
Makerere University College of Health Sciences.
From 2017 until 2019, she served as the Vice President of the
Uganda Medical Association
The Uganda Medical Association (UMA), is a registered non-governmental, professional organization that brings together all the qualified and duly registered medical doctors in Uganda.
Location
The association maintains its headquarters on the ...
, a professional industry association that champions medical doctors' interests in Uganda.
Background and education
She was born in the
Eastern Region Eastern Region or East Region may refer to:
* Eastern Region (Abu Dhabi): Al Ain
*Eastern Region, Ghana
*Eastern Region (Iceland)
*Eastern Region, Nepal
*Eastern Region, Nigeria
* Eastern Region, Serbia
* Eastern Region, Uganda
* Eastern Region of ...
of Uganda circa 1973. After attending local schools, she was admitted to the
Makerere University, where she studied human medicine. She graduated with a
Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBChB) degree in 1999. She followed that with a
Master of Medicine (MMed) degree in
Internal Medicine, also from Makerere University. Her third degree was a
Master of Science (MSc) in
Clinical Epidemiology
Clinical epidemiology is a subfield of epidemiology specifically focused on issues relevant to clinical medicine. The term was first introduced by Jean Paul in his presidential address to the American Society for Clinical Investigation in 1938. It ...
and
Biostatistics
Biostatistics (also known as biometry) are the development and application of statistical methods to a wide range of topics in biology. It encompasses the design of biological experiments, the collection and analysis of data from those experime ...
, obtained from Makerere University. She also holds a
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in
Clinical Pharmacology obtained from the
Trinity College Dublin, in
Dublin,
Ireland.
Her PhD thesis analyses the drug-to-drug interactions between
antimalarials and
Anti-retroviral drugs.
Career
Byakika started out as a medical officer at
Mulago National Referral Hospital and over time rose in status through
senior house officer (SHO),
registrar and finally
consultant
A consultant (from la, consultare "to deliberate") is a professional (also known as ''expert'', ''specialist'', see variations of meaning below) who provides advice and other purposeful activities in an area of specialization.
Consulting servic ...
in the department of Medicine at the hospital.
She has concurrently taught at
Makerere University College of Health Sciences, which uses Mulago Hospital as its
teaching hospital. She has risen through the ranks, over the years, from
research associate,
assistant lecturer,
lecturer
Lecturer is an List of academic ranks, academic rank within many universities, though the meaning of the term varies somewhat from country to country. It generally denotes an academic expert who is hired to teach on a full- or part-time basis. T ...
,
senior lecturer, to her current rank of
associate professor
Associate professor is an academic title with two principal meanings: in the North American system and that of the ''Commonwealth system''.
Overview
In the ''North American system'', used in the United States and many other countries, it is a ...
, as of August 2018. She has also worked at the University's
Infectious Diseases Institute.
In 2017, Pauline Byakika, MBChB, MMed (Medicine), MSc, PhD, was elected to serve as the Vice President of the Uganda Medical Association, for the next two years.
In addition to her duties, as a member of the nine-person executive committee, she was a member of the 55-person National Governing Council of the Association.
On 5th August 2024, she was named as the third vice chancellor of
Mbarara University of Science and Technology.
Other considerations
Professor Byakika has authored or co-written over 40 peer-reviewed articles, in the areas of her medical expertise in different medical journals.
See also
*
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 ...
*
Mulago Hospital
References
External links
Website of Uganda Medical Association
{{DEFAULTSORT:Byakika, Pauline
Living people
1973 births
Ugandan epidemiologists
Makerere University alumni
Alumni of Trinity College Dublin
Academic staff of Makerere University
People from Eastern Region, Uganda
21st-century Ugandan women scientists
21st-century Ugandan scientists
Women epidemiologists