Ponsiano Ocama is a Ugandan physician, researcher, academic and academic administrator, who is an

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 ...

of medicine and former head of department of Internal Medicine at

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 ...

, a component of Makerere University College of Health Sciences.

Early life and education

Ocama was born in Uganda circa 1969. After attending local primary and secondary schools, he was admitted to

, graduating in 1994 with a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery degree. In 2001, he was awarded a Master of Medicine degree in Internal Medicine, by the same medical school. His degree of Doctor of Philosophy was awarded by the University of Antwerp in Belgium, in 2011. He also completed an academic research fellowship in hepatology at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, in Dallas, Texas, United States.

Career

Dr Ponsiano Ocama is a specialized gastroenterologist, with super specialization as a hepatologist with focus on viral infections of the liver, including

HIV The human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) are two species of '' Lentivirus'' (a subgroup of retrovirus) that infect humans. Over time, they cause acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a condition in which progressive failure of the immu ...

AIDS Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual m ...

, Hepatitis B,

Hepatitis C Hepatitis C is an infectious disease caused by the hepatitis C virus (HCV) that primarily affects the liver; it is a type of viral hepatitis. During the initial infection people often have mild or no symptoms. Occasionally a fever, dark urine, a ...

and the interactions between these infections and their role in the causation and progression of

hepatocellular carcinoma Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common type of primary liver cancer in adults and is currently the most common cause of death in people with cirrhosis. HCC is the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. It occurs in t ...

. He has led several clinical studies focused on HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C. In 2003, he joined Makerere College of Health Sciences as a

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 ...

in the department of Internal Medicine. In 2010, he was promoted to the rank of senior lecturer. He made

in 2013. In 2015, he was appointed Head of Department of Internal Medicine at the college.

References

External links

Ponsiano Ocama, MBChB, MMED, PhD: Associate Professor and Chair, Department of Medicine, Makerere University College of Health Sciences, Kampala, Uganda

Mulago Hospital’s Department of Medicine
As of 11 November 2016. {{DEFAULTSORT:Ocama, Ponsiano 1969 births Living people Alur people Ugandan gastroenterologists 21st-century Ugandan physicians Makerere University alumni Academic staff of Makerere University University of Antwerp alumni University of Texas alumni People from Northern Region, Uganda