Rakai Health Sciences Program (RHSP)

We’re excited to have you on board. Welcome to RHSP and the ROC project—looking forward to a meaningful and impactful engagement.

I am very excited to spend the summer working with RHSP as a Graduate Research Assistant! Thank you for the very warm welcome Rakai Health Sciences Program (RHSP). I look forward to a summer of learning and growth collaborating with RHSP on the Rakai Orphans in Community (ROC) project, investigating the burden of orphanhood among children across the Rakai District in Uganda.

It is an exciting season at the Rakai Health Sciences Program (RHSP) as we welcome a new cohort of interns across our departments. These students are joining us from various institutions, including Makerere University, Columbia University, Western University, Uganda Martyrs University, Kampala International University, and Makerere University Business School. They bring with them fresh perspectives, passion, and curiosity. During their internship, they will engage directly with our research, data, clinics, and community teams, gaining hands-on experience. At RHSP, we are proud to serve as a center for capacity building, nurturing the next generation of public health leaders.

We’re excited to bring you the highlights from our latest RHSP Newsletter, capturing an eventful January to April 2025. During these months, we made notable progress in research, strengthened partnerships, advanced community-driven initiatives, and received distinguished recognitions. These achievements reflect the unwavering commitment of our team, the support of our partners, and the trust of the communities we serve. Here’s a look at some of the key milestones.

🎉 Congratulations, Dr. Robert Ssekubugu. We proudly congratulate our Head of Epidemiology on the successful defense of his PhD at Karolinska Institutet. His dissertation, “The Impact of Response Timing, Mobile Telephone Use, and Use of Collection Tools on Survey Bias: Evidence from Rakai, Uganda,” is a valuable contribution to public health research. We celebrate this achievement and applaud his dedication to advancing epidemiological science. #KarolinskaInstitutet #ResearchExcellence

Wonderful to see this kind of meaningful collaboration in action—across borders, disciplines, and institutions. This work brings together Center for Global Health Equity members and long-standing research partners at Rakai Health Sciences Program (RHSP), co-driving serious inquiry into the intersection of health and extreme weather events—like drought, flooding, and extreme heat—in Uganda. It’s a powerful example of what’s possible when community knowledge, academic expertise, and trusted partnerships come together. More on the project here: https://lnkd.in/g58xzycv

RHSP was honored to host Prof. Joe Eisenberg and Andrea Mahieu from the University of Michigan during the ongoing Uganda Climate Shock Survey in Namirembe fishing village in South-Central Uganda affected by climate events. Their visit focused on refining methodological approaches, enhancing data quality, and strengthening collaborative ties between RHSP and the University of Michigan—leveraging insights to guide future studies and advance impactful research.

We are honored to be featured in a recent Hopkins Bloomberg Public Health titled “On the Cusp of Eliminating HIV,” written by Brian W. Simpson. The article highlights RHSP’s impactful journey in the fight against HIV/AIDS. Today, the Rakai Health Sciences Program finds itself at crossroads in the fight against HIV . Our data and lived experiences demonstrate that HIV transmission can be drastically reduced — and even eliminated. However, sustaining this progress requires uninterrupted access to treatment, strong research partnerships, and community-centered care. While our achievements are significant, they remain fragile amid recent funding challenges. We encourage you to read and share the article to help raise awareness and support for the ongoing fight against HIV. Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/dSh4-wJq

As a member of the RHSP team, I’ve seen firsthand the impact that sustained global HIV funding has had on communities in Uganda. The recent funding cuts and halted grants not only threaten decades of progress, but also deeply affect the teams on the ground who have dedicated their lives to this work. This article powerfully highlights what’s at stake not just programs, but people. We must continue advocating for the support needed to finish what we started in the fight against HIV. Rakai Health Sciences Program

This is the horrible reality our team in Uganda is facing. Despite nearing the finish line in the fight against HIV, the future of this work is now at risk. I’ve had the privilege of working with this incredible program in Uganda for the past 15 years. It’s been one of the greatest honors of my career. Rakai Health Sciences Program (RHSP)