The Faculty of Medicine at Mbarara University of Science and Technology (MUST) awarded seven research grants with support from First Mile Program and Global Health Collaborative. These grants are worth $7,000 for four Multidisciplinary grants and $5,000 for three Young Researcher grants and were the second round of awards given by the program.
The objective of the First Mile Program is to “Power the Academic Medical Center to Deliver Healthcare in the Community in Uganda.” The call for submissions was open to faculty and hospital staff with an interest in community health, nursing, clinical care, emergency medicine/trauma, intensive care, high–risk maternal care, oncology, palliative care, and biomedical sciences/basic sciences.
The seven multidisciplinary group grants and young research awarded were awarded to the following Principal Investigators and their projects:
- Ssenkumba Brian – Attitude, Knowledge, and Perception of Health Workers, and Relatives of the Deceased Towards Clinical Autopsy at Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital
- Imelda Busingye – Reducing Distress Through a Video Education Intervention Among Patients with Cancer at Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital,
- Onesmus Byamukama is researching the creation of a simple, low–cost, and scalable tracking tool to improve the quality of management of Hypertensive Disorders of Pregnancy.
- Dr. Dan Kisitu is exploring the utilization of Patient–Specific 3D–Printed Casts for applications in Orthopedic and Rehabilitation Care.
- Grace Kansiime is researching the prevalence and hypertension knowledge assessment among adults in rural southwestern Uganda with a baseline community survey.
- Vallence Niyonzima is validating the use of the Intensive and Critical Care Nursing Competence Scale Version–1 in Uganda.
- Ronald Kamoga is studying the effects of Vagus Nerve Stimulation in a rat model of Alzheimer’s disease–like symptoms, including anatomical, immunohistochemical, molecular, and behavioral changes.
The Faculty of Medicine is devoted to strengthening the skill set of students and staff in investigating and addressing health issues at Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital and the communities surrounding it. We congratulate the awardees on their achievement.