11 Oct Partnerships for the Future: IDI Makerere Visits AIGHD in Amsterdam
The Infectious Disease Institute (IDI) of Makerere University came to AIGHD’s Amsterdam office last 18-20 September 2024 for a partnership visit. The IDI team, composed of Executive Director Andrew Kambugu, Head of Research Stephen Okoboi, and Bioinformatics Scientist Ronald Galiwango, met with their counterparts from AIGHD to discuss future collaborations and spaces for future development. IDI is a renowned institute especially in Uganda where they maintain a strong presence in health policy and research. Their growing portfolio of projects is expanding further into Southern and Eastern Africa with the goal of improving the health of all Africans.
With shifting priorities in global health and a changing funding climate for research organizations like AIGHD and IDI, these partnerships are more critical than ever to develop knowledge that is cutting-edge, inclusive, and highly applicable across a multitude of settings in Europe, Africa, and the rest of the globe.
Informative Sessions on TB, HIV, AMR, NCDs, Child Health, and Data Science
The visit was designed to be highly informative and knowledge-building, clarifying the core characteristics, research arenas, and shared expertise between AIGHD and IDI. Over the course of three days, we hosted sessions on tuberculosis (led by Dr. Sabine Hermans and Dr. Frank Cobelens), HIV, non-communicable diseases, and child health (led by Dr. Peter Reiss), antimicrobial resistance (led by Dr. Constance Schultsz), and data science (led by Ronald Galiwango). Research presentations from IDI and AIGHD were mainstays in the visit, highlighting the innovative approaches of both institutes in tackling these health-related issues across clinical and social lines.
IDI colleagues in Uganda also joined the sessions online and shared their inputs and learnings throughout the visit. The group included Dr. Tom Kakaire (Head of Strategy and Business Development), Doreen Ekaru (working with Dr Kakaire’s team), and Dr. Dathan Byonanebye (Deputy Head of the Global Health Security Program).
Collaborations are critical for Tuberculosis, Antimicrobial Resistance, HIV, and Data Science
On the last day of the visit, IDI and AIGHD sat down together to reflect on the various areas of collaboration. Some key themes that piqued Dr. Kambugu’s interest were tuberculosis, antimicrobial resistance, HIV, and data science research stating, “Our DNAs are quite similar,” referring to the core approaches and research themes between IDI and AIGHD.
Drawing up clear steps forward, Prof. Schultsz began drafting the collaboration framework across both institutions, utilising these key areas as starter points but with the ultimate goal of growing our partnership.
A Partnership for the Future of Global Health
The last session was dedicated to drawing up an agreement on our partnership with IDI, outlining our mutual desire to grow and empower one another to address key global health issues on an equitable and participatory manner.
“The real way of forging partnerships is being in the trenches and working on something together,” professed Dr. Kambugu. With ever-ambitious goals and a critical need for global health interventions and knowledge, this partnership symbolizes our continued commitment to develop science and healthcare that is people-centered, innovative, and socially-integrated.
Held at the AIGHD office, the partnership agreement was signed by both AIGHD and IDI, with Prof. Dr. Constance Schultsz and Dr. Sabine Hermans representing the former and Dr. Andrew Kambugu and Dr. Stephen Okoboi representing the latter respectively.
Finishing the signing ceremony, a bag of Dutch sweets and embroidered bags from Makerere University were exchanged by Dr. Schultsz and Dr. Kambugu.
Shared Moments
AIGHD and IDI took a boat tour of Amsterdam, weaving through the canal waters on a bright and sunny afternoon. Prof. Constance Schultsz, an Amsterdam native herself, shared many wonderful tidbits about the city as we passed the streets parallel to our route. A dinner at the iconic Cafe-Restaurant De Bazel along Vijzelstraat followed. There was also
Acknowledgements
The successful visit was primarily organized by Business Development Officer Libby Miller and AIGHD Uganda’s Henry Tumwijukye together with support from the rest of our administrative staff. We would like to officially congratulate the organizers for their tireless contribution and hospitality. We thank the Infectious Diseases Institute team for their meticulous engagement and for empowering partnership to address global health issues together.