Akankwatsa Dickson
Kampala
Summary
I am a 32-year-old male highly motivated Ugandan Epidemiologist, with vast experience in outbreak preparedness and response. I am currently working with the Infectious Diseases Institute, Makerere University as a Regional Global Health Security Project Officer and a Vaccination Project Officer supporting the West Nile region of Uganda, in strengthening health systems for Preparedness and Response to emerging & re-emerging Public Health Threats.
Overview
7
7
years of professional experience
Work History
Project Officer, 2nd. Year Life Course Vaccination
Infectious Diseases Institute, - Kampala, Makerere University
04.2024 - Current
- Provide technical guidance and support to immunization activities in the West Nile region to increase uptake
- Support development and implementation of district immunization micro plans to enhance immunization uptake
- Support training of DHTs, VHTs and HCWs to enhance their involvement and support to immunization activities in West Nile
- Support reporting and also, oversee the inclusion of reports on under-immunized children and coordinate follow-ups for immunization at referral health facilities
- Collaborate with Data Officers/IT Officers to track and follow up on unvaccinated children and ensure their vaccination at health facilities
- Work with Village Health teams to identify all under-immunized children who are lost to follow-up and ensure their immunization status is up to date
- Work with peer educators to enhance knowledge of caretakers of under immunized or unimmunized children
- Support the planning and executing targeted outreaches aimed at specific populations
- Innovate demand generation mechanisms within facilities to enhance uptake among targeted populations.
Regional Global Health Security Project Officer
Infectious Diseases Institute, - Kampala
10.2023 - Current
- Strengthen health systems to better prepare and Respond to public health threats through the West Nile Public Health Emergency Operation Centre
- Coordinate IPC/WASH program activities working with regional partners
- Support healthcare worker capacity building through training and mentorships
- Establish one health community of practice to enhance collaboration among human, animal and environment stakeholders
- Support vaccination efforts to reach out to all zero dose children in the region
- Support emergency response activities as and when they occur
- Support project documentation through abstracts, manuscripts, and success stories
- Support monitoring and evaluation of program activities in the region and launch quality improvement projects.
Infection Prevention & Control Technical Officer
Infectious Diseases Institute, - Kampala, Makerere University
10.2019 - 09.2023
- Strengthen Preparedness and Response to public health threats through partner mapping, coordination, training of Healthcare workers, and mentorship programs, working through the Public Health Emergency Operation Centre (PHEOC)
- Support & participate in IPC/WASH program design and implementation
- Support both internal and external IPC/WASH documentation through reports, success stories, and manuscript writing
- Support immunization efforts for under immunized/zero dose persons in West Nile region
- National and regional IPC partner coordination and collaboration for IPC/WASH improvement
- Support implementation of surveillance P & R activities including the establishment of a regional One Health community of practice
- Participate in the development and dissemination of national IPC/Case management protocols
- Participate in AMR surveillance in health care facilities
- Participate and support in training and roll out of IDSR guidelines in Healthcare facilities
- Oversee IDI IPC project activities implementation through coordination & technical support supervision
- Support monitoring and evaluation of IPC/WASH program and launching of quality improvement projects
- Support districts in developing and reviewing districts' 4W partner matrix, Costed Preparedness & Response Work Plans
- Develop TORs and SOPs for community coordination and engagement
- Plan, Budget, Implement and account for organization funds
- Maintain and account for regional IPC/WASH supplies and inventory.
Nursing Officer
Children's Clinic Naalya - Kampala
02.2019 - 10.2019
- Implemented clinical development programs to improve staff skills
- Implemented best clinical practice procedures for Children's clinic
- Established safe and hygienic working environments by developing and implementing nursing H&S, risk management, and operational policies
- Coordinated staff recruitment, onboarding, and retention programs to acquire and maintain a skilled and motivated workforce
- Oversaw nursing staff activities, directing individual and team efforts to achieve treatment goals
- Represented nursing staff at executive board meetings by answering queries, seeking clarifications, or drafting policies with hospital stakeholders
- Enforced hospital policies for drug custody, administration, and storage, minimizing cases of medication theft, abuse, or misuse a skilled best clinical.
Surveillance linkage and vaccinator
World Health Organization - Kampala
10.2018 - 10.2019
- Participated in contact tracing activities during the Ebola outbreak in Uganda in 2018
- As a focal point linking surveillance teams and vaccination teams during the Ebola outbreak in Uganda in 2018
- As a data manager and a screener for the eligibility of participants during the compassionate use of the RSV-ZEBOV vaccine against Ebola Zaire disease
- As a social mobilizer to coordinate and sensitize participants about Ebola vaccine preventive strategies against the disease (risk communication)
- As a vaccinator to vaccinate all eligible participants during the trial
- Participated in vaccination Project Microplanning
- As a team leader to coordinate team activities.
Nursing Officer
Mulago National Referral Hospital - Kampala
10.2017 - 10.2018
- Medical Nursing Officer (Intern), where I emerged as the best intern of the year amongst the other 3, because of my clinical competencies
- Part of the team managing the day-to-day activities of the Clinic/Ward/departments that I would be allocated
- Do stock management and inventory for the wards assigned
- Team lead in the delivery of nursing care services and follow-up
- Lead CMEs onward as part of the daily routine
- Kept and updated medical records by operating health management systems to capture and retain patient information.
Sexual & Reproductive Health Services Preovider
Reproductive Health Uganda - Kampala
10.2017 - 10.2018
- Team lead the health care team to deliver SRHS during fieldwork in institutions like Makerere University
- Support community outreaches
- Corporate management of clients as assigned by the facility in charge
- Attend and coordinate different Youth workshops to improve SRHS uptake
- Manage fieldwork stock and inventory and hand over appropriately
- Collaborated with colleagues to coordinate, allocate and deliver robust frontline counseling services
- Liaised effectively with key personnel to safely execute daily tasks and address clients' wider needs
- Delivered effective training and education programs for victims of sexual abuse.
Education
Master of Public Health (MPH) -
Makerere University - Kampala
01.2025
Certificate in good clinical practice, Human Research -
CITI Program By Word Health Organization
01.2024
Fundamentals of Infection prevention -
Infection Control Africa Network - South Africa
09.2023
Certificate in implementation Research of Neglected Tropical Diseases -
World Health Organization
10.2021
Certificate in Vaccinology -
East African Centre For Vaccines And Immunization - Nairobi
06.2021
Certificate in Human Subjects Research Protection -
CITI Program By World Health Organization
01.2021
Leadership & management in Global Health (LMIH) -
University of Washington - Washington DC
12.2020
Certificate in AMR surveillance -
World Health Organization
03.2020
Certificate in Operational research for COVID 19 -
World Health Organization
03.2020
Bachelors of Science in Nursing (BSC.N) -
Bishop Stuart University - Mbarara
10.2017
Advanced Certificate of Education -
Valley College SS - Bushenyi
12.2012
Certificate of Education -
Valley College SS - Bushenyi
11.2010
Skills
- Project Management
- Stakeholder relations
- Team supervision
- Team leadership
- Knowledge & Skills of Research
- Knowledge of different statistical software for data analysis & interpretation
- Documentation coordination
- Communication
- Writing/documentation
- Monitoring and Evaluation
- Operational reporting
- Grant searching and Writing
Research
- Infection prevention and control multi‑level capacity building for health workers—a cascade training and mentorship approach, Maureen, S, Dickson A, 2021, https://www.researchgate.net/publication/356493395_Infection_prevention_and_control_multi-level_capacity_building_for_health_workers-a_cascade_training_and_mentorship_approach
- Infection Prevention and Control Measures in Health Facilities in Uganda: An Evaluation of Related Barriers and Facilitators as Covid-19 Pandemic Recedes, Dickson, A., Gerald, A., Adelline, T., Grace, N., Shillah, N., 2024, International Journal of Research and Analytical Reviews (IJRAR), 11(2)
- Role of Division of Tasks: a Case of the 2022 Ebola Sudan Outbreak in Mubende District, Uganda, Dickson, A., Sserubidde, J., Nankya, M., Ndifuna, M., 2024, IJNRD-INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF NOVEL RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT, 9(3)
- Do IPC mentors matter? The status of IPC program in healthcare facilities in West Nile Region, Uganda, Akankwatsa, Dickson, Elyanu, Peter, Namyalo, Grace, Angella, Ndagire, Aluma, Gerald, Ocen, Bruno, 2024, Mendeley Data, V1, doi: 10.17632/jwk2j7pk4j.1
- Barriers and Facilitators to sustaining IPC measures as COVID 19 pandemic recedes, Akankwatsa, Dickson, Aluma, Gerald, Twimukye, Adelline, Namyalo, Grace, Nakato, Shillah, 2024, Mendeley Data, V1, doi: 10.17632/69ddjy2ys3.1
- Dissertation on Understanding barriers and facilitators to dog mass vaccination to inform rabies elimination in Uganda
- The incidence of surgical site infections in China, Lin, J., Peng, Y., Guo, L., Tao, S., Li, S., Huang, W., Yang, X., Qiao, F., Zong, Z., 2023, Journal of Hospital Infection, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhin.2023.06.004
References
- Professor Sonja Hatnack, Professor of Veterinary Public Health, University of Zurich, Switzerland
- Judith Nanyondo, Program manager, Global Health Security Program, Infectious Diseases Institute (IDI), jnanyondo@idi.co.ug, +256774286472
- Dr. Kisakye Annet, National Professional Officer/Routine Immunisation, EPI team lead, World Health Organisation, Uganda, kisakyean@who.int, +256772504668
Languages
Runyakitara
Native or Bilingual
English
Native or Bilingual
Luganda
Native or Bilingual
Timeline
Project Officer, 2nd. Year Life Course Vaccination
Infectious Diseases Institute, - Kampala, Makerere University
04.2024 - Current
Regional Global Health Security Project Officer
Infectious Diseases Institute, - Kampala
10.2023 - Current
Infection Prevention & Control Technical Officer
Infectious Diseases Institute, - Kampala, Makerere University
10.2019 - 09.2023
Nursing Officer
Children's Clinic Naalya - Kampala
02.2019 - 10.2019
Surveillance linkage and vaccinator
World Health Organization - Kampala
10.2018 - 10.2019
Nursing Officer
Mulago National Referral Hospital - Kampala
10.2017 - 10.2018
Sexual & Reproductive Health Services Preovider
Reproductive Health Uganda - Kampala
10.2017 - 10.2018
Master of Public Health (MPH) -
Makerere University - Kampala
Certificate in good clinical practice, Human Research -
CITI Program By Word Health Organization
Fundamentals of Infection prevention -
Infection Control Africa Network - South Africa
Certificate in implementation Research of Neglected Tropical Diseases -
World Health Organization
Certificate in Vaccinology -
East African Centre For Vaccines And Immunization - Nairobi
Certificate in Human Subjects Research Protection -
CITI Program By World Health Organization
Leadership & management in Global Health (LMIH) -
University of Washington - Washington DC
Certificate in AMR surveillance -
World Health Organization
Certificate in Operational research for COVID 19 -
World Health Organization
Bachelors of Science in Nursing (BSC.N) -
Bishop Stuart University - Mbarara
Advanced Certificate of Education -
Valley College SS - Bushenyi
Certificate of Education -
Valley College SS - Bushenyi
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