Prof. Damalie Nakanjako, MBChB, MMed, PhD

Professor Damalie Nakanjako is a distinguished physician, academic leader, and researcher with a career spanning medical education, governance, and scientific innovation.

She currently serves as Board Chair of the Uganda Cancer Institute, inaugurated in June 2025 by the Minister of Health. In this role, she guides the Institute’s strategic governance, ensuring it continues to serve as Uganda’s foremost cancer-care and research institution.

From 2020 to 2024, Professor Nakanjako was Principal of Makerere University College of Health Sciences, having previously served as Dean of the School of Medicine. During her tenure, she strengthened academic programs, fostered research partnerships, and expanded mentorship opportunities for young scientists.

Her academic journey began at Makerere University, where she earned her MBChB and MMed in Internal Medicine. She later completed a PhD in Biomedical Sciences at the University of Antwerp, Belgium (2010), and a Certificate in Leadership & Management in Health from the University of Washington, Seattle.

A leading researcher in translational immunology, her work has advanced understanding of chronic immune activation in adults living with HIV on antiretroviral therapy—critical research for developing an HIV cure in African contexts. She also directs and co-leads several high-impact initiatives, including the Makerere University–UVRI Infection & Immunity (MUII) Program, the ADAPT One Health Network, and the Afya Bora Global Health Leadership Consortium.

Through these roles, she has mentored over 50 postgraduate, doctoral, and postdoctoral trainees, shaping the next generation of African medical scientists.

Her achievements have been recognized internationally, with awards such as the Merle A. Sande Health Leadership Award (2013) and the TWAS–Abdool Karim Award in Biological Sciences (2022).

Today, Professor Nakanjako stands as a leading voice in African health sciences—committed to building strong institutions, advancing groundbreaking research, and nurturing future leaders in medicine.