PATH's Uganda country director receives presidential award for pioneering work in HPV vaccination and cervical cancer screening
Dr. Emmanuel Mugisha, PATH's Uganda country director, has received the prestigious Golden Medal Award for his work pioneering the campaign against cervical cancer through human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination in Uganda.
The award—representing the highest civilian distinction in Uganda—was delivered to Dr. Mugisha on January 26 by Uganda's president, His Excellency Yoweri Museveni, at the country's 31st Liberation Day celebrations.
Dr. Mugisha has pioneered HPV vaccine demonstration programs in Africa, starting in Uganda and later expanding to Eastern and Southern Africa. Through his tireless and forward-looking efforts, Uganda became the first country to transition from an HPV demonstration program to a full national rollout of the HPV vaccine. The Golden Medal Award also recognizes Dr. Mugisha's leadership in promoting cervical cancer screening in Uganda.
The award was announced days before heads of state from across Africa endorsed the Addis Declaration on Immunization on January 31, 2017, a historic pledge to ensure that everyone in Africa receives the full benefits of immunization. The declaration, issued during the first Ministerial Conference on Immunization in Africa held in February 2016, calls for countries to increase political and financial investments in their immunization programs.
As PATH's country program leader in Uganda, Dr. Mugisha provides linkages at the national, regional, district, and local levels for PATH's work on HIV/AIDS; family planning; reproductive health; vaccines; and maternal, newborn, and child health and nutrition. He has been involved in starting large projects funded by the US Agency for International Development (USAID), including the Advocacy for Better Health project, where he now provides general oversight. He regularly collaborates with Uganda's ministries of health, education, and gender as well as the World Health Organization, USAID, and regional and local partners.
Posted February 2, 2017.