The work was multi-disciplinary requiring expertise from a wide variety of backgrounds. Our team included clinical trials, clinical epidemiology, basic science, and translational researchers with expertise in immunology, paediatrics, data management, programming, and analysis. Our investigational team includes expertise in diagnosis and management of COVID-19; clinical evaluation of COVID-19 diagnostics; design and conduct of large randomised controlled trials; data management, programming and analysis.

 

Professor Pontiano Kaleebu is the chief investigator.

He is the Director Uganda Virus Research Institute and Director of the MRC/UVRI Uganda Research Unit. He is Honorary Professor at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and Makerere University College of Health Sciences. Prof. Kaleebu holds a medical degree from Makerere University, a Diploma in Immunology, and a PhD from the University of London. He was admitted to the Fellowship of the Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College, London in 2011. Prof. Kaleebu has served on many committees including the WHO HIV Vaccine Advisory Committee, The Global HIV Vaccine Enterprise coordinating committee, The UNAIDS science panel, the AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition Board, the NIAID HIV/AIDS Clinical trials strategic working group, CHAVI-Immune Discovery Scientific Advisory Board and was chair of the African AIDS Vaccine Programme (AAVP). He is Uganda’s representative at the EDCTP General Assembly. He chairs the National HIV drug resistance Working group. His main research interests include HIV vaccine research especially understanding protective immune responses, HIV diversity and resistance to antiretroviral therapy.


Dr Bernard Kikaire

Dr Bernard is a medical doctor who trained at Makerere University and holds an MSc in Epidemiology from London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and a PhD in HIV nutrition and Immunology from Trinity College Dublin. He is a Lecturer Makerere University School of Medicine, Department of Paediatrics since 2012, which he joined after working for the MRC/UVRI Research Unit in Uganda for 9 years. He coordinates activities of the EDCTP projects at Uganda Virus Research Institute including being the scientific liaison officer of the EACCR and leader of the HIV node of the same network. He is also the project manager of ALERRT, PANDORA projects and principal investigator of the AccessAfrica Project at UVRI.



Dr Tom Lutalo 

Dr Tom is an experienced Biostatician and has contributed to various research articles over the years. He heads the Data and Biostatistics department where he oversees Data Collection, Analysis, Storage and Reuse. Mr. Lutalo received his Master’s degree in Statistics from the University of Leicester, UK. He has directed the Rakai Project data center in Entebbe for the past 14 years and is also principal investigator on the Rakai study of contraception and fertility funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Center for Reproductive Health at Johns Hopkins University. Mr. Lutalo oversees all Uganda-based data management, programming, and analysis.

Dr Barnabas Bakamutumaho 

Dr Barnabas is a medical doctor, and a translational scientist with experience in the epidemiology and laboratory diagnosis of emerging infectious diseases. As a research scientist, he has implemented multiple clinical and translational research projects with collaborators at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH), World Health Organization (WHO), and MACRO International. Through ongoing collaborative programs, he is currently investigating clinical and molecular epidemiology of Influenza, COVID-19, Polio, Measles, Rubella, RVF, and viral hepatitis. He has worked as a scientist of the UVRI National Influenza Centre of the Emerging and Reemerging Infections Program, established in collaboration with WHO and U.S. CDC. Since its inception, this program has become internationally recognized for its pioneering surveillance and clinical research on severe and emerging respiratory infections in East Africa.

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