Global Health in Uganda (Mukono)

The local Medical Director oversees and arranges all clinical and public health-related activities and is also responsible for coordinating healthcare and emergency services for participants as needed. They coordinate a cadre of preceptors who mentor and supervise program participants at both clinical and public/community health sites.

Dr. O’Neil earned his Medical degree from George Washington University and completed a residency and chief residency in internal medicine at Boston Medical Center. Dr. O’Neil completed the three-year Kellogg National Leadership Program, and in 1998, founded the non-profit organization Omni-Med, (www.omnimed.org) which has run programs in Belize, Guyana and Kenya. Since 2008, Omni Med has partnered with the Ugandan Ministry of Health to develop an innovative health service program in Uganda, training over 1350 community health workers and conducting several clinical trials measuring program efficacy, one of the first in the service sector. Dr. O’Neil is the author of two highly acclaimed books published by the American Medical Association, Awakening Hippocrates: A Primer on Health, Poverty, and Global Service, and A Practical Guide to Global Health Service. He previously served as Chair of a Brookings Institution Taskforce on Health Service in Sub-Saharan Africa. He is a practicing emergency physician at Steward St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center in Boston for 25 years, and is an Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine at Tufts University School of Medicine.

Mr. Mutimba is a local resident of Nsumba village, where his parents were born and raised. Trained as a Village Health Team (VHT) Member in May 2009, he has worked tirelessly to educate his neighbors about the critical health issues facing their communities. Now, as Omni Med’s Uganda president, Edward takes the hard work and positive attitude that he practiced at the local level to the larger context of the Sub-County, helping to organize VHT Trainings, coordinate follow-up meetings and quarterly meetings, and provide invaluable input to the direction of the VHT Program.

Dr. Kenneth Kabali serves as Omni Med’s Medical Officer. Dr. Kabali is an MD, MPH trained at Makerere University in Kampala. He lives in Ntinda with his wife and children. Dr. Kabali overseas all of Omni Med’s operations. He teaches and supervises all student volunteers, and helps the staff with strategic vision and execution. He has been a driving force behind research efforts and has co-authored several research publications with Omni Med. He began working with Omni Med in November 2015.

Rebecca Hamala is a resident of Mukono and a 2016 graduate of Makerere University where she earned a degree in Development Studies. After graduation, she worked with Mukono District NGO Forum as an administrative assistant for two years. She joined Omni Med in November 2018 as the finance officer. She is passionate about extending a hand to other people and is excited for the opportunity to be a part of Omni Med and help to improve the health of people in different communities of Mukono. She is also interested in reading, writing, traveling, meeting new people and has a vision to see all people in Uganda living decent and desirable lives.

Allan joined Omni Med in 2018, starting out as facilities manager and helping to coordinate Dr. James O’Donovan’s research during his PhD work from Oxford while working with Omni Med in Uganda. Allan is a 2016 college graduate and rapidly assumed several roles, coordinating the Mental Health program, the Cancer Screening Program run during Covid, many Covid prevention efforts and the primary visitor liaison.

Cissy Luyiga began work as a VHT for Kiyoola village in Kiyoola parish. Omni Med staff noted her dedication and ability to work well with villagers and other VHTs. She was hired in 2017 and has become an essential staff member since. She has coordinated the hypertension screening program and works closely with the George Washington University School of Nursing in their HTN Program. She works with Omni Med as a supervisor for VHTs across seven sub-counties that have been trained in taking blood pressure measurements. She also assists in daily fieldwork by leading quarterly training, conducting home visits and acting as a translator. Cissy is a single mother with four children.