Dr. Victoria Nankabirwa, MBChB, MPH, PhD, is a physician, epidemiologist, clinical investigator, and lecturer at Makerere University School of Public Health, Uganda. Her work sits at the intersection of experimental epidemiology, clinical trials, health professions education, and global health, with a particular focus on maternal, newborn, and child health. She is committed to advancing scientific excellence while building the institutional capacity, research leadership, and skilled workforce needed to address pressing health challenges in Uganda and across sub-Saharan Africa.
Dr. Nankabirwa has extensive experience leading and conducting randomized controlled trials and other epidemiological studies, translating rigorous scientific evidence into practical interventions to improve health outcomes. Her research spans neonatal infections, maternal and infant immunity to out-break prone infectious diseases, childhood vaccination, and affordable interventions to prevent newborn morbidity and mortality. She has led and contributed to trials evaluating interventions such as BCG vaccination and chlorhexidine cord cleansing, developed approaches to strengthen maternal and neonatal healthcare, and generated evidence to improve the identification of vulnerable newborns, including the development of birthweight nomograms for Ugandan infants.
Through sustained collaborations with Makerere University, the University of Bergen, CISMAC, and partners across Africa, Europe, and the United States, Dr. Nankabirwa contributes to strengthening international research partnerships, clinical trial expertise, and the capacity to conduct high-quality, locally relevant research. Her engagement in academic teaching, research mentorship, and collaborative training reflects her commitment to developing the next generation of epidemiologists and clinical investigators and embedding experimental epidemiology and evidence-based approaches within health professions education.
She has co-authored more than 100 original scientific publications, lectured at leading universities internationally, and disseminated research findings to scientific and public health audiences across several continents. She has also served as a reviewer for numerous scientific journals and as a member of the World Health Organization’s Immunization and Vaccines Related Implementation Research Advisory Committee (IVIR-AC).
Dr. Nankabirwa’s overarching commitment is to strengthening the connection between education, research, and healthcare delivery. Through clinical investigation, academic leadership, mentorship, and international collaboration, she works to build sustainable research capacity, advance evidence-informed clinical practice and public health policy and Dr. Victoria Nankabirwa, MBChB, MPH, PhD, is a physician, epidemiologist, clinical investigator, and lecturer at Makerere University School of Public Health, Uganda. Her work sits at the intersection of experimental epidemiology, clinical trials, health professions education, and global health, with a particular focus on maternal, newborn, and child health. She is committed to advancing scientific excellence while building the institutional capacity, research leadership, and skilled workforce needed to address pressing health challenges in Uganda and across sub-Saharan Africa.
Dr. Nankabirwa has extensive experience leading and conducting randomized controlled trials and other epidemiological studies, translating rigorous scientific evidence into practical interventions to improve health outcomes. Her research spans neonatal infections, maternal and infant immunity to SARS-CoV-2, childhood vaccination, and affordable interventions to prevent newborn morbidity and mortality. She has led and contributed to trials evaluating interventions such as BCG vaccination and chlorhexidine cord cleansing, developed approaches to strengthen maternal and neonatal healthcare, and generated evidence to improve the identification of vulnerable newborns, including the development of birthweight nomograms for Ugandan infants.
Through sustained collaborations with Makerere University, the University of Bergen, CISMAC, and partners across Africa, Europe, and the United States, Dr. Nankabirwa contributes to strengthening international research partnerships, clinical trial expertise, and the capacity to conduct high-quality, locally relevant research. Her engagement in academic teaching, research mentorship, and collaborative training reflects her commitment to developing the next generation of epidemiologists and clinical investigators and embedding experimental epidemiology and evidence-based approaches within health professions education.
She has co-authored more than 80 original scientific publications, lectured at leading universities internationally, and disseminated research findings to scientific and public health audiences across several continents. She has also served as a reviewer for numerous scientific journals and as a member of the World Health Organization’s Immunization and Vaccines Related Implementation Research Advisory Committee (IVIR-AC).
Dr. Nankabirwa’s overarching commitment is to strengthening the connection between education, research, and healthcare delivery. Through clinical investigation, academic leadership, mentorship, and international collaboration, she works to build sustainable research capacity, advance evidence-informed clinical practice and public health policy and improve health outcomes for mothers and children.