Role: Internal Medicine Resident | O.R. Tambo MMed Scholar

Affiliation: Mbarara University of Science and Technology, Faculty of Health Sciences 
MMed Project Title: Prevalence and determinants of subclinical myocardial injury in patients with diabetes Mellitus: A comparative study of HIV-Positive and HIV-Negative Individuals

Bio: Dr. Ritah Ayebazibwe is an Internal Medicine physician and early-career researcher based at Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital in southwestern Uganda. She obtained her Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBChB) from Makerere University and recently completed her Master of Medicine (MMed) in Internal Medicine at Mbarara University of Science and Technology (MUST). Her research interests are broadly in infectious diseases, with a particular interest in the intersection between infectious and non-communicable diseases. She is interested in understanding how coexisting infectious and chronic non-communicable conditions influence disease outcomes and in generating evidence that can inform practical approaches to improving patient care, particularly in resource-limited settings. As a research scholar under the O.R. Tambo Research Chairs Initiative (ORTARChI) at the Infectious Diseases Institute (IDI), Dr. Ayebazibwe receives research mentorship and has conducted research examining high-risk subclinical myocardial injury among people living with HIV and diabetes in southwestern Uganda. Her work explored the burden of subclinical cardiovascular disease and its association with metabolic, HIV-related, and other clinical factors, contributing to the growing evidence on cardiovascular health and multimorbidity among people living with HIV.

Her training and clinical practice in Internal Medicine have shaped her approach to research, particularly her interest in identifying important unanswered questions arising from patient care and investigating them systematically. She is committed to building a career as a clinician-researcher, conducting rigorous and clinically relevant research that advances understanding of disease, informs clinical practice, and contributes to better health outcomes in Uganda and other resource-limited settings.