EAC PhD Student Profile

Grace Biyinzika Lubega from Kampala, Uganda is currently undertaking a PhD at ŷ�� in 'Community-based approaches for antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) using a One Health (OH) approach.'

We asked Grace a few questions about her background, career and motivations for her research.

Tell us about your career / research before NTU?

Before joining NTU, I was a Research Associate at Makerere University School of Public Health (MakSPH), where I supported teaching, supervised students, and participated in research.

In my role, I actively contributed to the conceptualization of research proposals, data collection, and manuscript writing. I am also a co-author on sixteen peer-reviewed publications, two of which I authored as the first author.

What led you to apply to NTU?

Having been at NTU for my Master of Arts in Public Health, I was able to witness firsthand the commitment of NTU staff and students to the wellbeing of their international student community. Secondly, I have been increasingly concerned at the prominent focus of most antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) programmes on human facility settings when many people, including myself, access antimicrobials outside these settings.

I have therefore been looking for a research opportunity that extends to community settings. While undertaking my MAPH, I was introduced to the Socio-Ecological Model and Social Determinants of Health which I desired to explore further. As part of this PhD studentship I will be further examining these social science philosophies to critically analyse how best we can reduce the misuse and overuse of antimicrobials within low-resource settings.

Current research overview and experiences?

My background in Environmental Health has enabled me to examine the role of Environmental Health Practitioners in public health, with a focus on water, hygiene, and sanitation (WASH), antimicrobial resistance (AMR), and community health promotion.

With over four years of experience, I have coordinated ŷ�� and multi-disciplinary teams and projects in Uganda and the UK, including collaborations with tertiary institutions, hospitals, and non-governmental organizations.

Additionally, I have worked as a research assistant, project supervisor, project coordinator and principal investigator on various research projects covering areas such as COVID-19, non-communicable diseases, malaria and environmental hygiene.

What motivates you?

What motivates me most is the vision of self-reliance and African-led solutions, particularly in public health.

Inspired by Dr. John Nkengasong's (former Director of Africa CDC), I believe in the power of Africans coming together to address their own challenges, rapidly and effectively.

Doing this PhD is my starting point to building local capacity in health systems, advancing research, and fostering collaboration across Africa and also in the UK.

What are your goals and dreams going forward?

Going forward, my goal is to use this PhD as a pivotal stepping stone in my career, allowing me to evolve into an independent researcher and public health leader.

I envision contributing to impactful health solutions and driving research that informs public policy in Africa.

Additionally, I am deeply committed to advancing the relevance of equitable North-South partnerships, like the NTU-Mak collaboration. These partnerships should prioritize mutual benefits, capacity building, and shared ownership in research outputs. This collaboration, housed under NTU’s EAC, is a model of how partnerships can support sustainable development and innovation in health systems. My ambition is to scale-up these models and strengthen Africa’s leadership in global health research and policy.