Harriet Mayanja-Kizza | |
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Born | |
Nationality | Ugandan |
Citizenship | Uganda |
Alma mater | Makerere University (Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery) (Master of Medicine in Medicine) Case Western Reserve University (Master of Science in Immunology) American College of Physicians (Fellow of the American College of Physicians) |
Occupation(s) | Medical researcher, academic administrator |
Years active | 1978–present |
Title | Former Dean Makerere University School of Medicine |
Harriet Mayanja-Kizza is a Ugandan physician, researcher, and academic administrator. She is the former Dean of Makerere University School of Medicine, [1] [2] the oldest medical school in East Africa, [3] established in 1924. [4]
She was born in the Central Region of Uganda in the 1950s. She holds the degree of Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery, obtained from Makerere University in 1978. She also holds the degree of Master of Medicine in Internal Medicine, obtained in 1983, also from Makerere. She studied immunology and pathology at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, USA, graduating with the degree of Master of Science in those fields in 1999. [2] She is a Fellow of the American College of Physicians. [5]
Mayanja-Kizza has worked as a lecturer in the Department of Internal Medicine at Makerere University Medical School. She has also served as the head of the Department of Internal Medicine, both at the medical school and at Mulago National Referral Hospital, the university's teaching hospital. In November 2010, she was appointed dean of the Makerere Medical School, at Makerere University College of Health Sciences. [5] [6] She has presented widely at national, regional, and International conferences and has published extensively in peer journals. [7] In 2022, she was ranked by the AD Scientific Index as the best scientist in Uganda. [8] [9] [10]
Her area of specialization is immunology, focusing on the interaction between AIDS and tuberculosis. Her research studies, are in the areas of immunopathogenesis, and immune-modulation treatments among patients with human immunodeficiency virus infection and tuberculosis. [2] Professor Harriet Mayanja-Kizza is a Fellow of the Uganda National Academy of Sciences. [11]
She is a respected researcher with more than 200 publications and 9277 citations of her works as of May 2022. [12] Some of her articles with more than 100 citations include; A blood RNA signature for tuberculosis disease risk: a prospective cohort study (2016), [13] Outcomes of cryptococcal meningitis in Uganda before and after the availability of highly active antiretroviral therapy (2008), [14] A study of the safety, immunology, virology, and microbiology of adjunctive etanercept in HIV-1-associated tuberculosis (2004), [15] Impact of tuberculosis (TB) on HIV-1 activity in dually infected patients (2001), [16] Patient and health service delay in pulmonary tuberculosis patients attending a referral hospital: a cross-sectional study (2005), [17] Predictors of long-term viral failure among Ugandan children and adults treated with antiretroviral therapy (2007), [18] Four-gene pan-African blood signature predicts progression to tuberculosis (2018), [19] Sero-prevalence and risk factors for hepatitis B virus infection among health care workers in a tertiary hospital in Uganda (2010), [20] Novel serologic biomarkers provide accurate estimates of recent Plasmodium falciparum exposure for individuals and communities (2015), [21] Immunoadjuvant prednisolone therapy for HIV-associated tuberculosis: a phase 2 clinical trial in Uganda (2005), [22] Combination therapy with fluconazole and flucytosine for cryptococcal meningitis in Ugandan patients with AIDS (1998), [23] Severe sepsis in two Ugandan hospitals: a prospective observational study of management and outcomes in a predominantly HIV-1 infected population (2009), [24] Immunological mechanisms of human resistance to persistent Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection (2018), [25] IFN-γ-independent immune markers of Mycobacterium tuberculosis exposure (2019), [26] Genome scan of M. tuberculosis infection and disease in Ugandans (2008), [27] Acceptance of routine testing for HIV among adult patients at the medical emergency unit at a national referral hospital in Kampala, Uganda (2007), [28] Diagnostic performance of a seven-marker serum protein biosignature for the diagnosis of active TB disease in African primary healthcare clinic attendees with signs and symptoms suggestive of TB (2016), [29] The impact of early monitored management on survival in hospitalized adult Ugandan patients with severe sepsis: a prospective intervention study (2012), [30] High T-cell immune activation and immune exhaustion among individuals with suboptimal CD4 recovery after 4 years of antiretroviral therapy in an African cohort (2011), [31] FCRL5 Delineates Functionally Impaired Memory B Cells Associated with Plasmodium falciparum Exposure (2015), [32] Concise gene signature for point‐of‐care classification of tuberculosis (2016), Relationship of immunodiagnostic assays for tuberculosis and numbers of circulating CD4+ T-cells in HIV infection (2010) [33]
The management of HIV/AIDS normally includes the use of multiple antiretroviral drugs as a strategy to control HIV infection. There are several classes of antiretroviral agents that act on different stages of the HIV life-cycle. The use of multiple drugs that act on different viral targets is known as highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). HAART decreases the patient's total burden of HIV, maintains function of the immune system, and prevents opportunistic infections that often lead to death. HAART also prevents the transmission of HIV between serodiscordant same-sex and opposite-sex partners so long as the HIV-positive partner maintains an undetectable viral load.
Cryptococcosis is a potentially fatal fungal infection of mainly the lungs, presenting as a pneumonia, and in the brain, where it appears as a meningitis. Coughing, difficulty breathing, chest pain and fever are seen when the lungs are infected. When the brain is infected, symptoms include headache, fever, neck pain, nausea and vomiting, light sensitivity and confusion or changes in behavior. It can also affect other parts of the body including skin, where it may appear as several fluid-filled nodules with dead tissue.
An opportunistic infection is an infection caused by pathogens that take advantage of an opportunity not normally available. These opportunities can stem from a variety of sources, such as a weakened immune system, an altered microbiome, or breached integumentary barriers. Many of these pathogens do not necessarily cause disease in a healthy host that has a non-compromised immune system, and can, in some cases, act as commensals until the balance of the immune system is disrupted. Opportunistic infections can also be attributed to pathogens which cause mild illness in healthy individuals but lead to more serious illness when given the opportunity to take advantage of an immunocompromised host.
Following infection with HIV-1, the rate of clinical disease progression varies between individuals. Factors such as host susceptibility, genetics and immune function, health care and co-infections as well as viral genetic variability may affect the rate of progression to the point of needing to take medication in order not to develop AIDS.
Immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome (IRIS) is a condition seen in some cases of HIV/AIDS or immunosuppression, in which the immune system begins to recover, but then responds to a previously acquired opportunistic infection with an overwhelming inflammatory response that paradoxically makes the symptoms of infection worse.
HIV disease–related drug reaction is an adverse drug reaction caused by drugs used for the treatment of HIV/AIDS.
Sir Alimuddin Zumla is a British-Zambian professor of infectious diseases and international health at University College London Medical School, and a Consultant Infectious Diseases physician at UCLHospitals NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK. He specialises in infectious and tropical diseases, clinical immunology, and internal medicine, with a special interest in HIV/AIDS, respiratory infections, pathogens with epidemic potential and diseases of poverty. He is known for his leadership of infectious/tropical diseases research and capacity development activities. He was awarded a Knighthood in the 2017 Queens Birthday Honours list for services to public health and protection from infectious disease. In 2012, he was awarded Zambia's highest civilian honour, the Order of the Grand Commander of Distinguished services - First Division. In 2024, for the seventh consecutive year, Zumla was recognised by Clarivate Analytics, Web of Science as one of the world's top 1% most cited researchers. In 2021 Sir Zumla was elected as Fellow of The World Academy of Sciences. In 2024, he was elected Member of the prestigious Academy of Europe.
The stages of HIV infection are acute infection, latency, and AIDS. Acute infection lasts for several weeks and may include symptoms such as fever, swollen lymph nodes, inflammation of the throat, rash, muscle pain, malaise, and mouth and esophageal sores. The latency stage involves few or no symptoms and can last anywhere from two weeks to twenty years or more, depending on the individual. AIDS, the final stage of HIV infection, is defined by low CD4+ T cell counts, various opportunistic infections, cancers, and other conditions.
The co-epidemic of tuberculosis (TB) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is one of the major global health challenges in the present time. The World Health Organization (WHO) reported that TB is the leading cause of death in those with HIV. In 2019, TB was responsible for 30% of the 690,000 HIV/AIDS related deaths worldwide and 15% of the 1.4 million global TB deaths were in people with HIV or AIDS. The two diseases act in combination as HIV drives a decline in immunity, while tuberculosis progresses due to defective immune status. Having HIV makes one more likely to be infected with tuberculosis, especially if one's CD4 T-cells are low. CD4 T-cells below 200 increases one's risk of tuberculosis infection by 25 times. This condition becomes more severe in case of multi-drug (MDRTB) and extensively drug resistant TB (XDRTB), which are difficult to treat and contribute to increased mortality. Tuberculosis can occur at any stage of HIV infection. The risk and severity of tuberculosis increases soon after infection with HIV. Although tuberculosis can be a relatively early manifestation of HIV infection, the risk of tuberculosis progresses as the CD4 cell count decreases along with the progression of HIV infection. The risk of TB generally remains high in HIV-infected patients, remaining above the background risk of the general population even with effective immune reconstitution and high CD4 cell counts with antiretroviral therapy.
The Infectious Diseases Institute (IDI), established within Makerere University, is a Ugandan not-for-profit organization which aims to strengthen health systems in Africa, with a strong emphasis on infectious diseases; through research and capacity development. In pursuit of its mission both in Uganda and Sub-Saharan Africa, IDI provides care to People Living with HIV (PLHIV) and other infectious diseases, builds capacity among healthcare workers through training and ongoing support, maintains a focus on prevention, and carries out relevant research.
Lauren V. Wood is an American allergist, immunologist, and staff physician at the National Cancer Institute (NCI) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, Maryland, where she has served as a principal investigator. She is known for conducting studies of vaccines for cancer, Human papillomavirus (HPV), Hepatitis C, and HIV especially for use with children, teens and young adults. She holds the rank of captain in the U.S. Public Health Service (PHS).
Lalita Ramakrishnan is an Indian-born American microbiologist who is known for her contributions to the understanding of the biological mechanism of tuberculosis. As of 2019 she serves as a professor of Immunology and Infectious Diseases at the University of Cambridge, where she is also a Wellcome Trust Principal Research Fellow and a practicing physician. Her research is conducted at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, where she serves as the Head of the Molecular Immunity Unit of the Department of Medicine embedded at the MRC LMB. Working with Stanley Falkow at Stanford, she developed the strategy of using Mycobacterium marinum infection as a model for tuberculosis. Her work has appeared in a number of journals, including Science, Nature, and Cell. In 2018 and 2019 Ramakrishnan coauthored two influential papers in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) arguing that the widely accepted estimates of the prevalence of latent tuberculosis—estimates used as a basis for allocation of research funds—are far too high. She is married to Mark Troll, a physical chemist.
Moses R Kamya, is a Ugandan physician, academic, researcher and academic administrator, who serves as Professor and Chair of the Department Medicine, Makerere University School of Medicine, a component of Makerere University College of Health Sciences.
Rhoda Wanyenze is a physician, public health consultant, academic and medical administrator, who serves as the Dean of Makerere University School of Public Health, a component school of Makerere University College of Health Sciences, which is part of Makerere University, Uganda's oldest and largest public university.
Pontiano Kaleebu is a Ugandan physician, clinical immunologist, HIV/AIDS researcher, academic and medical administrator, who is the executive director of the Uganda Virus Research Institute.
Roy D. Mugerwa was a Ugandan physician, cardiologist and researcher. His contribution to the world of academics include being a Professor Emeritus at Makerere University College of Health Sciences in Kampala, cardiology in Uganda, researching HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis, and his efforts to find an effective HIV vaccine.
Henry Charles Mwandumba is an African Professor of Medicine and the Director of the Malawi-Liverpool-Wellcome Programme. He works on the tuberculosis phagosome in the University of Malawi College of Medicine, and serves as President of the Federation of African Immunological Societies. In 2019 Mwandumba was awarded the Royal Society Africa Prize.
Professor Paul Waako, is a Ugandan pharmacologist, academic and academic administrator, who serves as the Vice Chancellor of Busitema University, a public university in the Eastern Region of Uganda, since 1 May 2019.
Andrew Ddungu Kambugu is a Ugandan physician who serves as The Sande-McKinnell Executive Director at Uganda Infectious Disease Institute and a Honorary Senior lecturer at Makerere University College of Sciences. He is also an Adjunct Associate Professor at the University of Minnesota. In July 2020, he was appointed to the United Nations 2021 Food System Scientific Group.
Damalie Nakanjako, is a Ugandan specialist physician, internist, immunologist, infectious diseases consultant, academic and researcher, who serves as the Principal and Professor of Medicine at Makerere University College of Health Sciences. Immediately prior to her present position, she served as Dean of Makerere University School of Medicine, from 2019 until 17 February 2021.