KEY PROGRAM ELEMENTS

The Africa Health Sciences (AHS) pilot project was launched in January 2008 and will conclude in 2013. Through this project, the Foundation connected Dr. Conrad Muzoora, a promising young medical researcher from Uganda, with Dr. David Bangsberg, an international leader in HIV treatment strategies based at Harvard Medical School/ Massachusetts General Hospital. The goals of the project are for the protégé to become a:

1. Successful researcher whose work helps provide necessary treatment options for patients who have HIV/AIDS, in addition to another infectious disease, like TB.

2. Positive change agent by cultivating the next generation of doctors and researchers, who will remain in Uganda to help fight life-threatening infectious diseases.

Relevance
Sub-Saharan Africa is most affected by HIV and AIDS with approximately a third of all new HIV infections and AIDS related deaths globally. There are currently an estimated 940,000 people living with HIV in Uganda, and a further 1.2 million children who have been orphaned by AIDS. The identification and early treatment of other infectious diseases is vital for HIV/AIDS patients, as TB remains the second major cause of illness and death in people living with HIV/AIDS. Maybach Foundation protégé Dr. Muzoora’s research focuses on these co-infections and will help provide necessary treatment options for HIV/AIDS patients with co-infections. His work will have a substantial impact not only on the global health community, but also on all the individuals who undergo treatment for HIV/AIDS and other infectious diseases throughout the world. With the Foundation’s support, Dr. Muzoora will be able to impact thousands, if not millions, of lives globally.

The Protégé
Dr. Muzoora (30) is a promising young doctor and researcher from Mbarara, Uganda. He received his medical degree in Medicine and Surgery as well as a Masters in Medicine in Internal Medicine from Mbarara University of Science and Technology (MUST) and a double Bachelor’s Degree in Medicine and Surgery. Dr. Muzoora is now a Lecturer in the Department of Internal Medicine at MUST. He is married and has three children.

Dr. Muzoora is exceptionally dedicated to fighting infectious diseases. He is particularly concerned with the difficulty Uganda faces in retaining its most promising healthcare workers and is committed to improving the community where he was raised and educated. He will do so by teaching new generation of medical researchers and practitioners by offering best available clinical services and treatment to local patients, and by conducting important medical research. The Maybach Foundation believes that Dr. Muzoora is a force behind his community, a leader and role model who is able to produce results and empower others.

The Mentor
Dr. David Bangsberg (45) is Associate Professor at the Harvard School of Medicine and the Director of the International Programs for the Harvard University Center for AIDS Research and Partners AIDS Research Center. He is the Director of the Harvard Global Health Scholars Program at the Harvard Initiative for Global Health. He was the second highest RO-I investigator in HIV/AIDS in 2007 and has over 120 peer reviewed publications. Dr. Bangsberg leads the HIV research program at MUST, which focuses on structural, economic and social barriers to treatment access and adherence, including transportation and food insecurity.

Project Components
As part of the AHS project the Foundation provides:
• Medical research mentorship
• Statistical analysis and methodology courses
• Access to high-level sector specific conferences
• Public speaking and writing training
• Training on solicitation of opportunities for publication and funding
• Networking opportunities at high-level sector-specific conferences
• Coaching on the development of concrete objectives that will enable protégé to achieve his personal goal of contributing to the development of a strong core of global health leaders in his country

Positive Change (Multiplier Effect)
There is a critical shortage of health care professionals living and working in Africa, due to lack of educational opportunity, economic and political instability, and high attrition rates. This phenomenon has also been described as ‘brain drain’. Through the Foundation’s support, Dr. Muzoora receives training from leading healthcare professionals who work with him to ensure that he is able to receive funding for his research by writing successful proposals, getting published in professional journals, and presenting his findings at international conferences. In turn, Dr. Muzoora mentors undergraduate and graduate students locally to raise the level of professional opportunity and growth in Uganda.