Dr. Edith Nakku-Joloba
Chairperson. Clinical epidemiologist and Senior Lecturer at Makerere University.
Governance and Leadership
How MRCU is structured and held to account
Mildmay Research Centre Uganda (MRCU) is an autonomous entity under the Mildmay Uganda Group, governed by a Board of Directors, run by a management team and staffed by researchers and research support professionals. Ethics and scientific review sit deliberately outside this line of authority.
Institutional standing
An autonomous research entity
MRCU was incorporated as an autonomous entity under the Mildmay Uganda Group in 2020 and began full institutional operations in 2024, inheriting the research legacy of the Research and Strategic Information Directorate.
Autonomy matters for research partners. It means MRCU can hold grants directly, contract in its own name, sit as a consortium partner in multi-country studies, and be accountable for scientific and financial conduct as an institution rather than as a department of a service provider.
Part of the Mildmay Uganda GroupAlongside Mildmay Hospital Uganda and the Institute of Health Sciences.
Structure
Three layers of responsibility
Governance, management and delivery are separated so that oversight is genuine rather than nominal.
1
Board of Directors
Sets strategic direction, appoints and holds the Director to account, approves policy, and oversees financial stewardship, risk and institutional integrity.
2
Management
The Director and management team run the centre day to day: research delivery, grants, laboratory and data operations, staffing, compliance and partnerships.
3
Staff and study teams
Investigators, coordinators, research associates, laboratory, data and administrative staff who design and deliver the studies.
Board of Directors
Governance and oversight
The Board brings together clinical epidemiology, health systems, finance, investment and technology expertise.
Dr. Kayondo Jane Frances Kengeya
Chairperson of the Scientific and Advisory Committee. Founder of Rounding Up the Edges International.
Ms. Juliet Negesa Gizamba
Managing Director, Eden Scholars Shield (U) Ltd | Finance & Operations Management Consultant.
Mr. Michael Niyetegeka
Executive Director, Refactory Limited. Investment consultant.
Dr. Vincent Oketcho
Mentor, Fellowship Program in Health Systems Management. Financial planner.
Management
Director
The Director is accountable to the Board and leads four functional areas, each with a named lead. The structure is aligned to MRCU's three strategic objectives: research excellence, capacity building, and sustainability.
Scientific Programme
Biomedical research, the biorepository, data science, the data repository, surveillance and communications.
Research Development
Proposal development, research networks and partnerships, manuscripts, mentorship and capacity building.
Ethics and Grants Management
MUREC administration, protocol review turnaround, grants management, ethical monitoring and regulatory affairs.
Finance and Operations
Financial management, enterprise resource planning, procurement, human resources, administration and governance support.
Dr. Ronald Mulebeke
Director. Accountable to the Board for the annual operational plan, the grant portfolio and institutional performance.
Mellisa Aloyo
Biomedical Research Lead and Biorepository. Leads biomedical science, diagnostics and biorepository development.
Dr. Joseph Mwaka
Research Development Lead. Leads proposal development, research networks, manuscripts and capacity building.
Roy Alia Asiku
Data Science Lead. Leads the data repository, surveillance data systems, communications, dissemination and TRANSPIRE.
Racheal Dedibo
Grants Management and Research Ethics Committee Administrator.
Pamela Kwagalakwe
Administrative Officer. Board and management meeting support, human resources, procurement and workplan tracking.
Victor Nanono
Ethics and Regulatory Officer. Study coordination, GCP compliance and participant management.
Solomon Agaba
Data Officer. Data repository governance, surveillance data and participant data integrity.
Independent review
What governance deliberately does not control
Research integrity depends on review bodies that management cannot overrule. At MRCU, ethics review, scientific review and study monitoring operate independently of the management line.
MUREC
The Mildmay Uganda Research Ethics Committee reviews and oversees protocols, protects participants and maintains standards for scientific integrity.
Scientific Advisory Committee
Independent appraisal of scientific merit, design and feasibility before a protocol proceeds to ethics review. Chaired by Dr. Kayondo Jane Frances Kengeya.
Study monitoring
On-site, remote and risk-based monitoring, source data verification and community advisory board engagement.
Accountability
How we account for our work
Finance and Resource Mobilization Committee
A Board committee chaired by Ms. Juliet Negesa Gizamba, overseeing financial stewardship, resource mobilisation and sustainability.
Financial stewardship
Audited financial management, expenditure tracking against approved budgets, procurement control and donor reporting against funder terms.
Research integrity
Independent scientific and ethics review, GCP-aligned practice, documented data management and publication of results regardless of direction.
Participant protection
Informed consent standards, human subjects protection training, community advisory board engagement and active study monitoring.
Data governance
Documented data access review, data-sharing and material transfer agreements, and data protection for clinical and research datasets.
Contact
Questions about governance, grants or compliance?
We are happy to provide institutional documentation to prospective sponsors, funders and consortium partners.
Get in touch