EVANGELICALISM IN UGANDA: IMPLICATIONS FOR PUBLIC HEALTH AND BIOETHICS

Authors

  • Sana Loue Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, Ohio USA
  • Francis Bajunirwe Mbarara University of Science and Technology, Mbarara, Uganda

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.35478/jime.2021.2.05

Keywords:

bioethics, evangelicalsim, public health, Uganda

Abstract

Considered attention is needed to the interplay between evangelical and charismatic religions and legislation in Uganda and their implications for public health, bioethics, and medical education.  This manuscript examines the growth of the evangelical and charismatic movements in Uganda during the past several decades, concurrent trends in the formulation and implementation of law and public policy, and implications for the prevention and treatment of sexually transmitted infections, family violence, physician-patient communication, and medical and health education. The article concludes with suggested strategies to address the adverse consequences stemming from the interjection of religious perspectives into the domains of public health, clinical care, and health education.

Author Biography

  • Francis Bajunirwe, Mbarara University of Science and Technology, Mbarara, Uganda

    Francis Bajunirwe completed his medical degree training at Makerere University in Kampala, Uganda and thereafter served as a Medical Officer in the Department of Surgery at Mbarara University Teaching Hospital. He chose a career in research and was accepted as a Fogarty fellow at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio under the AIDS International Training and Research Program. He completed a Master’s degree in Epidemiology under the supervision of Dr. Christopher Whalen and returned to Cleveland for a PhD program, also in Epidemiology which he completed in 2008.

    On completion of his PhD, he returned to Mbarara University of Science and Technology where he assumed a position of Senior Lecturer in the Department of Community. In that same year, he received a grant from Doris Duke to implement a mobile pharmacy to deliver antiretroviral therapy to patients living in remote areas in two rural districts in south western Uganda. He supported the initiation of the Masters of Public Health at Mbarara University, and he coordinates this program to-date.

    He partnered with his mentor Dr. Christopher Whalen, at Case Western Reserve University to support the successful renewal of the AITRP program and he co-directed the program that oversaw over 30 fellows receiving USA in-country training support.

    His current research involves implementation of community based initiatives to expand screening for HIV and non-communicable diseases, uptake and adherence to pre-exposure prophylaxis for HIV among key populations. He has an interest in research ethics and recently supported a successful application to the NIH to start a Masters in Public Health with a concentration in research ethics at Mbarara University. He also serves as chair of the Research Ethics Committee at Mbarara University.

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Published

2021-07-13

Issue

Vol. 4 No. 2 (2021)

Section

Articles

License

Copyright (c) 2021 Journal of Intercultural Management and Ethics

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.