Dr. Peter Waiswa

Education & Training

Prof. Peter Waiswa’s academic journey reflects a strong foundation in medicine, public health, health systems, and global health. His education has been shaped by leading institutions in Uganda, Israel, and Sweden, and continues to inform a career dedicated to research, policy, implementation science, and maternal, newborn, and child health.

Academic Foundation

With training that spans clinical medicine, public health, doctoral research, and postdoctoral scholarship, Prof. Waiswa brings a multidisciplinary perspective to health policy and systems strengthening. His academic formation combines rigorous scientific inquiry with practical public health leadership, enabling him to work effectively across research, implementation, and institutional development.

2010
PhD in Medical Sciences
Karolinska Institutet / Makerere University
"Understanding Newborn Care in Uganda – Towards Future Interventions"
This doctoral training deepened Prof. Waiswa's expertise in newborn care, implementation research, and health systems thinking, laying the foundation for much of his later work in maternal and newborn health.
2011 – 2012
Post-Doctoral Fellowship
Karolinska Institutet, Department of Public Health
Postdoctoral training that further strengthened his scholarship in health systems and policy, with supervision under Prof. Lars Wallin.
2003
Master of Public Health (MPH)
Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel
MPH training that provided a strong grounding in public health principles, policy, systems thinking, and population-level approaches to health improvement.
Undergraduate
Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBChB)
Mbarara University of Science and Technology, Uganda
Medical training that established the clinical foundation continuing to shape his work in maternal, newborn, and child health, service delivery, and health systems improvement.

Advanced Academic and Professional Development

Beyond his formal degrees, Prof. Waiswa has continued to build his academic and leadership capacity through further training in research ethics, pedagogy, health policy and management, mentorship and supervision, experimental epidemiology, qualitative research methods, gender and health research, biomedical writing, and good clinical practice. This continued investment in learning reflects a career shaped by both scholarship and practice.

He has also undertaken additional leadership development training, including executive presence, strategic leadership, effective training, conflict management, and high-performing teams. These experiences complement his academic background with practical leadership capability across institutional and public health settings.

Academic Standing

Prof. Waiswa holds the rank of Associate Professor (Docent) in Health Policy, Planning and Management at Makerere University, a recognition of his academic standing, scholarship, and contribution to higher education and research. He currently serves as an Associate Professor in the Department of Health Policy, Planning and Management at Makerere University School of Public Health, and has also maintained long-standing academic links with Karolinska Institutet as a Visiting Researcher.

Education in Service of Impact

Prof. Waiswa’s educational journey is closely connected to the work he does today. His clinical training, public health education, doctoral research, and postdoctoral scholarship have all contributed to a career focused on strengthening health systems, improving care for women and children, and ensuring that research leads to practical change in communities, institutions, and policy spaces.