Juliet Sekabunga Nalwanga
Juliet Sekabunga Nalwanga is a physician from Uganda, who is the country's first female neurosurgeon.[1][2][3][4][5][6] As of 2021 she was one of only thirteen neurosurgeons in Uganda.[7] As of 2018 she was employed by Mulago National Referral Hospital in Kampala.[1][8]
Juliet Sekabunga Nalwanga | |
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Born | |
Nationality | Ugandan |
Citizenship | Uganda |
Education | Mbarara University (Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery) (Master of Medicine in Surgery) Makerere University (Residency Program in Neurosurgery) University of Toronto (Fellowship in Pediatric Neurosurgery) |
Occupation | Pediatric Neurosurgeon |
Years active | 2019–present |
Background and education
She is Ugandan by birth. Her father is the late Professor Sekabunga, a well-known pediatric surgeon, who practiced at Mulago National Referral Hospital in the 1970s and 1980s. She also had a maternal aunt who was a physician. She credits that aunt for paying her school fees and being the inspiration to pursue medicine as a career.[9]
She went on to study medicine at Mbarara University, followed by internships at the same institution, and at Lira Regional Referral Hospital.[1] She returned to Mbarara University to pursue a Master of Medicine degree in Surgery, the first woman to do so.[9] She was then admitted to Makerere University to pursue a neurosurgical residency at Mulago National Referral Hospital, graduating in 2018. She then spent a year specialising in paediatric neurosurgery at The Hospital for Sick Children, the teaching hospital of the University of Toronto Faculty of Medicine, in Toronto, Canada.[3] One of her Ugandan mentors was the late John Baptist Mukasa (1967 - 2021).[7][10]
Career
Following the completion of her neurosurgery fellowship in Toronto, Canada, she returned to Uganda and took up employment at Mulago National Referral Hospital as a consultant pediatric neurosurgeon and as an assistant lecturer in neurosurgery at Makerere University School of Medicine.
References
- "Nalwanga Juliet Sekabunga". The Lancet Neurology. 17 (6): 505. 1 June 2018. doi:10.1016/S1474-4422(18)30152-2. ISSN 1474-4422. PMID 29778362. S2CID 29163841.
- Kizito, Francis (12 September 2018). "Uganda's first female neurosurgeon is Dr. Nalwanga Juliet Sekabunga". MBU. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
- "Global Neurosurgery Twinning: Duke Global Neurosurgery and Neurology's experience in Uganda | WFNS". www.wfns.org. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
- Karekezi, Claire; Thango, Nqobile; Aliu-Ibrahim, Salamat Ahuoiza; Bechri, Hajar; Broalet, Espérance Maman You; Bougrine, Mouna; Cheserem, Jebet Beverly; Mbaye, Maguette; Shabhay, Zarina Ali; Tighilt, Nabila; Bakhti, Souad; Abbadi, Najia El (1 March 2021). "History of African women in neurosurgery". Neurosurgical Focus. 50 (3): E15. doi:10.3171/2020.12.FOCUS20905. ISSN 1092-0684. PMID 33789234. S2CID 232482962.
- Bryant, Jean-Paul; Nwokoye, Diana I.; Cox, MaKayla F.; Mbabuike, Nnenna S. (1 March 2021). "The progression of diversity: Black women in neurosurgery". Neurosurgical Focus. 50 (3): E9. doi:10.3171/2020.12.FOCUS20945. ISSN 1092-0684. PMID 33789225. S2CID 232481286.
- "DGHI's Michael Haglund Recognized for Global Neurosurgery Achievements". Duke Global Health Institute. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
- "'A great blow to Uganda': surgeon John Baptist Mukasa dies of Covid". The Guardian. 9 August 2021. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
- "List Of Neurosurgeons in Uganda". 2022/2023. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
- Theresa Williamson, MD (28 January 2018). "Two Firsts for Black Women in Neurosurgery". Opmed.doximity.com. United States. Retrieved 3 October 2022.
- Adela Wu (7 July 2021). "Pandemic Loss: Pioneering Ugandan Neurosurgeon Was A 'Servant Of The People'". Washington, D.C., United States: NPR. Retrieved 3 October 2022.