Makerere University School of Public Health obtained funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to establish a Center for Digital Health Payment Initiatives and Research (DHPI-R) in Africa. The project formed a Technical Advisory Group (TAG) comprising experts in public health and research; health economics; gender; policy making, planning and management at country and global level; and in digital payment technologies. 

Key terms of reference (ToRs) and functions of the TAG 

  1. To provide oversight to project implementation in both Anglophone and Francophone countries.  
  2. Provide input in the process of developing a research agenda and in priority setting of areas of investment in digital payment research evaluation.
  3. Technical input in the development of research protocols, publications and reports, and other project outputs
  4. Advance research uptake to informal policy and program practice to countries and donors on the value of digital payment of health workers
  5. To support the formation of, and actively participate in the community of practice on digital payment of health workers.
  6. Participate in brainstorming session to share information, evidence and lessons learned, and explore opportunities for innovation to overcome common challenges

Five categories of the TAG membership

Category

TAG Member

BMGF   

Maria May; Senior Program Officer

Harvard T. H. Chan – School of Public Health

Margaret Anne MCConell

Ministry of Health (MoH) in Uganda and Senegal

MoH in Uganda - Dr. Driwale Alfred

MoH in Senegal – Mr. Ibrahima Khaliloulah Dia

Academic institutions i.e., Makerere University School of Public Health and University of Dakar

MAKSPH – Professor Elizeus Rutebemberwa

UCAD - Professor Diack Fall

Gender experts in Uganda and Senegal

Prof. Sarah Ssali (MAKSPH, Uganda)

Dr. Mariame Sougou (UCAD, Senegal)

 

TAG Personnel

Sarah Ssali

Associate Professor and DEAN, School of Women and Gender Studies
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Sarah Ssali

  • Sarah Ssali is an Associate Prof. and Dean School of Women and Gender Studies, and the Director Centre of Excellence in Notions of Identity at Makerere University.
  • She is a Social Scientist with a PhD in International Health Studies with vast experience in qualitative and quantitative research methods including surveys, social networks analysis, ethnographic methods, life histories, and narratives
  • She has published in the area of health systems, health financing, HIV and AIDS, post conflict settings, hidden behaviors and the oppressed minorities in society. Gender and ethical issues have been overarching principles in all her research.
  • She is currently involved in several research projects funded by UKRI, MRC, WHO and Makerere University where she plays different roles as Principal or co-investigator and researcher.

Margaret Anne McConnell

Associate Professor of Global Health Economics and Population
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Margaret Anne McConnell

  • Margaret Anne is an Associate Professor of Global Health Economics and Population at the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health
  • Her research applies tools from economics to study how to improve health outcomes for marginalized populations, with a particular focus on behavioral economic theory, experimental methods and impact evaluation strategies.
  • She has been principal investigator or co-principal investigator on more than five randomized control trials within both low-income populations in the U.S. and within low-income countries focusing on understanding the choices and preferences of women during the critical periods of pregnancy, postpartum and early childhood to better tailor interventions to these specific contexts and constraints.
  • She currently chairs the TAG committee

DR. Alfred Driwale

Assistant Commissioner of Health Services: Vaccines & Immunization; and Programme manager at the UNEPI.
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DR. Alfred Driwale

  • Dr Driwale Alfred is an Assistant Commissioner of Health Services: Vaccines & Immunization; and Program Manager of the National Expanded Program on Immunization (UNEPI) in the Uganda Ministry of Health.
  • He rose through the professional ranks of Medical Officer, Senior Medical Officer, Principal Medical Officer, District Health Officer and Assistant Commissioner that saw him manage at different levels of the health systems as Health Center IV in-charge, (Koboko), Medical Superintendent (Maracha Hospital), In charge of Health Sub District (Maracha and Koboko), District Health Officer (Koboko), Department of Clinical services and the Division of Immunization in the Ministry of Health.
  • He served for four years as Health Policy and Planning Advisor (Consultant) to the Ministry of Health with WHO and a Costing Consultant with UNICEF in the Republic of South Sudan. He undertook health systems strengthening consultancies in several countries in Sub Saharan Africa with WHO, UNICEF, UNHCR, MSH, AMREF, CUAMM.
  • A mentor on the Health Systems Development Program of Makerere University School of Public Health and Antwerp University.

Dr. Peter Wakholi

PHD in Information Sciences with Research in Business processes in mobile systems from University of Bergen, Norway
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Dr. Peter Wakholi

  • Dr. Peter Wakholi (Ph.D.), is a lecturer in the School of Computing and Informatics at Makerere University and C.E.O and Founder of OMNI-Tech Ltd. He holds a PHD in Information Sciences with Research in Business processes in mobile systems from University of Bergen, Norway, M.Sc. Information Systems from London Southbank University, United Kingdom and bachelor’s in computer science from Makerere University.
  • Peter is Information Systems Specialist with over 16 years of experience and significant academic qualifications focusing on ICTs for development, IS Strategy and Implementation, E-health systems, Monitoring and Evaluation Systems using mobile and web-based tools, Business Process Modelling and Management, Software Engineering and Project Management.
  • He has hands-on experience in the analysis, design and implementation of various information systems ranging from web-based systems to mobile-based systems; developing systems that are generic and adaptable in developing countries; analytical work and crafting strategies for organizations that are seeking to leverage ICTs for their programming in health, governance, water and sanitation, etc. International experience working on projects in Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania, Malawi and Kenya.
  • Peter is on the Board for Service Corps; a member of the World Health Organization Technical Expert Group (TEG) on data quality and strengthening of country systems. Board member of the OpenXdata organization, a free and open-source software.
  • He is the current deputy chair of the TAG board

DR Ndeye Mareme Sougou

Associate-Professor of Preventive medicine and Public Health at the School of Public Health of the Cheikh Anta Diop University in Dakar
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DR Ndeye Mareme Sougou

  • Dr. Ndeye is Associate-Professor of Preventive medicine and Public Health at the School of Public Health of the Cheikh Anta Diop University in Dakar in the Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health. He holds a PhD in Public Health, and socio-anthropology and uses both qualitative and quantitative research methods in addressing public health issues. 
  • He later joined the team of teacher-researchers at the School of Public Health of the Cheikh Anta Diop University in Dakar where he coordinates lessons on health systems in Africa, qualitative research methodology and health program evaluation.
  • His research mission is to develop, implement, and evaluate health interventions that are feasible, acceptable, and effective with respect to the complex real-life contexts.
  • In addition to his scholarly work, he has extensive experience serving as a mentor for numerous doctoral researchers.

PROF. Elizeus Rutebemberwa

Associate Professor of Public Health and Deputy Dean at Makerere University School of Public Health
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PROF. Elizeus Rutebemberwa

  • Dr. Elizeus is an Associate Professor of Public Health at Makerere University School of Public Health. His research work is focused on health systems and how they affect the delivery of services which could be health promotion, preventive services, health care, rehabilitative and palliative care. He has also conducted qualitative research and generated many publications in peer reviewed journals.
  • He also has skills in conducting national level surveys - he led the first national prevalence survey on tuberculosis in Uganda. He has also previously managed cohorts in surveillance sites. He was site leader for four years for the Iganga-Mayuge Health and demographic surveillance site from 2010 to 2014. He worked on non-communicable diseases assessing access to treatment for diabetes, conducted research on care seeking for cervical cancer, worked in knowledge translation to policy makers and communities.
  • He is currently working on a project mHealth for TB-Tobacco: An approach to reduce tobacco use among TB patients. He is a trained medical doctor and previously served a district hospital as a medical officer.

DR. Ibrahima Khaliloulah Dia

National coordinator of Digital Health in Senegal
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DR. Ibrahima Khaliloulah Dia

  • PhD in Geography of Health and medical informatics
  • He is the national coordinator of the Health and Social Map, Digital Health and Health Observatory unit in the Ministry of Health and Social Action in Senegal.
  • He is also the national coordinator of the Digital Health Unit in Senegal

Ndiack Fall

Associate Professor of Economics at Cheikh Anta Diop University in Dakar, Senegal
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Ndiack Fall

  • Dr. Diack Fall is an Associate Professor of Economics at Cheikh Anta Diop University in Dakar, Senegal, in the Faculty of Economics and Management.
  • He is currently the Director of Cooperation at Cheikh Anta Diop University
  • He is also a researcher in health economics and public policy evaluation at the Laboratory for the Analysis of Economic and Social Policies (LAPES) and the Laboratory for the Analysis of Development Policies (LAPD).