Dr. John Sekabira,MBChB, MMed

Dr. Sekabira is the leading pediatric surgeon in Uganda, the head of pediatric surgery at Mulago National Referral Hospital, and since 2015 he has served as the president of the Association of Surgeons of Uganda. His career as a Pediatric Surgeon at Mulago National Referral and Teaching hospital spans 20 years, with experience in clinical, teaching, and research activities. As current head of the Paediatric Surgical Unit, he has taken a keen interest in neonatal surgery, paediatric oncology, and general paediatric surgery. Many of the achievements in neonatal surgery have been illustrated through reported outcomes of neonatal surgery.

Two examples are the mortality rate for gastroschisis, which has decreased from 100% to 80%, and that for intestinal atresia, which has decreased from 80% to 40%. In pediatric oncology, he initiated the creation of a multidisciplinary pediatric tumour board within the Uganda Cancer Institute, which has greatly improved management of children with cancer. In the area of teaching, he has helped to revise the post-graduate curriculum for general surgery. Dr. Sekabira’s interests in service work have led to the Association of Surgeons of Uganda building a network of several hundred surgeons who participate in surgical camps periodically, a model and network that will inform and support Bulamu’s work over time.