By Chris Mugasha
Prof. John Mugisha has been announced as the 4th Vice-Chancellor for Bishop Stuart University (BSU)
Mugisha takes over from Prof. Gershom Atukunda, who has been serving as the acting Vice-Chancellor since February 2023 after the retirement of Prof Mauda Kamatenesi .M.
According to a statement released by the University, Mugisha will take over one of the fastest growing private university effective July 1, 2024.
Mugisha was, until June 2024, the Vice-Chancellor of Cavendish University Uganda (CUU), which he joined in 2016 from Uganda Martyrs University (UMU) where he had served as Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences for six years.
“As Bishop Stuart University, we are extremely excited to have him on board,” said the University in a statement.
Prof. John Mugisha brings a wealth of experience and academic excellence to Bishop Stuart University. He has a distinguished career spanning over two decades in Higher Education and well-equipped to propel the University into its next chapter of research, innovation and academic excellence, according to a statement.The University leadership commended Atukunda for providing good leadership during his tenure as an acting Vice-Chancellor.
Who is Prof. John Mugisha?
Prof. John Mugisha was, until June 2024, the Vice-Chancellor of Cavendish University Uganda (CUU), which he joined in 2016 from Uganda Martyrs University (UMU) where he had served as Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences for six years.
His experience in Higher Education spans over 20 years in which he has provided academic leadership, conducted research, published widely and developed curricula for programmes in Public Health and Health Services Management.
He has wide experience having taught as a Visiting Speaker at the University of Padova in Italy, Keele University and Queen Margaret University in Britain and the Pan African University Life and Earth Sciences Institute (PAULESI) based at the University of Ibadan, Nigeria.
He has researched and contributed to knowledge in areas of health planning and management which include costing hospital services, determining workload-based staffing requirements for hospitals, examined the effects of reducing and flattening user fees by Faith-Based Hospitals on equity and sustainability; funding mechanisms for health training institutions etcetera.
Of late, his research has focused on improving maternal and reproductive health – focusing on incentives for maternal referral, improving antenatal care services and rehabilitation of obstetric fistula patients before and after repair.
As a member of the National Council for Higher Education (NCHE) and Vice Chairman of the Uganda Vice Chancellors’ Forum, Prof Mugisha has contributed to improving standards for teaching and learning, research and innovation in universities.
In 2022, Prof Mugisha was voted Vice Chair of the Inter-University Council for East Africa. After the shutdown of education institutions due to Covid-19, he quickly transitioned his university to online study using a learning platform he had installed in 2017.
He contributed to designing of standards for Online, Distance and e-Learning (ODeL) that assisted other universities. He pioneered the holding of Virtual and Scientific Graduation in Uganda.
As a member of the Uganda National Immunization Technical Advisory Group (UNITAG) since 2018, he contributes to decisions on priority groups for vaccination and the types of vaccines to come into the country.
His contributions to Education and Public Health were recognized when he received a Presidential Medal award in 2018. He sits on the Research and Development Working Group of the East African Science and Technology Commission (EASTCO). End.
