Approved Research This page provides a searchable list of all research protocols that have been reviewed and approved by the Uganda National Council for Science and Technology(UNCST).
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Name Title Nationality Approval Date Expiry Date Field of Science/Classification Trial Type Research Type  
Michael Bermudez
ID:
Perceptions of Makerspace Learning in Uganda: A Qualitative Study
REFNo: SIR121ES

To determine what technology-based products that can potentially help students with disabilities the student participants have collaboratively created during research makerspace sessions,To determine the positive and the negative features of the use of 3D printers and circuit boards according to the student participants’ perceptions,To determine the student participants’ perceptions regarding the use of makerspace technology,To determine the student participants' perceptions regarding the learning process associated with makerspace.,
USA 2022-07-18 14:39:37 2025-07-18 Engineering and Technology Non-Clinical Trial Non-degree Award
Allison Ross
ID:
Behavioral Nudges to Encourage Appropriate Antibiotic Use Among Health Professionals in Uganda
REFNo: HS2429ES

Collect immediate post-intervention and follow up data to analyze and assess the short- and medium-term impact of the behavioral intervention. Implement the behavioral intervention developed in Phase II to impact prescribing behaviors. Develop a culturally appropriate behavioral intervention based on findings from Phase I. Gain an improved understanding of the cultural context around prescriptions in Ugandan hospitals to inform intervention development. Additionally, collect baseline data on prescribing behaviors among staff. Increase adherence to national antibiotic prescribing guidelines among hospital-based health care providers in Uganda by implementing a behavioral “nudge” intervention, contributing to the containment of AMR in the country.
USA 2022-10-27 7:21:19 2025-10-27 Medical and Health Sciences Non-Clinical Trial Non-degree Award
Schola  Matovu Nakachwa
ID: UNCST-2022-R011040
Development of an Intervention Designed to Promote Economic Empowerment, Social Support, and Health of Grandmothers who Provide Primary Care for Grandchildren in Uganda.
REFNo: SS1376ES

To pilot a small intervention as informed by the refined intervention to test its acceptability and feasibility among Ugandan grandmother-caregivers 50 years and older (N=15).,To develop and refine the intervention components based on information gathered in objective 1 and through an iterative feedback process from the CAB. ,To use a formative community-engaged research approach to inform the development of a multicomponent intervention for grandmother-caregivers.,To use a formative community-engaged research approach to inform the development of an intervention that will promote economic empowerment, peer group support, and health education geared towards improving the quality of life andthe mental and physical health of grandmothers who provide primary care for grandchildren affected by HIV/AIDS and poverty in Uganda. ,
USA 2022-07-25 12:36:36 2025-07-25 Social Science and Humanities Non-Clinical Trial Non-degree Award
Alison Comfort
ID: UNCST-2022-R011501
Understanding individual- and social network-level factors affecting infant HIV testing to design social network interventions to increase testing of HIV-exposed infants
REFNo: SS1395ES

Aim 2: Conduct qualitative research to explore the mechanisms linking social networks to infant HIV testing,Aim 1: Estimate individual- and social network-level correlates of infant HIV testing,
USA 2022-09-08 15:49:03 2025-09-08 Social Science and Humanities Non-Clinical Trial Non-degree Award
Jenna Grzeslo
ID:
BRAC Girls Talk: Exploring the feasibility of an interactive voice response for Youth Empowerment Program in Uganda
REFNo: SS1401ES

To evaluate the level of usability, accessibility, and relevancy of gamified content to Adolescent Girls and Young Women(AGYW) and to determine the relationship between engaging with IVR-enabled ELA content on early outcomes and proxies for self-efficacy, economic empowerment, and social empowerment. Our second research objective is focused on the relevance of the BRAC Girls Talk content to AGYW. In order to explore this objective, we will conduct focus group discussions (FGDs) with program participants.
USA 2022-11-29 12:26:24 2025-11-29 Social Science and Humanities Non-Clinical Trial Non-degree Award
Carolyn Pelnik
ID:
How Important are Investment Indivisibilities for Development? Understanding Land Investment and its Long-Run Impacts in Uganda
REFNo: NS403ES

We are interested in understanding the long-run dynamics of the land market in rural and peri-urban Uganda and how land markets are related to poverty traps. We hope to better understand the extent to which poor households invest in land in order to exit poverty traps. This will help us to evaluate whether land may be a stepping stone to capital accumulation (perhaps via collateral), and the potential for policy intervention that can increase growth and development.
USA 2022-09-12 18:24:01 2025-09-12 Natural Sciences Non-Clinical Trial Non-degree Award
Michelle Brown
ID: UNCST-2022-R009670
Describing the vocal repertoire of L’Hoest’s monkeys
REFNo: NS410ES

To test whether L’Hoest’s monkeys (Allochrocebus lhoesti) contradict the ‘social complexity hypothesis’ by determining whether they communicate in frequencies too low for human hearing.
USA 2025-02-07 18:02:59 2028-02-07 Natural Sciences Non-Clinical Trial Non-degree Award
Isabelle Clark Rae
ID: UNCST-2022-R010329
Social development of infant and juvenile chimpanzees in two communities following permanent fission at Ngogo, Kibale National Park, Uganda
REFNo: NS413ES

To determine the demographic, social and individual-level factors shaping social development in two adjacent communities of different size and composition following a rare permanent fission.
USA 2023-05-11 13:52:27 2026-05-11 Natural Sciences Non-Clinical Trial Degree Award
Sarah Walker
ID:
The regional dynamics of deforestation. Evidence from Kenya and Uganda
REFNo: SS1485ES

Given the pervasiveness of insecure land tenure institutions around the developing world, and the role of historical institutions in shaping preferences and behavior, it is important to understand how the design of PES programs may interact with historical land tenure structures. In this project, we design a willingness to accept experiment, and framed field experiment, across three regions of Uganda to answer the following questions:

1. What is the optimal design of an avoided deforestation PES program in Uganda?
2. How do land tenure institutions impact the design of an avoided PES program in Uganda?
3. How does the security of land tenure impact deforestation behavior and trust in Uganda?
USA 2022-12-05 12:03:29 2025-12-05 Social Science and Humanities Non-Clinical Trial Non-degree Award
James Hintson
ID: UNCST-2022-R010009
Service Delivery and Public Infrastructure in Northern Uganda
REFNo: SS1476ES

The primary objective of the study is to describe and explain increases in service delivery, public infrastructure, and state-society interactions in Northern Uganda over time. The secondary objectives are to document community leaders’ satisfaction with the expansion of service delivery and public infrastructure construction, and to validate a separately collected dataset on public infrastructure throughout sub-Saharan Africa over time, as derived from satellite imagery.
USA 2022-10-19 10:58:32 2025-10-19 Social Science and Humanities Non-Clinical Trial Degree Award
Pooja Chitneni
ID: UNCST-2021-R012955
Development and assessment of an HIV disclosure intervention for men in Uganda - Aim 1
REFNo: HS2682ES

Aim 1. Identify the unique HIV disclosure needs and preferences among MWH to support HIV disclosure. ,
USA 2023-04-03 20:55:31 2026-04-03 Medical and Health Sciences Non-Clinical Trial Non-degree Award
Peter Ferrarone Timothy
ID:
Helping nurses overcome structural drivers of absenteeism in Uganda: A survey and discrete choice experiment
REFNo: HS2529ES

4.2 Objectives and research questions
1. To explore factors internal to the Ugandan health care sector that may be leading nurses to be absent from work
a) What job characteristics or conditions of employment are most influential in encouraging nurses / managers / midwives to not attend work?
b) Are there non-monetary job characteristics that are particularly important to nurses?
c) Are there substantial differences between nurses / managers / midwives that lead to differences in attendance and are there incentives to address these differences?
d) If so, does the effectiveness of interventions to overcome absenteeism vary according to these differences between nurses / managers / midwives?
e) Are there incentives encouraging nurses to be absent across the system and do these affect different groups of nurses / managers / midwives differently?
f) What effect, if any, does employment setting (urban versus rural) have on absenteeism and an individual’s decision to be absent?

2. To explore factors external to the Ugandan health care sector that may be leading nurses to be absent from work
a) What individual, social, structural, and contextual factors are most influential in encouraging nurses / managers / midwives not to attend work?
b) How do health worker characteristics influence service provider preferences in relation to incentives and other potential policy interventions to overcome absenteeism?
c) Are there substantial differences between nurses / managers / midwives that lead to differences in attendance and are there incentives to address these differences?
d) Does the effectiveness of interventions to overcome absenteeism vary according to these differences between nurses / managers / midwives?
e) Are there incentives encouraging nurses to be absent across the system and do these affect different groups of nurses / managers / midwives differently?
f) How does intrinsic and extrinsic motivation affect attendance at work?
g) What do health workers believe and perceive (from personal experience of word-of-mouth) is currently being done to combat absenteeism and what do they believe will be the most feasible policy solutions in the future?
3. To identify feasible policy interventions that are most likely to be taken up and impact behaviour
a) What are the experiences and perceptions of health care service providers of monetary and non-monetary incentives and other factors affecting service provider motivation and performance to inform the design of policy interventions to overcome absenteeism and ensure the delivery of quality health care services in Uganda?
b) Are there characteristics of health facilities that influence service provider preferences in relation to incentives and other potential policy interventions to overcome absenteeism?
c) What proportion of health workers would choose to attend work rather than be absent if presented with specific (hypothetical) job characteristics? How does this vary across the population?
d) What trade-offs, if any, are nurses willing to make between these attributes to identify the optimal combination of these factors for packages of policy interventions that can be implemented in light of local resource constraints to align the incentives facing frontline health care providers especially in rural settings to address the issue of absenteeism?
e) Are nurses / managers / midwives willing to trade between “carrot” and “stick” interventions to reduce absenteeism?
f) Is salary the main incentive? Are there non-monetary incentives that are likely to have an impact on nurse absenteeism?
g) What is the range of feasible and affordable policy interventions that are likely to be effective in addressing health worker absenteeism?
h) Is changing individual or group incentives likely to lead to less absenteeism?

USA 2022-12-14 14:10:49 2025-12-14 Medical and Health Sciences Non-Clinical Trial Degree Award
Monica Swahn H
ID: UNCST-2021-R012004
The Onward Project On Well-being and Adversity (“TOPOWA”): Pilot Study of Wearables
REFNo: SS1560ES

The objective of this study is to assess the feasibility and acceptability of using consumer-grade wearable wrist devices to assess sleep and activity space of adolescent girls and young women in slum communities in Kampala, Uganda. This objective will be answered through wearables wrist devices, daily diaries, focus groups discussions and a survey to collect the experiences of AGYW who are 18-24 years of age.
USA 2022-12-23 18:08:19 2025-12-23 Social Science and Humanities Non-Clinical Trial Non-degree Award
Shannon McMorrow
ID:
Photovoice assessment of integration, health, and healthcare experiences of urban Congolese refugee women in Kampala, Uganda
REFNo: HS2655ES

To generate in-depth, contextual evidence to inform policy and program improvements for Congolese refugee women in Kampala to prevent further marginaliation and negative health outcomes.
USA 2023-02-06 17:19:40 2026-02-06 Medical and Health Sciences Non-Clinical Trial Non-degree Award
Casey Crow Lynn
ID:
Exploring Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights Amongst Refugees with Disabilities in Uganda
REFNo: SS1611ES

4. To identify barriers and facilitators to accessing SRHR-related services with the aim of improving uptake and informing future service provision.,3. To explore how disability, migration, and access to sexual and reproductive health influence lived experience from micro (individual, family, intimate relationships), to meso (school, community, NGOs, healthcare), to macro (societal, policy) levels. ,2. To describe how refugees with disabilities navigate and resist violence, stigma, and marginalisation of their sexual and reproductive health and rights.,1. To explore the ways disability and migration interact in the process of seeking sexual and reproductive health services.,To explore the SRHR-related lives, needs, contexts, and access to services amongst refugees with disabilities in Uganda.,
USA 2023-02-14 17:15:17 2026-02-14 Social Science and Humanities Non-Clinical Trial Degree Award
Michael Galvin
ID:
Improving HIV Outcomes through Collaborative Mental Health Interventions
REFNo: SS1642ES

To assess the perspectives of traditional and faith healers and biomedical mental health professionals on mental health treatment for people living with HIV/AIDS who have mental illness using a qualitative approach. We will interview 5-10 traditional healers and 5-10 faith healers over 2-4 months in early 2023. They will be recruited from the local area based on their experience working with people with HIV/AIDS and mental illness. These interviews will aid in characterizing the different conceptions of mental illness etiology and treatment strategies among both traditional healers in the African tradition and faith healers/pastors in the Christian tradition, and examine if collaboration between traditional and faith healers, and biomedical service providers can be developed to best serve people living with HIV/AIDS and improve health outcomes.,Objective 1b - To determine the characteristics of people living with HIV/AIDS and mental illness using a quantitative approach. We will collect cross sectional data on this population regarding of mental illness and HIV disease severity and duration, sociodemographics, and traditional and biomedical care history.,Objective 1a – To examine the experiences of people living with HIV/AIDS with mental illness in the Psychiatric Unit at Mbarara Hospital and traditional healer clinics using a qualitative approach. We will interview 15-25 patients living with HIV/AIDS and mental illness over 2-4 months in early 2023. They will be recruited from the psychiatric unit at Mbarara hospital. By interviewing mental health patients living with HIV, we can better understand how they view their illness, how local beliefs inform mental health care utilization, as well as their pathway to care and ultimately treatment outcomes.,To develop an intervention in which biomedical professionals collaborate with local traditional and faith healers to provide mental health services which will ultimately improve viral suppression, increase longevity, and reduce preventable morbidity and mortality.
USA 2023-04-26 11:03:04 2026-04-26 Social Science and Humanities Non-Clinical Trial Degree Award
John Lower Whitney
ID:
Strategies and mechanisms of collective inter-group aggression and in-group defense among wild eastern chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii) in Kibale National Park, Uganda
REFNo: NS496ES

The objectives of this doctoral dissertation project are to better elucidate the group-level, individual, and physiological mechanisms exhibited by wild eastern chimpanzees to achieve a risky form of collective action, namely participation and contribution in lethal aggression between territorially distinct chimpanzee communities. I will study the Kanyawara community of wild eastern chimpanzees to answer these questions of interest.
USA 2023-06-27 19:31:41 2026-06-27 Natural Sciences Non-Clinical Trial Degree Award
Min Ma
ID:
A study to examine outcomes of Seed Global Health’s partnerships with medical education and training institutions in Uganda and Zambia
REFNo: HS2767ES

The specific objectives of this study are to: 1. Examine the extent to which Seed’s partnership with the three institutions has contributed to the four outcome domains Seed considers to be the crux of its work: a. Improved patient outcomes; b. Improved clinical competence among medical students and medical faculty/preceptors. Specifically, acquisition or improvement of knowledge, confidence in clinical skills competencies and demonstration of clinical skills [students]; and ability to train and mentor students [faculty/preceptors]; c. Absorption and retention of graduates into the national health workforce (within their field of practice); and d. Improved clinical application, in particular, clinician’s ability to apply acquired knowledge and skills gained from education/training into the clinical setting . 2. Identify any unanticipated outcomes (positive or negative) that have resulted from Seed’s partnership with the three institutions.
USA 2023-06-13 11:29:03 2026-06-13 Medical and Health Sciences Non-Clinical Trial Non-degree Award
Pooja Chitneni
ID: UNCST-2021-R012955
Developing an STI partner notification services delivery intervention in southwestern, rural Uganda.
REFNo: HS2720ES

Explore facilitators and barriers to task-shifting delivery models for STI partner notification among healthcare workers, administrators, and potential patients. Also to develop a novel STI partner notification services delivery intervention for Uganda and similar settings.
USA 2023-03-09 22:41:48 2026-03-09 Medical and Health Sciences Non-Clinical Trial Non-degree Award
Carolyn Pelnik
ID:
School Management and Re-Enrolling Dropouts: Experimental Evidence from Schools in Rural Uganda
REFNo: SS1656ES

Which version of the program is more cost-effective in terms of gains to student learning: an intervention that assigns highly qualified university graduates to partner with community members to implement enrollment and remedial education activities, or an intervention where enrollment and remedial education activities are executed by community members alone? ,What is the effect of a school management intervention targeted towards the head teacher on school inputs (administrator time use and other measures of school functionality such as teacher attendance) and outputs (enrollment and learning, as measured by literacy and numeracy test scores)?,
USA 2023-03-09 23:39:42 2026-03-09 Social Science and Humanities Non-Clinical Trial Degree Award
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