Board Secretary

Scott Blackwell, MD

Scott first became involved with ETH in 2018, when he spent a year working as Field Director to open and operate Mpunde Health Center. Inspired by his time in Uganda, he has worked ever since to fulfill the mission of ETH and fight for global equity and justice. Scott continued his involvement throughout his medical school training and served as ETH's Executive Director from July 2022 to June 2023. In 2023, ETH saw a record number of applicants for GHEF. Scott is a Psychiatry resident at the University of Alabama where he aims to pursue an academic career in global mental health. He was born in Nashville, TN and enjoys creating music, playing pool, and backpacking in his free time.

Director

Yang Jae Lee, MD

After graduating Phi Beta Kappa and Magna Cum Laude from Washington University in St. Louis, Dr. Lee attended Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine as the inaugural McDonnell Scholar and Distinguished Alumni Scholar, where he was named the Wrighton Leadership Fellow. He is currently a psychiatry resident at Yale University, where he has been recognized with various awards, such as the Emerging Generation Award from the American Society of Clinical Investigation and various departmental honors. He has engaged with the Busoga region of Uganda since 2015, initiating several collaborative projects with academicians, local government, and community members on various public health interventions and development initiatives. These projects set the foundation for the establishment of Empower Through Health in 2018.

Director

Peter Muwereza

Peter holds a Master of Public Health and a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery from Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda. He is a Project Implementation Specialist on the Community in which Mothers and newborns Thrive Project in Luuka District, East-central Uganda. Peter previously worked as a Senior Medical officer, in charge of a health Sub-district in Iganga District Local Government, in East-central Uganda. He has also served as a Health Center Manager and contributed to projects for the national government. Peter has special interest in maternal and child health and Quality Improvement.  Peter’s focus now is RMNCH research and implementation of best practices with the aim of learning and improving the health of mothers, newborns, Children and Adolescents in Uganda.

Director

Ibrahim Ssekalo, MPH

Ibrahim Ssekalo is a global health researcher with over 10 years of experience in the field of public health and adolescent health in particular at various levels in a decentralized environment. He has participated in and supervised various studies as well as teaching and research management at the university level. He has been the principal investigator on various Health research projects. Ibrahim has a master's degree in international health from Uppsala University in Sweden and he is currently doing his PhD in maternal and newborn health at the University of Bern, Switzerland. Ibrahim provides the overall supervision, oversight, support study design, management, planning, and monitoring evaluation of ETH projects and programs.

Board Chairperson

Peter Waiswa, MBChB, MPH, PhD

Hailing from the Busoga Region of eastern Uganda, Dr. Peter Waiswa is a renowned Ugandan medical doctor and researcher who has made significant contributions to the field of maternal-newborn-child health and health systems. He is an associate professor at Makerere University College of Health Sciences, and has led several innovative initiatives that aim to improve newborn health and development in low- and middle-income countries, using evidence-based approaches and community engagement. He has also served as an advisor for various global organizations such as the World Health Organization, UNICEF, Save the Children and others on maternal-newborn-child health issues.

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