Utano Public Health Chats

"In this episode we talk with Mr. Emmanuel Nsengiyumva from Rwanda. Emmanuel is an experienced leader, and development professional with 10+ years working in the health and social protection sector with INGOs experience supporting governments in a wide spectrum of development issues from systems strengthening to community programming.  We discussed: Emmanuel's introduction and the journey of he started his career in public health What things were critical for Emmanuel to develop to the professional he is todayWhat does Emmanuel do now 10 years into his career?What Emmanuel enjoys most about his work nowWhy did Emmanuel choose to stay in this field?What does Public health mean to Emmanuel?Challenges around working in Public health and development Word to the wise "

In this episode we hear from Mrs. Soline Mugeni from Rwanda.  Mrs. Mugeni holds a BSc in Microbiology and an MSc. in Community Health.She has 10+ years experience working in the health sector with INGOs and supporting governments in multiple areas such as community health, human resources for health, health financing, and most recently immunization. She is passionate about serving communities and making an impact.

Check out our conversation with Dr. Nkechi Olalere , the Special Advisor on Health Economics to the Honorable Minister of Health and Sanitation in Sierra Leone on her career journey.Dr. Nkechi has over 17 years’ experience in health insurance implementation, spanning private, public and development sectors. She is also passionate about digital health, sustainability of country health systems and strategic purchasing, especially provider payment reforms, several of which she led, successfully, in the private health insurance space.She recently served as the Executive Director of Strategic Purchasing Africa Resource Center (SPARC) and the chair of Africa Union’s Tracker sub-committee tasked with developing indicators and measures of progress for ‘More Health for the Money’.She is the chair of the Rapid Cycle Monitoring sub-group of Global Financing Facility’s Results Advisory Group.

In this episode we hear from Dr. Godfrey Musuka, an international Public and Evaluation Consultant, HIV/AIDS M&E and public health expert with over 25 years of experience. We talked about: Who is Dr Musuka? His background and how ended up working in public health. Countries and areas he has worked in Key career experiences that shaped his expertise How many years’ experience does he have in the field? What has changed and what has stayed the same? What does Dr. Musuka call himself? How did Dr Musuka end up studying Veterinary medicine? And how did he end up pivoting into public health more specifically? A run through of Dr. Musuka’s key career experiences, where they led him, and what he worked on Does he find that all his experiences and trainings have connected or intersected over time? Was One Health a thing back in the day? What was his approach for the different opportunities in his career? Did he plan it out? The importance of being open and being willing to try new projects and challenges (even if you fail!) What is Dr. Musuka working on now? -Highlights of current and recently completed projects Working with different stakeholders at different levels as your career grows What working with and in different countries looks like and key things to keep in mind to ensure success Different key people Dr. Musuka has worked with that have been influential and key in his growth and development Always reach out and ask questions so you can listen and learn The importance of relationships and having people who can hold you accountable Different people can help you in your career and that includes your family and your children Another BRTI guest on the show! Making the connection How many degrees does Dr Musuka have? The importance of continual learning and what that looks like for Dr Musuka Public health can have people from different areas and backgrounds in training and still eg Accountants and Economists How does Dr Musuka define Public Health? Public health as a broad, inclusive and evolving field Key challenges and issues that Dr Musuka has seen in the field with all his experiences Words of wisdom to young people out there regarding career success