Department/Unit: Population Studies
Qualifications: Stephen Ojiambo Wandera’s Biosketch Stephen Ojiambo Wandera (Ph.D.) is a Demographer / Population Scientist and a Gerontologist. He is a Lecturer and a former Chair of the Department of Population Studies, at Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda (2006 – Present). He is a member of the Technical Advisory Group of the World Health Organization (WHO), the UN Decade of Healthy Ageing (2022-2025), and a member of the WHO Ethics Research Committee (2022-2015). He was a Postdoctoral Research Fellow of Fogarty International Centre of the NIH (2019-2021), and an Honorary Lecturer at the University of the Witwatersrand (2018-2021). Previously, he was a Postdoctoral Research Fellow of ICAP at Columbia University, Pretoria South Africa, and the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa (2016-2017). He is a CARTA Cohort 2 graduate (2012-2016). He was an honorary lecturer (2018-2021) at the Department of Demography and Population Studies at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa. He was a visiting Lecturer (2018) at the Population Research Center at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands. His research focuses on vulnerable populations including children, women, and older populations in Uganda. Among the aging population, he focuses on inequalities in health and access to healthcare among older persons in Uganda. He also explores social determinants of health for older persons in sub-Saharan Africa. Recently (2021), he conducted a Scoping Review of “Cognitive Stimulation Therapy for older people with Dementia in Africa”. In 2018-2019, he led the first survey on ageism against older persons in Uganda, which led to diverse policy dialogues in Uganda. As a CARTA re-entry grantee (2017-2018), he investigated the “Determinants of HIV Testing among older persons in Uganda”. His Ph.D. research (2012-2016) focused on “Disparities in health and access to healthcare among older persons in Uganda”. He aims to use experimental or intervention research designs in the future to address the health needs of older persons in Africa. Among women and children, he has investigated violence against women and children and Parent-Child Communication about sexual and reproductive health. In the future, he wants to investigate violence against men and boys. Also, he wants to use experimental studies to design interventions for addressing violence against women and children. He has published 25 peer-reviewed journal articles and 7 book chapters and several technical reports on population aging, intimate partner violence, and sexual and reproductive health: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=wandera+stephen. He has attracted funding (over USD 750,000) and supervised 7 masters and 66 undergraduate students. He is a mixed-methods researcher, and trainer of Nvivo, and STATA. He is an Associate Editor for BMC Public Health and the International Journal of Public Health of the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute. He is a member of The AIDS Support Organization (TASO) Research and Ethics Committee (2018-Present). He holds a Ph.D. in Population Studies (major: Population Ageing), MSc. Global Issues in Gerontology and Ageing (University of Stirling, UK), M.A. Contextualized Pastoral Ministry (Lancaster Bible College, PA, USA), MSc. Population and Reproductive Health (MAK) and a BSc. Population Studies (major: Population Health). He is a member of the following associations: 2017 – Present Member, International Union of Scientific Study of Population (IUSSP) 2016 – Present Member, Association of Ugandan-German Alumni (AUGA), DAAD Kampala, Uganda 2014 – Present Member, Population Association of America (PAA) 2011 – Present Member, Union for African Population Studies (UAPS) 2007 – Present Member, Uganda Statistical Society
PhD Institution: Makerere University
PhD dissertation title: Disparities in Health and Access to Healthcare Among Older Persons in Uganda
Current research interests and projects: His research focuses on vulnerable populations including children, women, and older populations in Uganda. Among the aging population, he focuses on inequalities in health and access to healthcare among older persons in Uganda. He also explores social determinants of health for older persons in sub-Saharan Africa. Recently (2021), he conducted a Scoping Review of “Cognitive Stimulation Therapy for older people with Dementia in Africa”. In 2018-2019, he led the first survey on ageism against older persons in Uganda, which led to diverse policy dialogues in Uganda. As a CARTA re-entry grantee (2017-2018), he investigated the “Determinants of HIV Testing among older persons in Uganda”. His Ph.D. research (2012-2016) focused on “Disparities in health and access to healthcare among older persons in Uganda”. He aims to use experimental or intervention research designs in the future to address the health needs of older persons in Africa. Among women and children, he has investigated violence against women and children and Parent-Child Communication about sexual and reproductive health. In the future, he wants to investigate violence against men and boys. Also, he wants to use experimental studies to design interventions for addressing violence against women and children. He has published 25 peer-reviewed journal articles and 7 book chapters and several technical reports on population aging, intimate partner violence, and sexual and reproductive health: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=wandera+stephen.
Selected publication 1: Wandera S.O., Kwagala B., & Maniragaba, F. (2020). Prevalence and determinants of recent HIV testing among older persons in rural Uganda: a cross-sectional study. BMC Public Health 20, 144 (2020). (Impact Factor: 2.5). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-020-8193-z
Selected publication 2: Rutaremwa, G., Wandera, S.O., Jhamba, T., Akiror, E., & Kiconco, A. (2015). Determinants of maternal health services utilization in Uganda. BMC Health Serv Res, 15, 271 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-015-0943-8
Selected publication 3: Wandera, S. O., Golaz, V., Kwagala, B., & Ntozi, J. (2015). Factors associated with self-reported ill health among older Ugandans: A cross sectional study. Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics, 61(2), 231-239. (Impact
Selected publication 4: Wandera, S.O., Kwagala, B., & Ntozi, J. (2015). Prevalence and risk factors for self-reported non-communicable diseases among older Ugandans: a cross-sectional study. Global Health Action, 8(1) 27923. (Impact Factor: 1.8). https://doi.org/10.3402/gha.v8.27923.
Selected publication 5: Wandera, S.O., Ddumba, I., Akinyemi, J.O., Adedini, S. Odimegwu, C.O. (2017). Living alone among older persons in Uganda. Ageing Int 42, 429–446 (2017). (Impact Factor: 1.1). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12126-017-9305-7.
Selected publication 6: Maniragaba, F., Kwagala, B., Bizimungu, E., Wandera, S.O, & Ntozi, J. (2018). Predictors of quality of life of older persons in rural Uganda: A cross-sectional study. AAS Open Res, 1(22). https://dx.doi.org/10.12688aasopenres.12874.2
Selected publication 7: Wandera, S. O., Kwagala, B., Nankinga, O., Ndugga, P., & Kabagenyi, A. (2019). Facilitators, best practices and barriers to integrating family planning data in Uganda’s health management information system. BMC Health Services Research, 19(327). (Impact Factor: 1.9). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-019-4151-9.
Selected publication 8: Gubi, D., Wandera, S.O. Prevalence and correlates of intimate partner violence among ever-married men in Uganda: a cross-sectional survey. BMC Public Health 22, 535 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-022-12945-z.
Selected publication 9: Wandera SO, Tumwesigye NM, Walakira EJ, Kisaakye P, Wagman J: (2021). Alcohol use, intimate partner violence, and HIV sexual risk behavior among young people in fishing communities of Lake Victoria, Uganda. BMC Public Health 2021, 21(1):544. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-021-10595-1
Selected publication 10: Wandera, S.O., Kwagala, B., & Odimegwu, C. (2018). Intimate Partner Violence and current Modern Contraceptive Use among married women in Uganda: A cross-sectional study. Pan African Medical Journal, 30(85). (Impact Factor: 0.5). https://doi.org/10.11604/pamj.2018.30.85.12722.
Capstone assignment title: Best practices and challenges of doctoral (PhD) supervision: Experiences of a Cohort PhD and Publications-Based Thesis (PBT) approaches in Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda
Capstone assignment abstract: This piece of writing aims to discuss the best practices and challenges of doctoral (PhD) supervision based on publications-based thesis (PBT) format 1 and a cohort approach to PhD training in Makerere University. Best practices of doctoral supervision at Makerere University The best practices of PhD supervision range from institutional to individual level factors. These cover supervision, examination and writing experiences. The challenges of doctoral supervision can be broadly categorized into two: systematic or institutional and individual level aspects. Institutional challenges emanate from the Universities and individual level factors concern supervisors and students. The former include delays in external examination, different thesis formats, and publications’ requirements, among others. Individual level factors include managing supervisor-student relations, limited project management skills and part-time studentship. The best practices of doctoral supervision include use of MoUs, doctoral committees, external examination, promotion of Publications-based thesis format, written feedback and continuous research capacity strengthening. Challenges include publications requirements, absence of publications policy, delays in external examination, part-time PhD studentships, project management skills, managing conflict between students and supervisors. In conclusion, promoting best practices and addressing challenges of doctoral supervision will improve efficiency in the PhD production industry at Makerere University and in Uganda at large.
