Dr. Robert Opoka (Co-Investigator)

Dr. Robert Opoka is an Associate Professor in the department of Paediatrics and Child Health College of Health Sciences Makerere University. He is a clinical researcher and Medical Educator. In addition, he holds an appointment at the Universities of Minnesota and Indiana as Adjunct Assistant Professor. In the past seventeen years he has been the key Ugandan collaborator for several NIH funded grants on severe malaria neurological and neurocognitive impairments in Ugandan children. He heads the Emergency Paediatric Unit of Mulago hospital which is the National Referral Hospital for Uganda. He also coordinates the medical undergraduate training program in the department Pediatrics at Makerere University. His clinical area of interest is infectious diseases and he is an expert on clinical outcomes of acute illnesses and Professional medical education. He has published over 130 articles in peer-reviewed journals. (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/myncbi/collections/bibliography/46672921/?r... ). Current Projects: "NIH/FIC D43TW010928 John; Idro (MPI) 04/01/18 -02/28/23" Research training in infection nutrition and neurodevelopment in Uganda. The major goal of this training grant is providing training to Ugandan students and post-doctoral fellows in the interactions between infection nutrition and neurodevelopment and to build capacity for research in these interrelated areas in Uganda. Role: Faculty mentor; Doris Duke Charitable Foundation John; Ware; Opoka (MPI 09/01/19 - 08/31/24) Prolonged use of hydroxyurea in children with sickle cell anemia in sub-Saharan Africa: the NOHARM Long-Term (LT) Study. The purpose of this grant is to define the long-term benefits and potential harms of hydroxyurea treatment in children with sickle cell anemia living in sub-Saharan Africa. Role: Co-Principal Investigator "R21 TW011554-01A1 (Opoka, Rollins) 7/1/21 - 6/30/23" Title: An implementation toolkit for the use of hydroxyurea in the treatment of sickle cell anemia in Ugandan children. The goal of this project is to assemble a pilot and develop a tool kit for the implementation and up-scaling of Hydroxyurea therapy in Uganda.