Strengthening collaboration: GPH Administration's visit to Uganda
At the end of March, part of the GPH administration visited Makerere University’s School of Public Health (MakSPH) and College of Health Sciences (MakCHS), in Kampala Uganda. The visit aimed to strengthen collaboration, share administrative experiences, and explore opportunities for strengthening academic partnerships and administrative efficiency. The visit covered grants management, procurement, financial systems and processes, HR, and joint application strategies.
Therese Lind, Head of Administration, Sofia Öhlund Fingal, HR Manager, and Sonia Hammi, Project Manager, represented the GPH administration during the visit. Read about their experiences and insights gained from the trip.
What insights and lessons have you gained from your meetings with the administrative teams you met?
Engaging with Makerere’s leadership offered valuable insights into how academic institutions in different contexts navigate administrative challenges. Despite working in different contexts, we recognized some differences, but many shared similarities in the administrative processes and the challenges we face in our daily work. These similarities and differences opened up valuable space for mutual learning and more dynamic collaboration.
What opportunities do you see for future collaborations between GPH and MakSPH, and MakCHS?
We see significant potential to further deepen institutional collaborations with Makerere University. As the discussions evolved, it became clear that we had only just scratched the surface and that there is a need to continue developing these conversations further to learn more from each other. The two days passed incredibly quickly, which is always a good sign of engaging and productive dialogue.
Tell us about something from your trip that inspired you
What was truly inspiring was the openness and transparency in our conversations. This willingness to engage honestly and openly made the exchange not only productive but also genuinely collaborative.