In November of 2019, Mark Donald Mwesiga was selected by the PCAU board as the new country director of the Palliative Care Association of Uganda (PCAU). Mark followed Rose Kiwanuka, the founding director of PCAU and a tireless advocate for palliative care access globally. Many of you have met or worked with Rose and you know these were hard shoes to fill. But Rose did an excellent job of mentoring Mark before her retirement.
Prior to leading PCAU, Mark spent nearly five years as the programs manager there. He worked closely with Rose to advance programs and learned the organization. This led to a smooth transition, especially with the partner organizations (including CHC) with whom PCAU collaborates. The RTH children know him well as he has been deeply involved with the program. Even in his new role, he is in frequent contact with the children, offering them guidance and support.
When Mark officially took the reins of PCAU earlier this year, COVID-19 was hardly on the radar – but it quickly turned into the focal point for nearly every aspect of PCAU’s work. During the pandemic, PCAU has stepped into a key leadership role.
Mark has ensured that PCAU’s voice is heard; they have focused on ensuring palliative care services continue during the pandemic and have been included in national conversations and committees on managing the pandemic. This is in no smallpart due to Mark’s leadership and the wonderful team at PCAU.
Mark is currently finalizing his Master of Public Health degree at Uganda Martyrs University. He holds a Master of Management Science as well as a post-graduate diploma in human resources management and a degree in social sciences. He has various short course qualifications in project planning and management, drug policy, and diplomacy and public health from The Graduate Institute in Geneva.
Having started his employment work as a volunteer with health programs at the rural Uganda community level, he appreciates the need for palliative care services to reach everyone in need and is inspired by the vision of PCAU.
