Assoc Prof. Bernard Omech, MD.
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- Assoc Prof. Bernard Omech, MD.
Ag. Chief, DGTR / Associate Professor
Dr. Bernard Omech is a physician, public health leader, and implementation researcher with over 24 years of experience advancing healthcare in Uganda and Botswana. He is the Acting Director of Graduate Training and Research at Lira University and serves as Centre Coordinator for the university’s Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SET-SRHR) Center, where he drives strategic initiatives to strengthen graduate education and health systems research.
A graduate of Makerere University (MBChB, M.Med Internal Medicine) and the Royal Tropical Institute in Amsterdam (MSc Public and International Health Development), Dr. Omech has held senior academic and clinical leadership roles, including faculty appointments at Kampala International University and the University of Botswana.
His leadership has shaped large-scale, multi-sectoral projects that expand healthcare access and equity. He co-directed the CHASE Poverty and Hunger Project, a EU-funded initiative integrating adolescent-friendly family planning services across Northern Uganda. As Principal Investigator of the CAFFP-PAC Project, he leads efforts to transform adolescent sexual and reproductive health through citizen science and gender-responsive approaches. He also co-leads the M-CARE Project, pioneering integrated care models for patients with multiple chronic conditions in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Through these roles, Dr. Omech has positioned Lira University as a hub for impactful research and innovation, advancing universal health coverage and strengthening primary healthcare systems across the region.
Qualifications
- Doctor of Philosophy (Ph. D) Candidate, University of Amstrerdam
- Master of Public Health & Heallthy Policy & Mgt (MPH), (2018). Royal Tropical Institute, Amsterdam
- Master of Medicine in Internal Medicine (M.Med) , (2009). Makerere University. Title of Dissertation:
- Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery (MBChB) (2000) Makerere University.
SELECTED PEER-REVIEWED PUBLICATIONS
- Kigongo, E., Ekungu, E., Edmonton, A., Auma, A. G., Ongom, M. C., Samson, U., … & Omech, B. (2025). Bridging Participation Gaps: A Community-Led Inception for Integrating Comprehensive Adolescent-Friendly Family Planning and Post-Abortion Care (CAFFP– PAC) into Primary Healthcare Facilities in Northern Uganda. Open Access Journal of Contraception, 81-96.
- Eustes Kigongo, Raymond Tumwesigye, Maxson Kenneth Anyolitho, Marvin Musinguzi, Gad Kwizera, Everlyne Achan, Caroline Kambugu Nabasirye, Samson Udho, Amir Kabunga, Bernard Omech “Access to family planning services and associated factors among young people in Lira city northern Uganda” in press
- Kennedy Amone P’Olak, Jane Namusoke, Carol Chosen, Henri kibedi, Nathan Joseph Ssenyonga, Bernard Omech. “The Mediating role of Self-control on the relations between Adverse Childhood Experiences and Substance Use among Adolescents in Uganda”, DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1297565-in Press
- Odongo, Dickens, Bernard Omech, and Alfred Acanga. “Cost-effectiveness analysis of adding tuberculosis household contact investigation on passive case-finding strategy in Southwestern Uganda.” Plos one 18, no. 12 (2023): e0288761
- Mary Gorreth Nakate; Bernard Omech; Catherine Kwagala; Irene Gimbo; Augustine Bulitya; Julius Kyeswa; Enoch Katwere; Amir Kabunga; Samson Udho. Factors Influencing the Status of Adherence to Second Clinic Visit Among Clients Newly Diagnosed with HIV in Northern Uganda: A Mixed-Methods Study. HIV/AIDS – Research and Palliative Care. 2023- 04. Doi: 10.2147/HIV.S405492
- Kennedy Amone-P’Olak; Adrian Ivan Kakinda; Henry Kibedi; Bernard Omech. Barriers to treatment and care for depression among the youth in Uganda: The role of mental health literacy. Frontiers in Public Health i. 2023-03-02. Doi: 10.3389 fpubh.2023.1054918
- Musinguzi M, Kumakech E, Auma AG, Akello RA, Kigongo E, Tumwesigye R, Opio B, Kabunga A, Omech B. Prevalence and correlates of teenage pregnancy among in- school teenagers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Hoima district western Uganda- A cross sectional community-based study. PLOS ONE 2022 Dec 16;17(12):e0278772. Doi:
10.1371/journal.pone.0278772. PMID: 36525426; PMCID: PMC9757589. - Amone-P’Olak K, Omech B, Kakinda AI, et al. Echoes of the past: prevalence and correlates of PTSD among formerly abducted youths in northern Uganda: findings from the WAYS study. General Psychiatry 2022;35:e100840. Doi: 10.1136/gpsych2022-100840
- Christa Slaught, Pamela Madu, Aileen Y. Chang, Victoria L. Williams, Masego B. Kebaetse, Oathokwa Nkomazana, Onkabetse Julia Molefe Baikai, Negussie A. Bekele, Bernard Omech, Philip J. Kellman,Sally Krasne, and Carrie L. Kovarik. Novel Education Modules Addressing the.Underrepresentation of Skin of Color in Dermatology Training. Journal of Cutaneous Medicine and Surgery. 00(0) 1–8 Doi: 10. 1177/ 1203 4754 211035093
- Bearden DR, Omech B, Rulaganyang I, Sesay SO, Kolson DL, Kasner SE, Mullene MT. Stroke and HIV in Botswana: A prospective study of risk factors and outcomes. Journal of the Neurological Sciences. 2020 March; 413((2020)). Doi: 10.1016/j.jns.2020.116806
Complete List of Published Work is found using the link https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3087-736X
RESEARCH INTERESTS
Dr. Omech’s research is dedicated to improving the management of chronic non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and strengthening primary healthcare systems in Sub-Saharan Africa. His work addresses the intersection of diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, mental health, maternal and child health, and infectious diseases such as HIV/AIDS.
GRANTS WON AND AWARDED
- CHASE Poverty and Hunger Project (2020–2023): A multi-sectoral agriculture and nutrition initiative co-funded by the European Union (EUR 5.16 million), implemented in partnership with the National Agricultural Research Organization (NARO). This project expanded universal health coverage by integrating adolescent-friendly family planning services across eight districts in Northern Uganda.
- CAFFP-PAC Project (Ongoing): Principal Investigator for the “Enhancing Adolescents’ Sexual and Reproductive Health in Northern Uganda” project, funded by IDRC, Global Affairs Canada, and CIHR (CAD 1.2 million). This initiative employs a citizen science, gender-transformative approach to improving adolescent SRH access in underserved communities.
- M-CARE Project & PhD Research (Ongoing): As a Co-Principal Investigator and doctoral researcher at the University of Amsterdam, Dr. Omech is leading the Ugandan site- Implementation of an Integrated Care Model for Patients with Multiple Cardiometabolic and Mental Health Conditions in Sub-Saharan Africa. This project seeks to enhance the delivery of chronic disease care at the primary healthcare level, addressing the growing burden of multiple long-term conditions in resource-limited settings.