Head of Office
Dr. Ismael Kawooya
Dr. Ismael Kawooya is a Senior Research Scientist and Head of Office at the Center for Rapid Evidence Synthesis (ACRES), where he leads technical teams and oversees strategic operations. With over a decade of experience in evidence synthesis and health systems research, he specializes in bridging the gap between research and policymaking. A skilled capacity builder, Ismael leads the Evidence to Policy (E2P) Training Programme conducted by the Center. He has trained over 100 researchers, policymakers, and decision-makers across Zimbabwe, Malaysia, and India in rapid evidence reviews for health systems strengthening. He has also coordinated the Structured Operational Research and Training Initiative (SORT-IT) in Uganda, enhancing local research capabilities. His leadership extends to high-impact initiatives, including:- Training nine National TB and Leprosy Programme staff in operational research, supported by WHO/TDR, and guiding their publication processes.
- Serving as a Consultant Researcher at Witwatersrand University (funded by the Hewlett and Flora Foundation), where he authored a case study on Primary Care Systems Research (PRIMASYS) for the Alliance for Health Policy and Systems Research.
- Kawooya, I., Ddumba, I., Kayongo, E., & Mijumbi-Deve, R. (2020). Rapidly responding to policy queries with evidence: Learning from rapid response services in Uganda. In Using evidence in policy and practice(pp. 133-151). Routledge.
- Mijumbi-Deve, R. M., Kawooya, I., Kayongo, E., Izizinga, R., Mamuye, H., Amog, K., & Langlois, E. V. (2022). Paper 1: Demand-driven rapid reviews for health policy and systems decision-making: lessons from Lebanon, Ethiopia, and South Africa on researchers and policymakers’ experiences. Systematic Reviews, 11(1), 154.
- Kawooya, I., Kayongo, E., Munube, D., Mijumbi-Deve, R., Elliott, S., Vandermeer, B., & Sewankambo, N. (2022). Point‐of‐care diagnostic tests for sickle cell disease.The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2022(9), CD014584.
- Robson, R. C., Thomas, S. M., Langlois, É. V., Mijumbi, R., Kawooya, I., Antony, J., … & Tricco, A. C. (2023). Embedding rapid reviews in health policy and systems decision-making: impacts and lessons learned from four low-and middle-income countries. Health Research Policy and Systems, 21(1), 45.
- Nangendo, J., Obuku, E. A., Kawooya, I., Mukisa, J., Nalutaaya, A., Musewa, A., … & Kalyango, J. N. (2017). Diagnostic accuracy and acceptability of rapid HIV oral testing among adults attending an urban public health facility in Kampala, Uganda. PloS one, 12(8), e0182050.
- Nangendo, J., Obuku, E. A., Kawooya, I., Mukisa, J., Nalutaaya, A., Musewa, A., … & Kalyango, J. N. (2017). Diagnostic accuracy and acceptability of rapid HIV oral testing among adults attending an urban public health facility in Kampala, Uganda. PloS one, 12(8), e0182050.
- Mukasa, J., Kayongo, E., Kawooya, I., Lukoye, D., Etwom, A., Mugabe, F., … & Mijumbi-Deve, R. (2020). Adherence to the MDR-TB intensive phase treatment protocol amongst individuals followed up at central and peripheral health care facilities in Uganda-a descriptive study. African Health Sciences, 20(2), 625-632.
- Kawooya, I., Lubanga, T., Muwanika, A., Muhumuza, E., & Mijumbi-Deve, R. (2020). The influence of local ownership and politics of the use of evaluations in policy making: The case of the public procurement evaluation in Uganda. In Using evidence in policy and practice(pp. 115-132). Routledge.
