People of AMPATH: John Oguda, Managing Director, IIGH-Kenya

AMPATH welcomes back John Oguda as the managing director for IIGH-Kenya, the Kenyan NGO that supports AMPATH Consortium operations in Kenya. In this role, Oguda has responsibility for planning and directing financial and administrative activities for IIGH-K by managing budgetary, financial, personnel and administrative functions.

John Oguda, managing director of IIGH-Kenya

Tell us a little bit about your background including your prior work with AMPATH?

I previously worked with the Family AIDS Care & Education Services (FACES/KEMRI) initially as a data assistant and the study coordinator before moving to join AMPATH in January 2011. I joined the AMPATH cervical cancer program in the oncology department as a research assistant. I helped expand the clinic from a single clinic at AMPATH Centre to five other locations (Iten, Webuye, Chulaimbo, Mosoriot and Turbo) working alongside Drs. Omenge, Itsura, Tonui and other team members from Kenya and North America. I rose from research assistant to project coordinator and then to the associate program manager for the Gynecology-Oncology Program. I led this effort until January 2016 when I joined the University of Massachusetts Medical School which posted me for a project in Liberia funded by the CDC.

The Liberia project, an Academic Consortium Combating Ebola in Liberia (ACCEL), is a consortium bringing together the University of Massachusetts Medical School, Boston Children’s Hospital, MIT, UCSF and the Liberia College of Physicians and Surgeons. It is tasked with strengthening health care services in Liberia after the ebola outbreak. Specifically, the consortium worked in the areas of laboratory, blood services, infection prevention and control and WASH. I began as program manager in 2016, became deputy director of operations in 2017 and then deputy country director from 2017-2019.

What attracted you to this position?

Kenyan and North American administrative leadership

Over the years, AMPATH has done outstanding work in Kenya, especially western Kenya. In particular, Indiana University has developed many professionals in Kenya and continues to do so. I was attracted to this position because it is very key to ensuring smooth operations for the consortium members in Kenya to enable them to continue with their services in a more conducive environment.

What are your top priorities for your new role?

·         Streamlining operations

·         Ensuring value for money in the funds that are provided for use in IIGH-K

·         Redefining hospitality

·         Ensuring compliance with both local and International regulations/rules

What makes AMPATH special?

A combination of things…

AMPATH has redefined healthcare provision in the region and beyond. The fact that it has brought together people from different institutions both in Kenya and in North America to work together towards a common course in various aspects of health is quite unique.

AMPATH provides holistic health care including diagnostics, treatment, nutrition, research and professional development to healthcare providers. AMPATH provides this at both the facility level and also through home-based/outreach where members of the community who are not able to physically reach the hospital are reached by care providers at home. They have also incorporated the use of technology. They provide all of this in compliance with Ministry of Health requirements.

Is there anything else you would like to add?

It is my hope that the consortium will continue growing and even expand to other regions in the country and beyond. Under my leadership, IIGH-K will ensure that consortium members feel at home and get the required support to conduct their activities in the country.