Annamaria Gwokyalya

Gwokyalya Anna Maria is a medical doctor and researcher from Uganda, currently studying for an MSc in Global Health Science and Epidemiology at the University of Oxford. She is a member of Reuben College and a Mastercard Foundation Scholar at the University of Oxford.

Anna Maria holds a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBChB) from Makerere University. She works as a General Doctor at C-Care/IMC Nansana and serves as Study Coordinator and Co-Investigator on the PACE-HIV Study at the Infectious Diseases Institute, where she contributes to research on HIV and associated co-morbidities.

She is a strong advocate for public health communication, with a focus on child-friendly health education. She authored two illustrated children’s books: The Mugishas’ COVID-19 Tale, created in collaboration with the British Society for Immunology and MU-JHU Care Ltd, which won the Heroes in Health Award; and Suubi the Monster Fighter, produced with UNICEF Uganda to raise awareness about Ebola virus disease.

During her undergraduate years, she participated in global health training at Yale University and completed a clinical elective at the Cardiovascular Department of Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago. These experiences shaped her interest in cardiovascular research.

At Oxford, Anna Maria aims to develop context-specific tools for cardiovascular disease screening and risk prediction tailored to Ugandan populations. Her long-term goal is to strengthen prevention, early detection, and equitable care for cardiovascular diseases in resource-limited settings.