Author: [AUTHOR] Published on 11/1/2025 12:00:00 AM
Martin Mutaka, B Pharm, MSc, Pharmacist, Nakaseke Hospital, Kampala, Uganda
What has been your greatest challenge?
Losing my father to HIV related TB at a young age was a brutal lesson for me. The crushing weight of being told “this is how things are”, that the disease is incurable, was a big challenge for me. This changed the trajectory of my entire life, abandoning my childhood dream vocation of becoming a Catholic priest and setting out to build my path as a scientist navigating a resource-limited study environment.
How do you keep focused and motivated?
Having a clear goal of becoming a future leader in the field of clinical pharmacology in the country and region keeps me going amidst the chaos of life in a Low-to-Middle-Income Country (LMIC), as well as working with a team, and celebrating small wins in a field where systemic challenges take years to get real solutions.
What does being part of the LMIC Accelerator mean to you?
Being part of the LMIC Accelerator has been transformative both professionally and personally for me. As a junior pharmacologist, it is easy to face isolation either due to limited expertise or access to global scientific networks. The Accelerator Program has linked me with mentors who have expertise in the field and peers who truly understand the unique challenges of working in an LMIC.
What is the most important leadership role you have learned the hard way?
In an LMIC there is the notion that “we have little, thus we can only accomplish little.” However, I have come to understand that even small actions can yield significant results. For example a single R script shared with a junior colleague or a brief 30-minute mentorship session via Zoom can spark ideas, build confidence, and ignite someone’s career.
Martin has been a member of ASCPT since 2025.
