Joseph Babigumira, MBChB, MS, PhD, has left his position as associate professor in the Department of Global Health, after nine years of service to his students, peer faculty and staff. Joseph has been an important contributor to the School of Public Health and the wider University of Washington community since he arrived in 2006 as a PhD student in the School of Pharmacy.  Over the years, he has touched many of us with his thoughtfulness, sincerity, quiet activism and dry wit – we will miss him greatly.

Joseph, a native of Uganda, trained there as a medical doctor at Mbarara University of Science and Technology and practiced for three years before pursuing graduate studies and successfully transitioning into a career as a health economist. His research and teaching has focused on improving access to safe and cost-effective medicines and diagnostic technologies, economic evaluation, and assessment of healthcare delivery platforms in the U.S. and throughout the world. Since 2009, Joseph has published more than 60 articles in peer-reviewed journals and has been cited more than 1,200 times. The School has been profoundly enriched by his scholarship and mentorship.

Joseph’s contributions to students throughout the UW have been enormous. He is highly regarded as a teacher and mentor, and many students over the years have sung his praises as he helped many in their career development, thesis completion and in classroom teaching. He is one of the few SPH faculty members capable of mentoring others in both qualitative and quantitative methods. He is a self-proclaimed “lifelong student” and brings that innate curiosity into the classroom. Many of his students recount being spellbound during his lectures as they observed his deep expertise in health systems strengthening, health economics, global pharmacy and even philosophy. 

Within the School, Joseph has been an active service leader, serving on numerous Departmental and School-wide committees, panel discussions, and as a guest lecturer across campus. Joseph is also a formidable voice of Blacks and Africans in the Diaspora, speaking truth to power. Additionally, he has served as an important form of representation for students as one of the few Black faculty in his department. He has a sensitive and skillful way of articulating the challenges of communities of color – and continually stands up for social justice. He is highly respected by his colleagues and students. We are pleased that he is moving to advance in his career and we wish him well in his new environment.

Thank you, Joseph, for all that you have done for the School – your presence and voice have left a huge legacy and you will be greatly missed. 

We also would like to send Joseph off with messages of support. If interested, please fill this e-card with well wishes or messages you would like to share.

By Ahoua Koné, Deepa Rao, Clarence Spigner, Claire Gwayi-Chore, Renee Heffron, Victoria Gardner. See story on SPH's website.