The overall goal of the department is to to design, implement and monitor training and education activities, projects and programmes that contribute to improvements in the care of people with lung diseases, prevention of lung diseases and health promotion to prevent lung diseases. The achievements to date include:
Day of Lung Science sessions that are conducted monthly that aim to improve our understanding of the science underlying the different lung diseases/conditions and how this facilitates appropriate care to improve patient outcomes. The sessions attract participants from the academia, clinical practices, policy makers and programmers.
Capacity building sessions for researchers in MLI. The sessions range from research methods, project management and effective
communication. Plans are underway to offer similar standardized courses to other researchers outside MLI through the near-ready Non-Degree Research Fellowship programme.
The department is also involved in training graduate students from Makerere College of Health Sciences. Residents from the department of Paediatrics and Child Health, and Internal Medicine rotate at MLI to get an opportunity to be exposed to the specialized services at MLI and get a deeper understanding of lung health problems. They also get an opportunity to learn about lung health research and participate in journal clubs.iBreath training programme: This blended training programme was established 3 years ago with an aim of improving the competencies of primary care health workers in diagnosis and management of respiratory
diseases. Some of the trainees of this programme have established asthma care clinics at their places of work.
In addition to the iBreath programme, the department conducts regular Continuing Medical Education (CME) sessions to health care workers on specific topics of interest with an aim of improving their competencies in the care of patients with respiratory diseases.
Pulmonary and Critical Care Programme: In collaboration with the department of Internal Medicine at MakCHS, the department has developed a curriculum for a fellowship program in Pulmonology and Critical Care. Plans are underway to have the program approved by the Uganda Medical and Dental Practitioners Council (UMDPC) and Makerere University.