Professor Pontiano Kaleebu has been awarded  with the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE) by His Majesty the King of the United Kingdom

Professor Kaleebu, the outgoing Director of the Medical Research Council/Uganda Virus Research Institute and London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine Uganda Research Unit (MRC/UVRI & LSHTM Uganda Research Unit), receives the OBE in recognition of his services to education and public health.

Born in 1960, Kaleebu attended St. Mary's College Kisubi, trained as a medical doctor and surgeon at Makerere University, and later obtained a PhD from the University of London.

The March 22 report published by London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine states that during his 13 years as Director of the MRC/UVRI & LSHTM Uganda Research Unit, Professor Kaleebu oversaw many achievements including expanding the Unit’s research expertise beyond HIV into other viral pathogens, vaccine research and non-communicable diseases.

He also made vital contributions to research in the East African region and globally and training many young scientists as the next generation of health leaders.

 Professor Moffat Nyirenda is scheduled to take over the role of Director at MRC/UVRI on 1 April 2024. 

"Congratulations Prof KaleebuPontiano for being appointed an honorary officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE) by His Majesty the King.  

Well-deserved Professor" reads a post on MRC/UVRI social media site X close sources revealed that Professor Kaleebu will now devote his time to immunovirology research.

His main research interest over the years has been in the area of understanding protective immune responses that could lead to the development of an HIV vaccine, molecular epidemiology of HIV and HIV drug resistance.

Upon receiving the news, Professor Kaleebu said: “I’m humbled and honoured to be awarded the OBE by His Majesty,  the King of the United Kingdom in recognition of my contributions to education and public health for the last  30 years, including nearly 14 years as Director of the MRC/UVRI & LSHTM Research Unit'.

The LSHTM website further quotes Prof Kaleebu saying, "this would not have been possible without the support and team effort of many colleagues in Uganda, UK and elsewhere.”

Professor Liam Smeeth, Director of LSHTM, said: “It is fantastic to see that Professor Kaleebu has been recognised for his exceptional work and leadership, over more than a decade, to drive forward the Unit’s research and education mission.”

Who is Prof Kaleebu

Prof. Pontiano Kaleebu is the Director of the Uganda Virus Research Institute (UVRI),the largest Government research institution dealing with diseases of viral aetiology of public health importance.

 UVRI hosts many international partners and is the national reference laboratory for HIV testing and quality assurance and HIV drug resistance.

The Institute hosts the World Health Organisation (WHO) measles and rubella regional reference laboratory and the WHO Inter-country polio laboratory; viral heamorrhagic fever national and regional labs, the human influenza reference lab and the recently designated WHO Yellow fever reference laboratory in the region.

Kaleebu is also the Director of the Medical Research Council (MRC)/UVRI and London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) Uganda Research Unit, an MRC UK Unit which is part of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. 

 The Unit conducts research on HIV, emerging and re-emerging infections and non-communicable diseases. Within the Unit, he heads the Pathogen Genomics, Phenotype and Immunity Programme. 

He is co-founder of the UVRI-IAVI HIV Vaccine Programme.

 He is a professor of immunovirology at the LSHTM in the Department of Infection and Immunity.

The MCR/UVRI websites lists several attributes of Prof. Kaleebu .

He leads many studies ranging from basic science studies, and epidemiological to intervention trials. He trains and mentors students and researchers from different parts of Africa. 

He is the overall coordinator of the European and Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP) East African Network of Excellence and co-leader of the African Partnership on Chronic Disease Research. He represents Uganda at the EDCTP General Assembly.

He is a fellow of Imperial College London, Faculty of Medicine and Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh (FRCP Edin). 

He sits on a number of national and international committees including chairing the National HIV drug resistance technical working group of the Ministry of Health and leads the national reference laboratories for HIV drug resistance.

The MCR/ UVRI website further states that Prof Kaleebu was one of the investigators in the first HIV vaccine trial conducted in Africa. He has authored and co-authored more than 230 publications in international scientific-reviewed journals.

Prof Kaleebu was one of the investigators in the first HIV vaccine trial conducted in Africa. He has authored and co-authored more than 230 publications in international scientific-reviewed journals.