@MHSwahn

Dean School of Public Health @VCU. Epidemiologist & Global Health Researcher, Fulbright Scholar - https://xitter.cf/t.co/CBdy2oTSKD

 Richmond, USA, Kampala, Uganda
sph.vcu.edu/
Joined January 2013
  • Tweets13.4K
  • Following2.4K
  • Followers3.3K
1.6KMedia
A picture is worth more than a thousand words. This one tells a public health story we don’t say out loud enough. Alcohol-related harm—seen, felt, and too often ignored. I’m heading to #GAPC2026. If you’re there, let’s connect. #AlcoholPolicy #PublicHealth #GlobalHealth #Uganda
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We are proud to celebrate @AlmorieE_, a 2025 graduate of the American Center's Foreign Policy Early Careers Program, on being crowned Miss Uganda 2026/27! We can't wait to see the impact she makes as one of Uganda’s emerging leaders.during her reign.
A lady holding a certificate of completion of the Foreign Policy and Leadership program, standing in front of U.S. Embassy Uganda backdrop.

ALT A lady holding a certificate of completion of the Foreign Policy and Leadership program, standing in front of U.S. Embassy Uganda backdrop.

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Dr. Monica Swahn retweeted
The Nobel Prize
@NobelPrizeOct 9
Wangari Maathai was the first female professor in Kenya and the first African woman to be awarded the #NobelPeacePrize. She founded the Green Belt Movement, which led to the planting of millions of trees. Today we announce the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize.
Wangari Maathai, smiling, holds a potted plant, dressed in a bright blue and yellow traditional dress and matching headscarf.

ALT Wangari Maathai, smiling, holds a potted plant, dressed in a bright blue and yellow traditional dress and matching headscarf.

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🇺🇸🤝🇺🇬 Results, not rhetoric: 99.1% of Ugandans who know their HIV status are on treatment, and 96.5% of them have suppressed the virus. That beats global targets. "Behind each of those percentages is a person who got tested, stayed on treatment, and is alive because of it." — Chargé d'Affaires Mikael Cleverley @MinofHealthUG
Chargé d'Affaires Cleverley poses with about 20 U.S. and Ugandan officials in a Kampala courtyard. Behind them are banners from the U.S. Embassy, the Uganda Ministry of Health, UPHIA, and the Makerere University School of Public Health.

ALT Chargé d'Affaires Cleverley poses with about 20 U.S. and Ugandan officials in a Kampala courtyard. Behind them are banners from the U.S. Embassy, the Uganda Ministry of Health, UPHIA, and the Makerere University School of Public Health.

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VCU launched the Center for Gun Violence Research! Based in #VCUPublicHealth & led by Nicholas Thomson, Ph.D., the hub unites experts across 8 schools to turn science into lifesaving prevention strategies. 🔗 news.vcu.edu/article/vcu-lau… @VCU

VCU launches interdisciplinary Center for Gun Violence Research

Based in the School of Public Health, the center will unite expertise across VCU to advance the science of gun violence prevention and translate evidence into strategies that save lives.

news.vcu.edu
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If you're interested in collaboration, personalize mentorship and research that impacts your community, consider a Ph.D. in Epidemiology at #VCUPublich Health. Get the details here: sph.vcu.edu/programs/phd/phd…
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Thrilled to be part of the Scholars Table and share a bit of my own journey & also about our new VCU School of Public Health/ @soph_vcu #VCUpublichealth
Dr. Banda Khalifa
@dr_bandakSep 14
New episode with the Dean of the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Public Health. Before Dean, she spent nearly a decade at the CDC as a health scientist and epidemiologist, and a Fulbright year at Makerere University in Uganda. We talked about the part of that path most students never see. What a dean actually does all day. Why she left government science for a university. And what she notices when she reads a graduate application. Full conversation youtu.be/l2XT7LVMU3w?si=Z2ZC…
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New SWAN study findings published in @JAMAInternalMed: Initiating hormone therapy during perimenopause or early postmenopause for hot flashes & night sweats is linked to a 22% lower risk of cardiovascular disease events. vcuhealth.org/news/hormone-t…

Hormone therapy use for hot flashes and night sweats in peri and early postmenopause linked to...

vcuhealth.org
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Millions of women now rely on period-tracking apps to manage their health but how many of us actually read the privacy policy first? These apps promise convenience: cycle predictions, symptom logs, fertility insights. What's less visible is where that data goes, who can access it, and how it's protected. As digital health tools grow, we need to ask harder questions about consent and data ownership not just adoption. Read the full story here : healthbusiness.co.ke/10608/s…... #DigitalHealth #ReproductiveHealth #SRHR #WeareAfrica

Smart Tracking or False Confidence? Women’s Use of Period-Tracking Apps Overshadowed by Questions...

By Melisa Mong’ina For many young women in Kenya, period-tracking apps have become more than digital calendars. With just a

healthbusiness.co.ke
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Dr. Monica Swahn retweeted
Reuters Africa
@ReutersAfricaAug 26
The outbreak of the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola in Uganda is over, a World Health Organization official said in a briefing on Wednesday, as she warned that cases continue to rise in Democratic Republic of Congo. reuters.com/business/healthc…

WHO says Ebola outbreak in Uganda is over, as cases rise in Congo

The outbreak of the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola in ​Uganda is over but it is not under control ‌in neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo, a World Health Organization official told a briefing on...

reuters.com
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On the #uapamediawatch today....
Uganda Alcohol Policy Alliance
@PolicyUgandaAug 26
On the #uapamediawatch today, we've communication from @mnkesiga14 !
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Can we see how chronic stress gets “under the skin”? Our new #TOPOWAProject paper w women in #Kampala show a ⬆️morning cortisol-to-DHEA ratio was associated with a 12% ⬆️prevalence of suicidal ideation. Read paper: lnkd.in/ev4rTkUc 🌍🇺🇬🙏🏿🙏🏼 #GlobalHealth #MentalHealth
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Check out our last @educationusa event where over 100 university reps from U.S. and Ugandan universities came together to build more impactful partnerships in research, student and faculty exchanges, and more! 🇺🇸🎓🇺🇬 #AmericanExcellence
Four women converse during the “Beyond MOUs: Building Meaningful U.S.–Uganda University Partnerships” roundtable, with the event display visible in the background.

ALT Four women converse during the “Beyond MOUs: Building Meaningful U.S.–Uganda University Partnerships” roundtable, with the event display visible in the background.

A U.S. Embassy official addresses participants at the “Beyond MOUs: Building Meaningful U.S.–Uganda University Partnerships” roundtable, with EducationUSA branding and U.S. and Ugandan flags displayed behind her.

ALT A U.S. Embassy official addresses participants at the “Beyond MOUs: Building Meaningful U.S.–Uganda University Partnerships” roundtable, with EducationUSA branding and U.S. and Ugandan flags displayed behind her.

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Stopping Ebola at the source starts with strong surveillance. Through @USForeignAssist & @medicalteams, technicians like Emmanuel Loum in Terego District int the West Nile sub-region are using U.S.-supported tech & expertise to detect cases. Together, 🇺🇸🤝🇺🇬 are strengthening global health security.
Medical Lab Assistant Loum Emmanuel standing outdoors in a lab coat and mask, holding a box of essential PPE and medical testing supplies in Terego District, Uganda.

ALT Medical Lab Assistant Loum Emmanuel standing outdoors in a lab coat and mask, holding a box of essential PPE and medical testing supplies in Terego District, Uganda.

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Thrilled to announce we've named our first associate dean for research at #VCUPublicHealth. 👏 Join us in welcoming Nicholas Thomson, Ph.D., to the team. He'll join us early September. blogs.vcu.edu/sph/2026/08/05…
Headshot of a smiling middle-aged man with gray hair and beard used to announce an appointment as Associate Dean for Research at VCU School of Public Health, with the VCU logo in the upper-right corner.

ALT Headshot of a smiling middle-aged man with gray hair and beard used to announce an appointment as Associate Dean for Research at VCU School of Public Health, with the VCU logo in the upper-right corner.

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📢 🇺🇸 FUNDING ANNOUNCEMENT: @CDCgov has a new funding opportunity to strengthen Uganda's global health security! Focus areas: health emergency management, human resources, surveillance & lab systems. 📅 Deadline: August 14. Apply at grants.gov — search "CDC-RFA-JG-26-0054." Questions? Email [email protected]
An official notice from the U.S. Embassy Uganda and the CDC announcing a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) titled "Strengthening Global Health Security through Local Partnerships in Uganda."

ALT An official notice from the U.S. Embassy Uganda and the CDC announcing a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) titled "Strengthening Global Health Security through Local Partnerships in Uganda."

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New paper published! Using #Photovoice, young #women in #Kampala reveal the #alcohol paradox: supporting livelihoods while contributing to violence, insecurity, financial strain, and psychological distress. #PublicHealth #TOPOWAproject @uydel_2019 #Uganda doi.org/10.3390/ijerph230809…

Young Women’s Perspectives on Alcohol Environments in Urban Informal Settlements in Kampala,...

Young women living in urban informal settlements experience intersecting structural and environmental conditions that shape health and well-being. Alcohol environments (the physical, social, and...

mdpi.com
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VCU goes global 🌏️ A delegation from @VCU traveled to #Kazakhstan to collaborate on training and research. By the end of the visit, they designated Kazakhstan as a priority country for expanding & strengthening VCU Global Health Partnerships. blogs.vcu.edu/sph/2026/07/17…
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"Although all of our programs were designed to improve equitable cancer care, at the end of it, none of it looks the same.” - Marcie S. Wright, Ph.D., @OncAlliance deputy director & associate professor of @sbs_vcu. Learn more about the Alliance at equityincancercare.org
Alliance for Equity in Cancer Care@OncAllianceJul 20
Four years ago, we set out with an uncompromising mission: to dismantle systemic gaps in #SDOH and ensure timely, high-quality cancer care for historically underserved communities. 🔗equityincancercare.org/news/… Led by @VCUMassey
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The best foreign assistance builds systems that outlast it. 🇺🇬's National Public Health Emergency Operations Center — established in 2013 with 🇺🇸 @CDCgov support — is at the heart of the current Ebola response. It was great to tour this Uganda-led hub, which has responded to over 700 public health events. Early detection here protects lives globally. 🌍@USForeignAssist
Officials from the U.S. Government and Uganda's Health Ministry pose for a photo outside the Ministry of Health.

ALT Officials from the U.S. Government and Uganda's Health Ministry pose for a photo outside the Ministry of Health.

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“By purchasing the Altria Center, VCU will be better suited to meet the needs of our students, faculty and researchers, as well as the communities we serve in and around Richmond." @MHSwahn, dean of #VCUPublicHealth
VCU@VCUJun 29
The 2027-29 state budget approved Monday by the General Assembly includes funding for #VCU to acquire the 450,000-square-foot Altria Center for Research and Technology and to construct a new School of Dentistry building. news.vcu.edu/article/state-a…
Altria building against a clear blue sky. Headline reads "State approves funding for V-C-U to construct School of Dentistry building and acquire Altria Center for Research and Technology."

ALT Altria building against a clear blue sky. Headline reads "State approves funding for V-C-U to construct School of Dentistry building and acquire Altria Center for Research and Technology."

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