Open to opportunities

Mercy Kukundakwe

@mercykukundakwe

Message

I lead community engagement and digital health advocacy for HIV, TB, patient safety, and equitable care.

Uganda

Message

What I'm looking for

I'm looking to lead community engagement, patient advocacy, digital health, and public health programmes that advance equity, strengthen health systems, and deliver sustainable outcomes for underserved communities.

I've led community engagement, patient advocacy, and health systems work at the Infectious Diseases Institute in Kampala, supporting HIV, TB, mental health, and quality-of-care programmes.

As Assistant and Head of the GIPA Programme, I redesigned and managed patient engagement systems, coordinated Community Advisory Boards, and supervised a patient-led advocacy team of more than 30 people living with HIV. I also led a scholarship programme valued at over $100,000 that supported 90+ young people living with HIV through entrepreneurial skills training.

I designed and led the national Patient Safety Advocates programme from pilot to rollout, training 90+ advocates and helping build systems for reporting and monitoring safety incidents. As Acting Clinic Administrator, I coordinated operations, records, budgets, procurement, training, events, and cross-functional clinic communication.

Today, I co-chair the UC TRAC Community Advisory Board and founded Civic Sphere, where I create evidence-based digital advocacy content on HIV, TB, antimicrobial resistance, mental health, and public health. I'm driven by empowering marginalized communities, strengthening health literacy, and advancing inclusive, people-centered care.

Experience

Work history, roles, and key accomplishments

Current

Founder & Digital Health Managing Director

Current

Civic Sphere

Jun 2025 - Present (1 year 4 months)

Founded and leads Civic Sphere, an independent digital advocacy initiative leveraging blogs, social media, and multimedia to promote public health and community engagement. Develops digital communication strategies, manages WordPress and TikTok platforms, and creates educational content on public health issues.

Digital Advocacy Content Creation WordPress TikTok Social Media Management Public Health Communications Research Analytics

Current

Co-Chair, UC TRAC Community Advisory Board

Current

University of California, San Francisco

Oct 2023 - Present (3 years)

Serve as the public face and primary liaison for the UC TB-CAB, leading governance, strategic planning, and partnerships. Design and facilitate meetings, trainings, and collaboration initiatives with similar bodies worldwide.

Community Engagement Governance Strategic Planning Partnership Building Facilitation Training Stakeholder Engagement

Acting Clinic Administrator

Infectious Diseases Institute (IDI)

Nov 2015 - May 2025 (9 years 6 months)

Enhanced clinic productivity and operational efficiency by coordinating administrative functions across multidisciplinary teams. Managed clinic communications, patient follow-up systems, procurement, and event coordination, and supported budget tracking and financial records.

Administration Operations Management Coordination Records Management Event Planning Budget Monitoring Customer Service Procurement

Assistant & Head of GIPA Programme

Infectious Diseases Institute (IDI)

Jun 2015 - May 2025 (9 years 11 months)

Provided administrative and technical leadership for the Greater Involvement of People Living with HIV/AIDS (GIPA) programme, including designing and coordinating Community Advisory Boards, supervising a patient-led advocacy team, and managing financial accountability. Led the Don Holzworth Young Adult Scholarship program and the national Patient Safety Advocates program.

Program Management Community Engagement HIV AIDS Tuberculosis Advocacy Supervision Budget Management Training Quality Improvement Monitoring and Evaluation

Peer Educator and Mentor

Buhinga Regional Referral Hospital

Jan 2006 - Dec 2014 (8 years 11 months)

Served as a peer educator and mentor, providing support and education to patients and communities.

Peer Education Mentorship Community Outreach

Education

Degrees, certifications, and relevant coursework

WATU L&D

Customer Experience Master Class, Customer Experience

Completed Customer Experience Master Class at WATU L&D in 2024.

Coursera

Google Project Management, Project Management

Completed Google Project Management certification on Coursera in 2024.

Girls 4 Girls Uganda

Girls 4 Girls Mentorship Programme, Mentorship

Completed Girls 4 Girls Mentorship Programme (Glow Getters 8 Cohort) in 2022.

Coventry University

Mental Health and Stress, Mental Health and Stress

Completed a course in Mental Health and Stress at Coventry University in 2020.

University of Bath

Quality Improvement in Health Care: The Case for Change, Quality Improvement in Health Care

Completed a course in Quality Improvement in Health Care: The Case for Change at the University of Bath in 2019.

Infectious Diseases Institute (IDI)

Concept Writing, Concept Writing

Completed Concept Writing training at Infectious Diseases Institute in 2019.

Infectious Diseases Institute (IDI)

Occupational Stress and Coping Mechanisms, Occupational Stress and Coping Mechanisms

Completed Occupational Stress and Coping Mechanisms training at Infectious Diseases Institute in 2017.

YALI

YALI Certificate, Leadership and Governance

Completed multiple YALI courses in 2017, including Understanding Human Rights, Responsible Leadership on Transparency & Good Governance, Community Organizing for Action, and Creating and Maintaining Social Enterprises.