Overview lecture on choosing a biomedical engineering research topic in Uganda. Lecture is purely basic and designed to be delivered to biomedical engineering students.

1. Choosing a Biomedical Engineering
Research Topic: Overview
Brian Matovu
Biomedical Engineer, Innovator and Researcher
School of Biomedical Sciences, College of Health Sciences, Makerere University
27th July 2021

2. What is Biomedical Engineering?

3. What is research?
• Searching it again and again means Re-search. Its an art of scientific
investigation.
• “a careful investigation or enquiry especially through search for new
facts in any branch of knowledge” Dictionary Meaning.
• Definition of Research comprises defining and redefining problems,
formulating hypothesis or suggested solutions; collecting, organizing
and evaluating data; making deductions and reaching conclusions;
and at last carefully testing the conclusions to determine whether
they fit the formulating hypothesis.
• Research is an organized and systematic way of finding answers to
questions.
http://www.hyperdictionary.com/dictionary/research

4. Purpose of research
• To answer a certain question
• To solve an identified problem
Might be:
A phenomenon of interest
- Example: uptake of new
medical device for patient care
at home.
-
A problem
Research Topic

5. Two basic Steps
•Step #1: Select a broad topic of
interest.
•Step #2: Narrow it down to an
effective research topic once you
have learned a little more.

6. Research Areas in BME in Uganda
• Maternal and Child Health
• Infectious diseases
• None Communicable Diseases
• Rehabilitation and Assistive technology
• Health Technology Management
• Data science and Artificial Intelligence

7. Criteria for selecting a research topic
• Relevancy (public health importance, operational problem, etc)
• Avoidance of duplication (how much information exist)
• Feasibility (consider resources needed: Personnel, time, materials,
finances)
• Political acceptability (interest and support of authority)
• Applicability of results and recommendations (blessing by authority
and availability of resources for implementing the recommendation)
• Urgency of data needed
• Ethical acceptability (research participants’ acceptability)

8. Strategies for Identifying a research topic
• Observation of events at work place (e.g. Service provision)
• Talking to people (community, service providers, managers, researchers)
• Critical Reading (reports, articles)
• Carrying an exploratory study

9. Examples of BME Research Outputs in Uganda
• A. Chadwell, L. Kenney, D. Howard, R. T. Ssekitoleko, B. T. Nakandi and J. Head, "Evaluating Reachable Workspace and User Control Over
Prehensor Aperture for a Body-Powered Prosthesis," in IEEE Transactions on Neural Systems and Rehabilitation Engineering, vol. 28, no.
9, pp. 2005-2014, Sept. 2020, doi: 10.1109/TNSRE.2020.3010625.
• Ssekitoleko, Robert T., Solomon Oshabaheebwa, Ian G. Munabi, Martha S. Tusabe, C. Namayega, Beryl A. Ngabirano, Brian Matovu, Julius
Mugaga, William M. Reichert, and Moses L. Joloba. "The role of medical equipment in the spread of nosocomial infections: a cross-
sectional study in four tertiary public health facilities in Uganda." BMC Public Health 20, no. 1 (2020): 1-11.
• Multidisciplinary Development of a Low-Cost Gastroschisis Silo for Use in Sub-Saharan Africa Muthukurisil Arivolia Arushi Biswasa
Nolan Burroughsa Patrick Wilsona Caroline Salzmana Nasser KakemboMBCh, Julius Mugaga, Robert T.Ssekitoleko PhD, AnnSaterbak PhD,
Tamara N.Fitzgerald MD, PhD
• Hubner, Sarah, Caroline Maloney, Sarah Dunn Phillips, Pratik Doshi, Julius Mugaga, Robert Tamale Ssekitoleko, Jenna L. Mueller, and
Tamara N. Fitzgerald. "The Evolving Landscape of Medical Device Regulation in East, Central, and Southern Africa." Global Health: Science
and Practice 9, no. 1 (2021): 136-148.
• Supply chain of routine orthopedic implants in Kampala, Uganda: public-private workarounds arising from poverty and scarcity Zoe
Sekyonda, Ashley Reid, Erisa Sabakaki Mwaka, Karim Abdi, Davis Baguma, Jethro Ndyabahika, Conrad Waludde, William Reichert
• Kenney, LPJ , Ssekitoleko, R, Chadwell, AEA , Donovan-Hall, M, Morgado Ramirez, D, Holloway, C, Graham, P, Cockroft, A, Deere, B,
McCormack, S, Semwanga, A, Gizamba, H and Kalibbala, M 2019, Prosthetics services in Uganda : a series of studies to inform the design
of a low cost, but fit-for-purpose, body-powered prosthesis , Working Paper, World Health Organisation.
• Bakwatanisa, Bosco, Alfred Enywaku, Martin Kiwanuka, Claire Lamunu, Nicholas Mbowa, Denis Mukiibi, Catherine Namayega, Beryl
Ngabirano, Henry Ntambi, and William Reichert. "Biomaterials use in Mulago National Referral Hospital in Kampala, Uganda: Access and
affordability." Journal of Biomedical Materials Research Part A 104, no. 1 (2016): 104-112.
• William, W., Ware, A., Basaza-Ejiri, A. H., & Obungoloch, J. (2018). A review of image analysis and machine learning techniques for
automated cervical cancer screening from pap-smear images. Computer methods and programs in biomedicine, 164, 15-22.

10. • William, W., Ware, A., Basaza-Ejiri, A. H., & Obungoloch, J. (2019). A
pap-smear analysis tool (PAT) for detection of cervical cancer from
pap-smear images. Biomedical engineering online, 18(1), 1-22.
• Assay of Activin A and Inhibin A in women with Preeclampsia at
Mulago Hospital. Brian Matovu, Zoe Sekyonda, Denali Dahl, Paul
Kiondo, Robert T Ssekitoleko, Moses Joloba, Rose Magala, Fredrick
Makubi, Abonga Calvin, Olivia Nabuuma

11. THANKS FOR LISTENING