Heads of Department & Section Heads

Dr. Juliet Mpendo, MBChB, MPH

Medical Director | Clinical Researcher | Principal Investigator

Dr Juliet Mpendo is a Ugandan medical doctor, clinical researcher, and clinical trialist with over 25 years of experience in medical and clinical research and extensive expertise in HIV prevention, HIV vaccine research, population epidemiology, and Phase I–III clinical trials.

She is the Medical Director of the UVRI Clinical Research Program Initiative (UVRI CRP) in Entebbe, Uganda, where she provides clinical and strategic leadership for the implementation of clinical research programmes. Over the course of her career, Dr Mpendo has worked closely with international sponsors, research organisations, regulators, and local communities to establish and deliver high-quality clinical trials at UVRI CRP, Entebbe, Uganda.

Dr Mpendo has served as a Principal Investigator and senior investigator on several HIV vaccine and HIV prevention studies, including HIV vaccine trials, simulated vaccine efficacy studies, the HPTN 084 Phase III trial of long-acting injectable cabotegravir for HIV prevention in women and the ongoing EXPrESSIVE 10 that is evaluating the safety and efficacy of the monthly PrEP pill. Her experience spans protocol implementation, regulatory and ethical oversight, participant safety, clinical management, quality assurance, staff capacity building, monitoring, audits, and sponsor engagement.

A significant part of her research career has focused on fishing communities around Lake Victoria, where she contributed to epidemiological and cohort studies examining HIV risk, transmission, prevention, and readiness for future HIV vaccine efficacy trials. She played a key role in establishing community research hubs that combined research activities with basic healthcare services and strengthened the capacity of underserved communities to participate in clinical research.

Dr Mpendo has contributed to peer-reviewed scientific literature and international scientific conferences, with research covering HIV vaccine safety and immunogenicity, HIV epidemiology and transmission, participant recruitment and retention, community engagement, and HIV prevention. Her work has contributed to the evidence base supporting HIV prevention strategies and the development and evaluation of novel HIV vaccines and prevention technologies.