Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka, 2011 Women of Discovery Humanity Award

"Follow your heart. If you meet obscales along the way, use them as stepping stones to reach the stars and to fulfill your dreams and everything else will fall into place. " — Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka

Veterinarian

Born: 1970-01-08

Hometown: Kampala, Uganda

Education: Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine, University of London; Masters in Specialized Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State

Achievements

Discoveries: Led a team to investigate first scabies outbreak in mountian gorillas and traced outbreak to people living around the park.

Expeditions: Studied chimpanzee parasites in Budongo Forest, 1992. Studied mountain gorilla parasites and bacteria in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park (1994) and studied tuberculosis at human/wildlife/livestock interface in Bwindi Impenetrable and Queen Elizabeth National Parks (2001-2003).

Biography

Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka led a team investigating a scabies outbreak among mountain gorillas in Uganda, eventually tracing it to humans who live around the mountain park preserve. Because of the inadequate health care of the local population, and her identification of disease transfer, Gladys and her husband established Conservation Through Public Heath (CTPH) in Uganda. integrates gorilla conservation and community public health by improving primary health care of both people and animals in and around protected areas in Africa.  Her goal is to control transmission of disease in locations where people, wildlife and livestock converge. In 2008 she was honored with the San Diego Zoo’s “Conservation in Action Award” and in 2006, received the prestigious Ashoka Fellowship. She has been featured in documentaries for the BBC, National Geographic, Animal Planet, and on Ugandan television.

Read Gladys' full biography from Conservation Through Public Health

Watch Gladys Whitley Gold Award Video Interview...

Fun Facts

Favorite Item to have in the field: Good shoes, camera, binoculars, favorite book and inspirational reading material, including Bible.

Heroes: My mother, Mrs. Rhoda Kalema, who after my father was murdered by Idi Amin, effectively managed a career and parenting. She encouraged me and my sibilings and helped us accomplish our pet projects and dreams. My mother was named the "Mother of Ugandan Parliament" in 1979 and encouraged and inspired women to join in politics to help shape the future of Uganda. Nelson Mandela for his exceptional courage in fighting and overcoming apartheid in South Africa, and continuing to inspire the world to think positively, even after he spent 27 years in prison. Dr. Jane Goodall for her pioneering and groundbreaking work on chimpanzee behavior, and for founding the Jane Goodall Institute and encouraging young people to make a difference in the world through roots and shoots. Professor Wangari Maathai, founder of the Green Belt Movement, for fighting for what she believes in. Her dedication led to winning the Nobel Peace Prize for her work in Kenya, where the environment is being sacrificed to develpment, and where women are considered second class citizens. They are my heroes becaue they have overcome great obstacles to get where they are, and have inspired people to make the world a better place.

Awards and Recognition

Setting up grassroots conservation programs to integrate gorilla conservation and community public health through improving the health care for people, wildlife, and livestock in and around Bwindi Impenetrable National Park (2004), Queen Elizabeth National Park (2006), and Mount Tshiaberimu in North Virguna National Park (2008).

Publications

Peer-reviewed research papers