Currently living in Kampala, Uganda, Shanita Ankunda serves as an HIV/TB Technical Officer at Reach Out Mbuya Community Health Initiative (ROM), where she works closely with highly at-risk populations, community health workers, and local leaders. Through needs assessments and collaborative program design, she helps implement inclusive, people-centered solutions that reduce stigma and ensure equitable access to health care, ultimately improving outcomes for the communities she serves.

Shanita’s commitment to public health was shaped by hands-on experience in community-driven initiatives. In 2018, she coordinated a project to prevent and diagnose non-communicable diseases (NCDs) among youth in Mbarara District, reaching over 1,000 students across secondary schools, universities, and the wider community. The NCD clubs she helped establish continue to raise awareness about prevention and early detection. She also volunteered in Ruteete, Kabarole District, training households to build handwashing facilities during Ebola outbreaks—an effort that contributed to the community remaining Ebola-free.

In her current role at ROM, Shanita has innovated NCD treatment groups in supported facilities, where patients contributed to pooled funds to purchase medications during stockouts and provide peer psychosocial support. She has also led health service integration initiatives across all ROM-supported facilities, including capacity building for health workers and drafting integration action plans to strengthen service delivery.

Grounded in the belief that health care must be holistic, patient-centered, and tailored to individual needs, Shanita advocates for systems that meet people where they are. She draws inspiration from Ronald Reagan: “The greatest leader is not necessarily one who does the greatest things, but rather the one who gets the people to do the greatest things.”