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Dr Kitaka: An excellent model, mentor
Emilly C. Maractho
What you need to know:
- There are many women who go the extra mile. So today I celebrate Dr Sabrina Kitaka who chooses to share her journey in a way that is beneficial to others. We could all learn from Dr Kitaka a thing or two, what it means to be engaged in our spheres.
In the spirit of celebrating women this month, I reflect on one woman’s pursuit for excellence. As a researcher interested in women’s participation in public life, I have interviewed many women. In conducting these interviews, I have heard firsthand stories of hard work, perseverance and resilience that often do not become public.
There are many women who go the extra mile. So today I celebrate Dr Sabrina Kitaka who chooses to share her journey in a way that is beneficial to others. We could all learn from Dr Kitaka a thing or two, what it means to be engaged in our spheres.
I met Sabrina two weeks ago. For the two days we shared a table, it became apparent, that Dr Kitaka is every bit the positive force that you hear or read about.
On the second day, she passed on an envelope to me. It had her book, Real pursuit of excellence: The threads that keep us going. There was a personal message for me in it. I was happy. As people bought copies at the end of the meeting, I went with money to pay for it. She hugged me and whispered, ‘yours is a gift. You are special’.
Just like that, I left the meeting feeling like a special person. I immediately understood why, early in the year, my honorary daughters Patience and Stella came home and could not stop talking about Dr Kitaka. They had attended a mentorship meeting where she was invited to speak. At the diner table, the only thing I heard was how ‘totally amazing’ Dr Kitaka was.
I remember the research part of me thinking, I should meet her. And as they say, the universe heard me and set our meeting in motion.
Dr Kitaka is a wife, mother and paediatrician. She specialises in infectious diseases among children and adolescents, with special interest in HIV/Aids infections among adolescents. She teaches paediatrics and adolescent medicine at Makerere University School of Medicine.
She writes, does public speaking, consulting and some Sunday School teaching. She has a PhD from the University of Antwerp in Belgium. She is a Fellow of the Uganda National Academy of Sciences. She is not a stranger to many.
I enjoyed reading her book. I positively envied her students because her passion for medicine makes it sound interesting. If I had read this book as a young person, I would have aspired to study medicine.
Dr Kitaka tells her story in a simple but sophisticated way. The book is full of anecdotes from her childhood and university time. She is a witty story teller too. I had moments of laughter reading the book, especially when she described today’s weddings as bearing resemblance to the coronation of a monarch.
She is a calm and compassionate story teller. Even when speaking of the difficult situation in Mulago hospital that she describes as capable of ‘shattering the heart’, the period of incarceration her father underwent or the disappointment that came with her parents separating, she chooses not to be judgmental. She is understanding and compassionate. That quality, I truly admired, and must come with wisdom from medical school.
Dr Kitaka has great advise for us in this ‘windy world’. She notes that there are great winds blowing here and there or in this and that situation.
‘The person who will survive the mighty winds is the one who learns the wisdom in the story of the oak tree and the willow tree. Lore has it that the two trees were buffeted by a strong wind but, while the oak tree resisted and got broken in the process, the willow tree bent and let the wind pass, thereby surviving.’
The book explores themes around family, raising children, education, career, leadership and mentorship, faith, love, and resilience in life.
On the subject of love, there is no better counsel, than that genuine love mellows down to a friendship which nothing can affect, because you become many things to each other that other people cannot be.
Dr Kitaka’s genuine love for medicine, which she describes as being ‘completely sold to’, her patients, social networks, and of course, her Andrew and children, shines through the book.
For Dr Kitaka, ‘the real pursuit of excellence involves creating a legacy. Leaving a legacy is an important part of your life’s work. Legacy develops from a life dedicated to self-reflection and purpose.’
It is easy to get affected by Dr Kitaka. Her story seems familiar, even though different. She is humble and hardworking, pure joy to be around. She is an excellent model, mentor and friend.
I was truly blessed and encouraged when I read her story. She teaches us what it means to pursue excellence, rise above adversity and stay focused in everything. I love a great story straight from the heart.
Ms Maractho (PhD) is the director of Africa Policy Centre and senior lecturer at Uganda Christian University. [email protected]
