Francis Omaswa is the Executive of the African Centre for Global Health and Social Transformation (ACHEST), Publisher, Africa Health Journal and Chair of the African Health Systems Governance Network (Ashgovnet). He co-chairs the Independent Advisory Group to the WHO Director for the African Region. He was Director General of Health Services in the Ministry of Health in Uganda and coordinated major reforms in the health sector. He has a keen interest to access to quality health services by rural populations and has spent five years testing various approaches for this at the Ngora Mission Hospital in Uganda. He has been Chancellor of Busitema, University, Uganda; President, African Platform on Human Resources for Health (APHRH); Special Adviser to the WHO; Director General and founding Executive Director of the Global Health Workforce Alliance (GHWA). He is founding Director of the Uganda Heart Institute at Makerere University, Uganda; founding President of the College of Surgeons of East, Central and Southern Africa; was chair of the GAVI Independent Review Committee; founding Chair of the Global Stop TB Partnership; and Chair of the Portfolio and Procurement Committee of the Global Fund Board. He was a member of the steering committee of the High Level Forum on health-related MDGs and has served on Commissions, Committees and Expert panels. His services have been recognised with multiple national, regional and global merit awards. Francis Omaswa is a graduate of Makerere Medical School, Uganda and has qualifications in surgery, health services management and medical education.