Wilber Karugahe - Biography

Biography

Dr. Wilber Karugahe is a respected psychologist and Senior Lecturer at Makerere University, where he serves as the Coordinator of Postgraduate Counselling Psychology Programs in the Department of Mental Health & Community Psychology. He completed his undergraduate degree with honors in Community Psychology in 2005 and earned a Master’s in Counselling Psychology from Makerere University in 2009. Subsequently, he pursued and completed a PhD in Investigative Psychology at the University of Huddersfield, UK. Before joining Makerere, Dr. Karugahe taught at several Ugandan institutions, including Bugema University as a Teaching Assistant, St. Lawrence University as the first Head of its Counselling Department, and also lectured part-time at Kyambogo University.

Dr. Karugahe’s research primarily explores coping strategies, family dynamics, and mental health in the Ugandan context. He has investigated stress and coping among female nurses in Kampala, highlighting the relationship between home roles and coping methods in occupational contexts. More recently, in collaboration with Jessica E. Lambert and Peter K. Baguma, he co-authored a 2024 study examining gender-specific risk and protective factors for mental health among Congolese refugees in Uganda, underscoring his active engagement in psychosocial research with tangible social impact.