e-Learning Team
Dr. Matt Ames
Head e-Learning and Assistant Professor
Matthew Ames has been an instructional designer, instructional technologist, community activist, researcher, musician, videographer and more for over 20 years. Between 2007-2015 he was active through his own organization, Philosophy INC, using creative practices to build community in Virginia, United States.
Dr. Ames has also written on the history and design of Khmer comics in Cambodia, documented attempts to strengthen the relationships between the sister cities of Roanoke, Virginia and Kisumu, Kenya and presented at art conferences on his experiences in the Middle East.
Dr. Ames has taught and worked in the southern United States, The United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, where he designed the technology plan for a new college in Riyadh. He has also worked as an instructional technologist at Norfolk State University, Valencia Community College, and at Virginia Tech where he also assisted with the development of a fully-online graduate program in animal breeding and genetics.
The focus of Dr. Ames’s research has been in the history of instructional technology where he designed an interface to organize historical artifacts related to the field. He has also presented at conferences on a number of topics including: the use of humor in online learning; psychogeography as a constructivist practice; and teaching through the use of found media.
Dr. Ames has a bachelor’s degree in Philosophy from Ferrum College and a master’s and PhD from Virginia Polytechnic Institute in Instructional Design and Technology.
Dr. Ames had two book chapters published in the summer of 2023 in AECT at 100: A Legacy of Leadership.
Alain Patrick Irere Hirwa
Assistant Instructional Technologist
Alain Patrick Irere Hirwa is a communications enthusiast with an affinity for audio-visual content as a means to bridge information gaps. He holds a bachelor’s degree in communication design from the University of Rwanda and a Certificate of Competence in Multimedia Courses from the Africa Digital Media Academy.
Alain Patrick is a Global Health Corps fellow and an Africa Conservation Voices Fellow. Prior to joining UGHE as the Communications and Media Relations Coordinator, he worked as a Communications Intern at Sustainable Growers Rwanda. He also directed TUBIGANIRE Series, an edutainment series that encourages Rwandan parents to have genuine conversations with their children about sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) in family settings.
Work-Study Students
Patrick Mugisha
Patrick Mugisha is a medical student at the University of Global Health Equity (UGHE). He is pursuing a joint Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery/Master of Science in Global Health Delivery degree program. At UGHE, he also serves UGHE IT team as an e-learning student assistant.
Odile Iragena
Odile Iragena is a medical student at University of Global Health Equity (UGHE). She has a desire to become an aspiring medical doctor and global health leader who believes that health is a fundamental human right not a privilege.
Didier Isingizwe
Didier ISINGIZWE is a second-year medical student at the UGHE. In July 2020, he attended an online course entitled “An Equity-Approach to Pandemic Preparedness and Response: Emerging Insights from COVID-19 Global Response Leaders” jointly prepared by partners in UGHE