Gina Birungi

St Cross-Mastercard Foundation Scholarship

Joining us from: Uganda

MSc Medical Physics with Radiobiology (2025)

My name is Gina Birungi. I am from Uganda, where my academic and professional journey has been shaped by a commitment to improving patient care outcomes. I hold a bachelor’s degree in Biomedical Engineering and previously worked in research and development, contributing to the design of biomedical technologies for emergency care in low-resource settings.

Through this work, I became increasingly aware of gaps in access to safe and effective cancer care. Uganda faces a growing cancer burden, yet there are very few trained medical physicists to support radiotherapy and diagnostic services. This led me to pursue medical physics, with the goal of helping to build sustainable medical physics capacity in Uganda and improving access to safe, effective radiation-based healthcare. I value that I have developed a concrete understanding of how ionising and non-ionising radiation are applied in clinical practice to ensure that every treatment is both safe and effective for the patient.

St Cross has been and is a genuinely welcoming space with an engaging environment that takes into account the diversity of the people that make up the community. It is reflected through the food served at the dining hall and the beautifully curated social activities throughout the terms. Beyond financial support, the St Cross for Africa - Mastercard Foundation has given me access to a great wealth of resources and a network of people who continually encourage me to view life through a lens of possibility.

Outside my studies, I have taken up archery. It is something that is entirely new to me and I have enjoyed the learning process and the opportunity to participate in beginner tournaments. I also enjoy the abundance of green spaces in Oxford, which offer spaces and moments to pause, breathe and reset despite the intensity of the course.