Following a thorough international search, the University of Global Health Equity (UGHE) which is among the top higher education institutions in sub-Saharan Africa has appointed Professor Philip Cotton as its next Vice Chancellor, effective April 8.

He will succeed Dr. Joel M. Mubiligi, who has been appointed Chief Innovation and Growth Planning Officer at Partners In Health (PIH), the nonprofit public health organisation that founded UGHE in 2015 under the leadership of the late Paul Farmer.

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"We are deeply thankful to Dr. Mubiligi for his outstanding service and truly honored to welcome Prof. Philip Cotton as our new Vice Chancellor,” said Dr. Joseph Rhatigan, UGHE Chair of the Board of Directors and Associate Chief of the Division of Global Health Equity at Harvard Medical School.

"His exceptional track record of building collaboration, driving innovation in education, and empowering communities through education aligns with UGHE’s mission to train the next generation of global health leaders.”

Cotton, a dual citizen of the United Kingdom and Rwanda, brings with him a strong commitment to Rwanda and a passion for the ways education can transform students and society.

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Prior to joining UGHE, he was Head of the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program, where he ensured African students with exceptional talent but limited resources had access to financial, social, and academic support.

Earlier, Cotton helped unify autonomous higher education institutions into a single university, University of Rwanda, while he served as Principal of the College of Medicine and Health Sciences and then Vice Chancellor.

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He also practiced family medicine and was professor at Glasgow University, where he served as deputy head of the Undergraduate Medical School, among other roles.

Prof Cotton is a Methodist preacher, founder of a fair-trade organization, and a trustee and advisor to several groups including St Andrews Clinics for Children, a charity that raises funds to support the provision of health care for children in sub-Saharan Africa.

In 2017, he was honoured with the Order of the British Empire for his dedication to advancing higher education in Rwanda.

The following year, he received the prestigious Association for the Study of Medical Education Gold Medal in recognition of his exceptional contributions to medical education. Then, in 2021, he was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, further acknowledging his distinguished achievements and expertise.

A graduate of St Andrews University and Glasgow University, he holds several honorary professorships and is Chair of the Board of Directors of Rwanda Biomedical Centre.

At UGHE, Prof Cotton is expected to play a key role in advancing the institution’s commitment to innovative, equitable, and community-focused global health education.

In 2023, Times Higher Education ranked UGHE eighth in its Sub-Saharan Africa university rankings.