Uganda’s first wildlife veterinarian, Dr Gladys Kalema Zikusoka, has been selected as one of the Top 5 CNN Heroes of 2026, earning global recognition for her pioneering work protecting endangered mountain gorillas while improving the health and livelihoods of communities living alongside them.
CNN announced the five finalists on October 28th ahead of its 20th annual CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute.
The public will vote to decide the Hero of the Year, with voting open until November 29, 2026. Supporters may cast up to 10 votes per day at CNN.com/Heroes or via the official voting portal.
Each finalist receives $10,000, while the winner will receive an additional $100,000 from CNN plus a further $100,000 unrestricted grant from the Elevate Prize Foundation.
Dr Kalema Zikusoka also founder & CEO of Conservation Through Public Health (CTPH) based in Entebbe municipality & devoted her career to the mountain gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.
After becoming Uganda’s first wildlife veterinarian in the mid-1990s, she realized that gorilla survival depended on the wellbeing of neighboring human communities.
A scabies outbreak traced to poor hygiene in nearby villages led her to adopt a One Health approach linking human health, wildlife health, and environmental protection.
Through CTPH, her team has reached more than 10,000 households—representing over 50,000 people—across several communities bordering the park.
Initiatives include Village Health and Conservation Teams promoting hygiene and family planning, support for coffee farmers via Gorilla Conservation Coffee, tree-planting programmes, and “Gorilla Guardians” who safely return gorillas to the forest.
These efforts have contributed to a more than 50% growth in the Bwindi gorilla population and helped the subspecies move from critically endangered toward more stable numbers.
In a statement, Dr Kalema Zikusoka said: “When I became Uganda’s first wildlife veterinarian, I never imagined that caring for mountain gorillas would lead to a movement linking public health, conservation and sustainable livelihoods.
Our work with over 10,000 households has helped the Bwindi gorilla population grow by over 50%.
This recognition shines a light on Uganda and on the One Health approach for the whole world,she added.
The other 2026 finalists are Dion Dawson (Chicago, food security), Andrew Lunetta (Syracuse, housing), Jaina Spagis (San Bernardino, animal rescue), and Kiko Trujillo (Nogales, Mexico, disability inclusion).
The Hero of the Year will be announced during the CNN Heroes tribute broadcast on December 5, 2026.
How to vote: Visit CNN.com/Heroes and cast up to 10 votes daily until November 29.
Voters can also support CTPH directly through linked donation options.
This recognition highlights Uganda’s leadership in integrated conservation and offers an opportunity to further elevate the country’s tourism and wildlife protection efforts on the global stage.
Dr. Gladys Kalema Zikusoka is the founder and CEO of Conservation Through Public Health (CTPH), an award winning NGO that protects endangered gorillas and other wildlife through One Health approaches.
After graduating from the Royal Veterinary College, University of London, in 1996, she established Uganda Wildlife Authority’s first veterinary department.
In 2000, she did a Zoological Medicine Residency and Master in Specialized Veterinary Medicine at North Carolina Zoological Park and North Carolina State University, where masters research on disease at the human/wildlife/livestock interface led her to found CTPH in 2003. In 2015, she founded Gorilla Conservation Coffee to support farmers living around habitats where gorillas are found. CTPH’s most recent award is the 2020 Saint Andrews Prize for the Environment.
Dr. Gladys is a National Geographic Explorer, Ashoka Fellow and Mulago Foundation Henry Arnhold Fellow. She has been featured on CNN African Voices, Chinese Global Television Network Faces of Africa, BBC, Animal Planet and National Geographic.
She has won the 2008 San Diego Zoo Conservation-in-Action Award, 2009 Whitley Gold Award; 2011 WINGS Women of Discovery and Exploration Humanity Award, 2017 President of Uganda’s Golden Jubilee Award for her contribution to the nation as a conservationist and veterinarian, 2018 Sierra Club EarthCare Award, 2019 Finalist for the Tusk Award for Conservation in Africa and 2020 Tallberg Eliasson Global Leadership Prize.
In 2020, she was awarded the Uganda Veterinary Association World Veterinary Day Award and Aldo Leopold Award for Mammologists. In 2021 she was recognized by Avance Media among 100 most influential women in Africa.
She is the current Chairperson of the Africa Chapter of the Explorers Club, on the leadership council of Women for the Environment in Africa, and Vice President of the African Primatological Society.
She has sat on the boards of Uganda Wildlife Authority, Uganda Wildlife Education Centre, Buganda Heritage and Tourism Board and currently serving on Bwindi and Mgahinga Conservation Trust, Wildlife Clubs of Uganda, The Gorilla Organization and Rhino Fund Uganda boards.
Note:How to vote: Visit CNN.com/Heroes and cast up to 10 votes daily until November 29.
