Narcis Kabatereine has steadily built a career as both an academic and a highly trusted technical expert whose advice on tropical disease control is greatly in demand across Africa. He has been described as “the unsung hero of NTDs [neglected tropical diseases]”.

PLoS NTDs has interviewed Dr Kabatereine in his office at the Vector Control Division (VCD) of Uganda’s Ministry of Health in Kampala, where he spoke to the journal about his career - including his work on schistosomiasis and soil-transmitted helminthiases - and his enthusiasm for the integrated approach to NTD control.