After her Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry at Makerere University in 1984, there was no stopping her desire to make medicine

Her neat office, adorned with charts of different specie of fruit and vegetables, and awards immediately paints a picture of proficiency. Even with the endless queue of patients waiting to consult her, Dr. Grace Nambatya-Kyeyune maintains a calm composure, no doubt created by familiarity. As if to reflect her love for nature, the director of Research at National Chemotherapeutical Research Laboratories, spots a lovely green outfit.

A few minutes into the interview reveal the eloquent and confident woman who will stop at nothing to search for cures from medicinal plants.

"I am persistent, I simply never give up," she boldly declares, as she narrates her battle to outwit a horrible eczema infection during her university days, an experience, which stirred her passion, to seek for medical solutions right from what she calls the grass roots 20 years ago. She has not looked back.

"I had gone from doctor to doctor and even resorted to traditional medicine, all in vain. If I did not know better I could have even mistaken my skin infection for HIV. So I said to myself why not go out there and look for a cure?" she says.

After her Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry at Makerere University in 1984, there was no stopping her desire to make medicine. Kyeyune won a scholarship from KULIKA charitable trust four years later to do her Masters degree in Science in Medicinal Chemistry at Lough Borough University of Technology in Leicestershire concurrently with a PhD in Plant Medicine.

For those six years, Kyeyune zealously sought out medicinal plants, anxiously planning to contribute to the health of her country.

"It is interesting that we are turning back to the basics where modern medicines were developed from in the first place. You will be amazed at what nature provides for us, especially in Uganda, that is why we researchers are now seeking for solutions for our health problems right from the grass roots," she says.

She explains that her work with other researchers at the research laboratory centres on discovery of medicinal plants, validating claims of natural medicine through scientific evaluation, developing it or advising an entrepreneur on how to develop the medicine.

Due to her outstanding innovations in research on natural medicines, Kyeyune has won various awards. Most recent was the British Profession Woman of the Year award 2006. A first class award for Scientific Work in Environment 2001 from the Natural Products Research for East and Central Africa proudly sits on a shelf to her right, as does a Certificate of Merit in Health Science in the Presidential Health Science award and many others as well.

"The first class award was thanks to a herb I tried on a girl from Butambala whose skin was so infected that it looked like a rock. It was actually the same recipe I had used for my eczema infection. Miraculously she was healed. It excites me to see people heal with these natural products," Kyeyune says.

She has formulated skin care products like Derma for skin rash and most recently a vegetable oil alternative for Vaseline from moringa called Genapo.

Aside from that,Kyeyune runs an outlet Naheco (Natural Health care consultants) that offers consultative medical services, counselling and promotes products that have been researched on both nationally and internationally. However she reveals that as an industry they are often caught in the middle of traditionalism and modernity.

"The traditional healers who are major stakeholders in this industry are insecure and think that we are out to rob them of their industry while the very educated people in the medical world have a negative attitude towards some of the natural products because they don't appreciate them.

Never the less, we do our best to reconcile the two," she says.

As she passionately describes her work, one cannot help but marvel at her enthusiasm and wonder what drives her. "It's all about being true to yourself because once you accept your deficiencies, this enables you isolate them and work at making yourself better. There are always people who intimidate one but if you ask yourself why you feel intimidated the answer will help you rediscover yourself and fix it," she says.

She reveals that the challenges she has faced while striving in a 'man's' world have made her even stronger. "I was the only female student in my PhD class in a predominately European University. I faced prejudice because of my race and sex but that challenge made me work even harder to prove that I was capable. I am still in a male dominated arena but I do my best and don't allow to be intimidated," she says.

She strongly points out that a woman is unique and special because she possesses the ability to be emotionally stable enough to find solutions especially because they can nurture children. A mother of four, Kyeyune powerfully believes in this, drawing from the inspiration her mother gave her.

"My mother always sought the best for me especially where education was concerned, being a teacher herself. This encouraged me to excel in my studies, as did being a first-born child. I even enrolled in a diploma in education to be just like her," she says.

She may have a seemingly overwhelming career, but Kyeyune discloses that she regularly takes time off to be with her husband Robert who has been a constant support, and the children. The theatre, Rotary club of Muyenga or simply tending to her medicinal plants in her back garden are some of the places you may find her relaxing. Do not be surprised to see her staring critically at a garden, for any possibilities of medicinal plants.