Ugandan wildlife veterinarian Dr Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka has been named one of the five finalists for CNN's 2026 Hero of the Year award, SoftPower News reports. The network announced the shortlist on Wednesday, October 28, ahead of the 20th annual CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute, where a public vote will decide the overall winner.
Kalema-Zikusoka, described as Uganda's first wildlife veterinarian, founded the non-profit Conservation Through Public Health (CTPH), which pairs wildlife protection with community health work and sustainable livelihoods.
Why it matters
The nomination draws international attention to a model that treats the health of people, animals and ecosystems as connected — an idea usually described as the One Health approach. In the communities bordering Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, mountain gorillas and people share a landscape, and the pressures on one side of that relationship tend to affect the other.
According to SoftPower News, CTPH's work has reached more than 10,000 households in communities around the park, where residents' livelihoods often depend on the surrounding natural environment.
In a statement posted on X, Kalema-Zikusoka said she was delighted to be chosen from thousands of nominations submitted worldwide. She wrote that when she took up her role as Uganda's first wildlife veterinarian, she had not expected that caring for mountain gorillas would grow into a movement connecting public health, conservation and sustainable livelihoods.
She also said the organisation's work with those households has helped the Bwindi gorilla population increase by more than 50 per cent, and that the recognition highlights both Uganda and the One Health approach internationally.
Health, hygiene and household incomes
CTPH's programmes include community health education, hygiene promotion and efforts to give households dependable sources of income. The organisation has also backed Gorilla Conservation Coffee, which works with farmers to raise the returns they get from coffee while contributing to conservation, according to SoftPower News.
The logic behind the model is that families who have steady incomes and access to health information are less likely to come into conflict with wildlife or to damage habitat out of economic necessity. Reducing disease transmission between people and animals in communities that border protected areas is another part of the effort.
The other finalists this year are Dion Dawson of Chicago, Andrew Lunetta of Syracuse, Jaina Spagis of San Bernardino and Kiko Trujillo of Nogales, Mexico. Each of the five will receive $10,000 to support their work, and the person chosen as Hero of the Year will get an additional $100,000, according to CNN.
Voting opened on October 28 and closes on November 29, 2026. Supporters can cast up to 10 votes per day through CNN's Heroes platform. Kalema-Zikusoka has asked the public for their support, saying the recognition is a chance to showcase Uganda's conservation work and to show that communities and wildlife can live alongside each other.
The Hero of the Year will be revealed during the 20th annual CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute on December 5, 2026, at 8 p.m. Eastern Time.
