A BANGOR University Masters student received royal praise during a recent London reception.

Dr Ephraim Kisangala, a Commonwealth Scholarship student from Uganda, had the opportunity to present his work to Meghan, Duchess of Sussex during an Association of Commonwealth Universities event.

During the event, the Duchess became the Association's Royal Patron.

Ephraim, a GP in Uganda who is studying Public Health and Health Promotion at Bangor University’s School of Healthcare Sciences, says the Duchess showed a lot of interest in his work.

"I was introduced to the Duchess briefly and she asked about my research, she came across as a most humble individual, and was smiling and attentive," he said.

"She later came back to me for a more in depth conversation about the problems faced by menstruating women in refugee camps in Uganda.

"I was a little nervous before hand, but discussing my work with the Chair of the Commonwealth Association of Universities calmed my nerves."

Explaining his dissertation subject, Ephraim said that Uganda has the largest number of refugees of any African country and that menstruation is a hidden health issue for women there.

"The teaching and curriculum on my course is very flexible, which enables me to choose topics which are related to Ugandan healthcare problems," he continued.

"This ensures that what I learn at Bangor is particularly relevant when I return to Uganda.”

Having been practicing as a GP for two years, Ephraim decided that the time was right to develop his experience and to extend his education.

He was involved in the first world campaign on menstrual hygiene management in 2014 while he was a medical student.

He also contributed money from his monthly salaries to fund visits to rural areas with no access to healthcare, in order to provide free healthcare services to the people in the hardest to reach areas through a local based organisation called the Nyalojjie Integrated Foundation (NIF).