Dr Buluke Brian lives in two demanding worlds. During the day, he scrubs in at Kampala International University Teaching Hospital, training as a General Surgeon and mastering the delicate art of restoring health. At night, he steps onto the stage as Blue Tygar, an acoustic singer-songwriter whose music gives voice to the hopes, fears, and emotions many carry silently through hospital corridors.
Though the two worlds may seem different, they demand much of the same qualities: steady hands, sharp focus, patience, and deep listening. One heals the body. The other comforts the soul. Somewhere between medicine and music is where Brian’s purpose truly lives.
Learning Surgery Where It Matters Most
Brian began his medical journey at Mbarara University of Science and Technology (MUST), where he pursued a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBChB) from 2013 to 2018, with particular interest in Surgery and Pediatrics.
Even as a medical student, he balanced lecture notes with melodies, often moving between hospital wards and songwriting sessions. In 2014, while still in his second year at university, he wrote “Lift Me Up” a deeply personal song that became both a prayer and a source of motivation during the demanding years of medical school.
Today, Brian is in his final year of the Master of Medicine in General Surgery at Kampala International University School of Health Sciences and is expected to graduate on 13th June 2026.
His surgical training is conducted at KIU Teaching Hospital and Research Centre (KIU-THR), a facility recognized for its extensive surgical outreach programs in partnership with the Association of Surgeons of Uganda and the Ministry of Health. With specialized departments in General Surgery, Orthopaedics, ENT, Ophthalmology, Neurosurgery, and Gynaecology, the hospital has exposed Brian to some of Uganda’s most pressing surgical challenges.
Blue Tygar: Songs Born Before Scrubs
Long before surgical gloves and operating theatres, music had already found its place in Brian’s life.
He wrote his first song, “Twekolere,” while still in Primary Six and continued developing his passion throughout school. Performing under the stage name Blue Tygar, he has since released 15 songs spanning gospel, RnB, and acoustic music, with lyrics performed in several Ugandan local languages.
His Lift Me Up music project features tracks such as Topapa, Dry Season, Gwenonze, and the fan-favorite “Wantegera.”
Despite the demanding nature of medical training, Brian has shared stages with some of Uganda’s biggest artists, including Eddy Kenzo during his 10-year anniversary concert, Spice Diana at the Ndi Mu Love concert, and Jose Chameleone at the famous Sabasaba event. He later went on to headline and sell out his own Lift Me Up concert at Adit Mall in Mbarara city.
For Brian, the operating theatre and the concert stage are not as different as many might assume. Both require composure, precision, confidence, and the ability to remain fully present in the moment.
Bringing Healthcare Closer to Communities
While still at MUST, Brian founded Lanz Clinic near the university campus with the aim of providing affordable healthcare services to students and surrounding communities.
That same commitment to accessible healthcare continues to shape his journey at KIU. Through surgical outreach and clinical training programs, KIU-THR continues to play a role in addressing the shortage of surgeons in Western Uganda.
After graduation, Brian hopes to contribute to that mission by offering compassionate surgical care, mentoring younger doctors, and helping extend quality healthcare services beyond major urban hospitals.
One Life, Two Ways of Healing
Among colleagues at KIU, Brian is known as the resident doctor who stays behind after shifts to guide junior students through suturing techniques, calmly explains procedures to patients without overwhelming medical language, and remains composed even during difficult cases.
To music fans, however, he is Blue Tygar, an artist whose music speaks about resilience, healing, faith, and hope.
Brian does not see medicine and music as competing identities. To him, they are simply two different forms of healing.
Surgery restores physical function. Music restores courage and emotional strength. Both begin the same way: by paying attention to symptoms, to silence, and to the human being in front of you.
As he prepares to graduate on 13th June 2026, Brian’s journey stands as more than an academic milestone. It is a reminder that passion and profession do not always have to exist separately.
Dr Buluke Brian chose medicine. Blue Tygar chose music. Together, they continue working toward the same goal, helping people feel whole again.
