The Institute for Global Health and Infectious Diseases and UNC Global Women’s Health have announced the first two PhD graduates from the UNC-UNZA-Wits Partnership for HIV and Women’s Reproductive Health Training Program. This program, led by co-principal investigators Dr. Carla Chibwesha, an associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology and Dr. Benjamin Chi, an associate director within the International Core at the UNC Center for AIDS Research (CFAR) is funded by the Fogarty International Center of the NIH. This programs aim is to build research capacity at the intersection of HIV and women’s reproductive health in Zambia. It leverages collaborations between UNC, the University of Zambia (UNZA), and the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits).
The program offers PhD training at Wits for Zambian faculty members from UNZA, combining coursework in Johannesburg and research in Lusaka. Seven individuals have been supported through this initiative, with Mwana “Ketty” Lubeya and Twaambo Hamoonga being the first to graduate. Lubeya’s research focused on HPV vaccine implementation in Zambia, while Hamoonga studied HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis during pregnancy and breastfeeding. Both projects align with Zambia’s health priorities and offer insights applicable across the African region.
Dr. Chibwesha praised the graduates’ perseverance, while Dr. Chi highlighted how the program advances science and builds research capacity in global health. The Institute for Global Health and Infectious Diseases, which fosters interdisciplinary global health research, continues to strengthen its partnership with UNC Project-Zambia, one of five global research sites advancing global health initiative.
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