Kawela Mumba

Kawela Mumba-Mwangelwa is a study physician at the Center for Family Health Research in Zambia (CFHRZ), formerly the Zambia-Emory HIV Research Project (ZEHRP). She is involved in the HIV Vaccine Trials Network (HVTN) 705 Phase 2b HIV vaccine efficacy trial and the COVID-19 Prevention Network (CoVPN) 5001 observational study. She graduated from the University of Algiers School of Medicine in 2014 and is currently pursuing a Master’s in Infectious Diseases at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

Her research activities include identifying acute HIV infections in high-risk women’s cohorts, studying the role of genital tract disorders in HIV susceptibility, identifying markers of disease progression in recent HIV seroconverters, and comparing the natural history of SARS-CoV-2 and influenza A virus infections.

Beyond her clinical and research work, she is a gender equity advocate and coordinator for women and girls in science/STEM through the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI), where she is also part of the Communication Working Group. She is a participant in the ADVANCE Leadership Development Programme, where she is being trained in research leadership to contribute to future HIV vaccine development efforts across Africa and India.