Tshepiso Mbangiwa

Tshepiso Mbangiwa holds a PhD in Clinical Sciences and Immunology from the University of Cape Town (UCT) and is currently a postdoctoral fellow specializing in Implementation Science and Maternal and Child Health. Her research focuses on evaluating the rollout of the tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis (Tdap) vaccine among pregnant women and children aged 6 and 12 in the Western Cape, South Africa. Employing a mixed-methods approach, she explores the enablers and barriers to Tdap implementation, vaccine coverage, its impact on pertussis cases, and the program's economic implications.

In 2019, Tshepiso earned an MPhil in Medical Sciences from the University of Botswana, where she investigated the prevalence and potential vertical transmission of Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) among pregnant women and their infants. Her PhD research, conducted at UCT in collaboration with the molecular mycology unit at Institut Pasteur in Paris, France, focused on developing qPCR diagnostics for cryptococcal meningitis in HIV-positive patients in Botswana and Malawi.