Qualifications 

• PhD (UCT)

Introduction

Dr Sphilile Mbhele is an Audiologist by qualification who obtained a Bachelor of Communication Pathology (Audiology) and a Master of Audiology degree from the University of Kwa Zulu-Natal. She later obtained a PhD University of Cape Town. She has served at the Department of Health as a clinical Audiologist from the year 2018 to April 2020. She also served as a Vice-president of the KZN SLT/A provincial Forum (2019- 2020). She is presently a lecturer at the University of Cape Town, involved in the teaching of vestibular assessment and management, as well as basis of hearing and balance. She also supervises undergraduate and post-graduate research projects.

ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0944-1457

Publications 

• Mbhele, S., & Makhoba, M. (2022). Audiologists’ phenomenographic experiences of professional development during community service in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. South African Journal of Communication Disorders, 69(1), a844. https://doi.org/10.4102/sajcd.v69i1.844
• Mbhele, S., Rogers, C., Rea, P., Arshad, Q. & Saman, Y. (2024). Bárány Society Meeting Scientific Abstracts. Journal of Vestibular Research. 34(5-6): 342. doi:10.1177/09574271241295853.

• Mbhele, S., Rogers, C. & Saman, Y. Clinical balance assessment tools for children with hearing loss: a scoping review. BMC Pediatr 25, 218 (2025).https://doi.org/10.1186/s12887-025-05563-2

• Khoza-Shangase Katijah, Gina Ayanda, Mbhele Sphilile (2026). Towards Policy Integration of Vestibular Management in Pediatric Hearing Health Care: Global Service Delivery Gaps with Relevance to Low-Income and Middle-Income Countries. Journal of the American Academy of Audiology. 00: 1- 18. DOI: 10.3766/jaaa.25009

Conferences

• Oral presentation at the 2025 Pan-African Postgraduate & Postdoctoral Research Conference
• College of Health Science Annual Research Symposium 2025
• Oral presentation at the British Society of Neuro-otology 2025
• Oral presentation at the XXXIII Bárány Society Meeting 2024