Lughano GHAMBI, from Malawi, is a medical doctor currently undertaking clinical specialization in medical microbiology at the University of Cape Town. She is an emerging leader in neonatal and child health infectious disease clinical research, including serving as Deputy Head of the Child Health Research Group. Her passion for improving infectious disease management among children and women, who are the most vulnerable populations, continues to drive her career trajectory.
Before commencing her specialization, her research focused on identifying optimal empirical treatment for severe pneumonia in HIV-infected infants, as well as evaluating various diagnostic platforms to determine the etiology of pneumonia. In 2023, during one of the most devastating natural disasters in Blantyre, Malawi, she volunteered at under-age-five and antenatal clinics, providing care to affected families who could not access hospital care.
Her current research further explores the diagnostic feasibility of metagenomic approaches to improve pathogen identification in patients presenting with neutropenic fever.
Looking ahead, Lughano aims to apply the skills and expertise gained during her training to strengthen the management of infectious diseases among women and children in Malawi, through enhanced diagnostics, evidence-based antimicrobial stewardship in central hospitals, and outreach antimicrobial stewardship programs in hospitals without access to a clinical microbiologist.
