Mweete D. Nglazi

Dr. Mweete Debra Nglazi holds a PhD in Public Health from the University of Cape Town (UCT), a Master of Public Health from UCT and a Bachelor of Science in Microbiology from the University of Zambia.

She is a recent PhD graduate from the Health Economics Unit within the School of Public Health and Family Medicine at UCT. Her PhD thesis is titled “An analysis of overweight and obesity in South Africa: the case of women of childbearing age. It focuses on the trends, socioeconomic inequality and determinants of overweight and obesity in non-pregnant women of childbearing age.

Prior to working towards her PhD, her excellent research, academic and teaching skills have earned her various positions in top academic and research institutions in South Africa—the Desmond Tutu HIV Foundation, UCT South African Medical Research Council and Stellenbosch University. In addition to formal positions and roles, Mweete has worked and contributed significantly to capacity-building efforts and activities in operational research and implementation science in several countries in the Southern African region. These activities have allowed her to interact with policy- and decision-makers. Her research interests include HIV/AIDS, STIs, TB, SRHR, non-communicable diseases, and their risk factors (i.e., overweight and obesity). She has several publications in international peer reviewed journals. In 2019, in recognition of her rising talent, she was awarded the prestigious L’Oréal-UNESCO for Women in Science Young Talents Award for the sub-Saharan African region.