Dr. Lesego Mothibi

Lesego Mothibi is a South African researcher in infectious diseases and public health, with work closely aligned to the National Health Laboratory Service and major academic hospitals in Johannesburg. Her scholarship centres on improving outcomes for vulnerable populations affected by HIV, cryptococcal disease, antimicrobial resistance, and childhood mortality, particularly within resource-limited settings.

Her research demonstrates strong engagement with national surveillance programmes and multicentre collaborations, including work on flucytosine access for cryptococcal meningitis and the impact of cryptococcal antigen screening on survival. She has contributed to evidence supporting policy shifts in antifungal treatment and earlier diagnosis strategies, strengthening routine care through clinically grounded data.

Mothibi has also advanced understanding of multidrug-resistant Gram-negative organisms, fosfomycin susceptibility, and infection prevention in intensive care contexts. More recently, her work with minimally invasive tissue sampling and verbal autopsy comparison highlights a commitment to improving cause-of-death attribution and child health surveillance, bridging microbiology, clinical medicine, and public health policy.