Miss Lungile Khambule

Lungile Khambule is a South African clinical researcher whose work centres on laboratory medicine, metabolic disease, and maternal health. Research integrates clinical chemistry with population health to improve diagnostic accuracy for non-communicable diseases in African settings. A strong emphasis is placed on context-appropriate testing strategies where laboratory infrastructure may be limited.

Key contributions include evaluation of kidney function measurement across several African countries, highlighting limitations of creatinine-based equations and the need for validated approaches tailored to local populations. Additional studies assess point-of-care creatinine and glucose devices, iron deficiency biomarkers in chronic kidney disease, and the diagnostic performance of inflammatory and metabolic markers.

Work on gestational diabetes and vitamin D metabolism in pregnancy demonstrates expertise in maternal–foetal health and endocrine biomarkers. Metabolomic analyses of amino acids and cardiometabolic risk further reflect strengths in translational research, biomarker validation, and improving equitable access to reliable diagnostics across sub-Saharan Africa.