Mr. Khumbo Shumba

Khumbo Shumba is a public health researcher whose work centers on HIV care delivery and outcomes in Southern Africa, with strong links to research using the National Health Laboratory Service cohort and the Themba Lethu HIV Clinic in Johannesburg. His scholarship reflects engagement with large routine datasets to inform health systems strengthening and improve continuity of antiretroviral therapy services.

His research focuses on retention in HIV care, clinic switching, hospitalization trends, and the burden of co-morbidities among people living with HIV. Studies on facility-level misclassification and silent transfers highlight the value of integrating laboratory and clinical data to improve patient tracking. Additional work examines sexually transmitted infections during ART and hospital-based care patterns, contributing to policy discussions on decentralization and service optimization.

Shumba has also explored pediatric and adolescent dimensions of HIV, including neurodevelopment among HIV-exposed uninfected children in Malawi and oral health conditions among adolescents living with HIV in South Africa. This body of work demonstrates strengths in epidemiologic methods, cohort analysis, and translating routine data into actionable insights for improving HIV program performance and patient outcomes.