THE DEPARTMENT OF PATHOLOGY
Dr Mayibongwe L Mzingwane - Chairperson
Welcome to the Department of Pathology of the Faculty of Medicine at the National University of Science and Technology. The Department of Pathology was constituted as a fully-fledged department in 2015. Prior to that the Department operated within the Division of Basic medical sciences in the Faculty of Medicine. The department aim is to produce medical and allied health personnel with sound scientific understanding of the biology of both infectious and non-communicable diseases that are prevalent in our setting and worldwide and their diagnosis through examination of tissues, organs, bodily fluids and autopsies. We train our students fundamental concepts in clinical laboratory practice, impart interpretation skills for certain routine pathology methods and tests and develop in them the ability to reason deductively in solving clinical problems. Currently, the department teaches Pathology MBM 3001 to third year Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) students. This is a 40 weeks programme with modules in Histopathology, Medical microbiology, Chemical pathology, Haematology and Immunology. The department also offers service courses to other departments such as Nursing and midwifery sciences. We are excited to introduce a new four-year Honours Bachelors’ Degree in Clinical Laboratory Sciences for which we will be enrolling our first students in the near future. This development will allow us to train and produce more health care personnel in support of national goals that envision access to quality health care services for everyone. We also seek to engrain entrepreneurship and research skills in our training through this new programme with the aim to support and strengthen research, innovation and commercialization in our department staff members and graduates.
Our Department in Numbers
Undergraduate programmes
With specialities in Haematology, Clinical Chemistry, Medical Microbiology, Virology, Immunology, Histology and Cytology
Entry requirements:
Prospective students must satisfy the Entry Regulations specified in the University General Regulations and also have obtained a Pass at ‘A’ level in at least two of the following subjects or their recognized equivalents: -
Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics, Physics and: -
Have obtained a Pass in at least five ‘O’ level subjects including Mathematics and English
Post graduate programmes
The department offers post graduate programmes by research at MPhil and PhD level in the various pathology specialist areas. Prospective students must have obtained an undergraduate degree qualification at upper second class or better in a relevant field of study.
Career prospects:
Graduates of this programme can be employed in a wide range of areas including but not limited the following: Public health laboratory services, Private health laboratory services, Academic and teaching laboratories, Pharmaceutical industry research and drug development, Sales and marketing for diagnostic and therapeutic products, Postgraduate opportunities leading to research and teaching in institutions of higher learning.
Our Services and Projects
The Department is part of the drive by the University to establish a world-class teaching and specialist hospital at Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo Ekusileni Hospital. The department will run a specialist Pathology Laboratory with research and diagnostics units once the specialist hospital is up and running.
Staff Profiles
Qualifications: PhD Medical Virology (University of Pretoria), Post Graduate Diploma Higher Education (NUST), MSc Medical Microbiology (University of Zimbabwe), BSc (Hons) Biology and Biochemistry (NUST)
Email: [email protected]
Areas of expertise and research interests: HIV cure research, HIV co-infections, Molecular epidemiology of infectious diseases, Climate change and Emerging arbovirus infections, Antimicrobial drug resistance
Research publications:
Google scholar citations: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=T5K42psAAAAJ&hl=en
Peer reviewed Journal manuscripts
- Mzingwane ML, Mavondo GA, Mantula F, Gwatiringa C, Mapfumo C, Moyo B, Dube PS, Chaibva CN. HIV Knowledge, attitudes and risky behaviours among adolescents and young adults attending Grassroot Soccer Zimbabwe programmes. BMC Health Services Research 2020; 20:420.
- Mavondo GA, Mzingwane ML, Chaibva CN, Gwatiringa C, Mapfumo C, Mantula F. Secondary school teachers, their views and roles in Grassroot Soccer as an intervention Anti-HIV/AIDS propagation tool. Journal of Education and Social studies 2020; 7(2):16-27
- Mzingwane ML, Hunt G, Lassauniere R, Kalimashe M, Bongwe A, Ledwaba J, Martinson M, Richter K, Bowyer SM, Tiemessen CT. Detection and molecular characterization of urinary tract HIV-1 populations. Annals of Clinical Microbiology and Antimicrobials 2019; 8:27
- Mzingwane ML, Tiemessen CT. Mechanisms of HIV persistence in HIV reservoirs. Reviews in Medical Virology 2017; e1924.
- Mzingwane ML, Tiemessen CT, Richter KL, Mayaphi SH, Hunt G, Bowyer SM. Pre-treatment minority HIV-1 drug resistance mutations and long term virological outcomes: is prediction possible? Virology Journal 2016; 13(1):170.
- Mzingwane ML, Mayaphi SH, Tiemessen CT, Richter K, Hunt G, Bowyer SM. Molecular characterisation and HIV drug resistance patterns of HIV-1 variants in plasma and peripheral blood mononuclear cells sample pairs. Journal of AIDS and Clinical Research 2016; 7(4): 000562
- Mzingwane ML, Mamvura S, Chirara M. Hepatitis B virus sero-prevalence and serology patterns in a cohort of HIV positive individuals from Harare, Zimbabwe. Journal of Viruses 2014; ID 691953.
Published book chapters
- Mavondo GA, Mzingwane ML, Mkhwanazi BN, Dangarembizi R, Chikuse FF, Rakabopa C, Mpofu T, Zambuko B, Mavondo J, Moyo O. Malarial inflammation-driven pathophysiology and its attenuation by Triterpene Phytotherapeutics. In: Parasitology Research, Pacheco GAB (Ed.), InTechOpen 2019
- Mavondo GA, Mkhwanazi BN, Mhlanga C, Dangarembizi R, Mukonowenzou N, Mzingwane ML, Mavondo J. Oxidative stress in malarial diseases: Plasmodium – Human host interactions and therapeutic interventions. In: Oxidative stress in microbial diseases, Chakraborti S, Chakraborti T, Chattopadhyay D, Shaha C (Eds.), Springer Nature, Singapore 2019; https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-8763-0_23
- Mavondo GA, Mzingwane ML. Severe malarial anemia (SMA) pathophysiology and the use of phytotherapeutics as treatment options. In: Current Topics in Anemia, Khan J (Ed.), InTechOpen 2017; DOI: 10.5772/intechopen.70411.
Presentation at International Conferences
- Mzingwane ML, Hunt G, Lassauniere R, Kalimashe M, Bongwe A, Ledwaba J, Martinson M, Richter K, Bowyer SM, Tiemessen CT. HIV Replication and Persistence in the Urinary Tract. Oral presentation, Innovation In HIV Prevention Workshop 21-22 August 2019, Harare, Zimbabwe.
- Chaibva CN, Mantula F, Mavondo GA, Mzingwane ML, Gwatiringa C, Mapfumo C, Moyo B, Dube PS. Outcomes evaluation of Grassroot Soccer Zimbabwe SKILLZ for youth programmes (2011-2017). Poster presentation, 22nd International AIDS conference, 23 – 27 July 2018, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
- Mzingwane ML, Tiemessen CT, Mayaphi SH, Richter K, Hunt G, Bowyer SM. Antiretroviral Drug Resistance Mutations and Signature Marker Analysis in HIV Variants from Plasma and Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells Sample Pairs. Poster presentation, 18th International conference on AIDS and STIs in Africa, 29 November - 04 December 2015, Harare, Zimbabwe.
- Mzingwane ML, Mayaphi SH, Richter K, Tiemessen CT, Bowyer SM. HIV Drug resistance mutations and signature marker analysis in HIV variants from plasma and peripheral blood mononuclear cells sample pairs. Poster presentation, UNESCO - Merck Africa research summit, 19 - 20 October 2015, Geneva, Switzerland.
- Mzingwane ML. Multi-Drug Resistant Tuberculosis in Southern Zimbabwe region: Experiences and challenges. Poster presentation, Keystone symposium: Drug Resistance and Persistence in Tuberculosis, 13 – 18 May 2012, Speke Resort & Conference Centre, Kampala, Uganda.
Contact Us
Mrs R Kondongwe (Senior secretary), email: [email protected]
Dr M. L. Mzingwane (Chairperson), email: [email protected]
Phone: +263 292 203336 ext 118