Research Scientist , Botswana Harvard Health Partnership
Adjunct Professor, University of Venda, SA
Characterizing the role of HIV-1 specific immune responses in adolescents living with HIV-1 with low proviral reservoirs
Dr Koofhethile is based at Botswana Harvard Health Partnership (BHP) as a Research Scientist where she works closely with Prof. Sikhulile Moyo. She also holds an adjunct Professor Position at the University of Venda, SA. She completed her postdoctoral fellowship from Harvard T H Chan School of Public Health (HSPH) in the US where she was mentored by Prof. Roger Shapiro, Prof. Max Essex, and Prof. Phyllis Kanki. She now holds a Visiting Scientist position at HSPH and is a collaborating research fellow at The Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT and Harvard in the USA under the mentorship of Prof. Mathias Lichterfeld and Prof. Xu Yu.
Dr. Koofhethile holds a PhD in Immunology from University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa under the supervision of Prof. Thumbi Ndung’u and mentorship of Prof. Zaza Ndhlovu and Dr. Christina Thobakgale-Tshabala where she characterized HIV specific immune responses associated with natural control of HIV-1 in a cohort of adults. She holds a master’s degree in Immunology from University of Birmingham, UK and a Bachelor of Science Degree with Honors in Medical Microbiology from the University of Surrey, Guildford, UK.
Her current research focusses on the assessment of the genetic composition of HIV proviral reservoir and factors that drive HIV to persist long term in several cohorts including adolescents from Botswana who are receiving long-term ART. Additionally, she is characterizing the role of the HIV-1 specific immune responses in maintaining low reservoirs in the same adolescent cohort. She has previously studied HIV-1 persistence in a cohort of infants from Mozambique who received ART early in life. She also studied how another type of HIV (HIV-2) persists in a different adult cohort. All this work is important for advancing HIV cure research. She is currently leading BHP’s efforts of setting up adolescent HIV cure research program in Botswana and facilitating technology transfer. She is the Principal Investigator of this cohort of adolescent on long-term ART. She is also involved in building capacity at BHP by co-mentoring graduate students registered at the University of Botswana as well as young researchers.
