Overview
Professor Lovemore Gwanzura is a Clinical Microbiologist and trained Clinical Epidemiologist. He is a Full Professor in the University of Zimbabwe’s Faculty of Medicine and Health Science.
Career
Professor Gwanzura is currently a Full Professor in the Faculty of Medicine and Health Science at the University of Zimbabwe. In the University of Zimbabwe’s Department of Medical Laboratory Science (DMLS) and college the Professor lectures, gives seminars, provides tutorials and laboratory practical lessons to undergraduate and post graduate students in medical technology and laboratory medicine. His areas of interest are clinical microbiology (Parasitology, Bacteriology, Virology, Entomology), infectious diseases, epidemiology, genetics /genomics, basic molecular biology where biosafety and biosecurity are critical. Through his work with the University of Zimbabwe Gwanzura’s key areas as an instructor include training of undergraduate and post graduate students in infectious diseases, non-communicable diseases and research methodologies. Gwanzura is involved in the university’s outreach clinical work. His duties with the University of Zimbabwe and the Biomedical Research Training Institute (BRTI) allow him to contribute in various forms as an advocate and advisor in BRTI programmes, and to the Ministry of Health and Child Care on issues related to laboratory and public health agendas. In the University of Zimbabwe, he has served on many College Academic and Administrative Committees including the Policy Guidance Committee called the University of Zimbabwe Council. Professor Gwanzura has served as an internal and external examiner for postgraduate students at Masters level (MSc/MPhil) and has assessed PhD theses from the University of Zimbabwe, other national and private universities within Zimbabwe and the SADC region.
The Professor has also served as chairman of the University Foundation Committee for the Marondera University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology in Mashonaland East on appointment by the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education. Later Professor Gwanzura served as the first Acting Pro-Vice Chancellor for the Marondera University of Science and Technology. During its establishment, he served as the Chairman of the Marondera West Development Association (MWEDA) Health Committee which proudly initiated the construction of a new hospital – Mahusekwa District Hospital.
Education
Professor Lovemore Gwanzura holds a BSc. degree (Zambia), a Mphil Medicine (Zimbabwe), a MMedSc Clinical Epidemiology (Newcastle, Australia), PhD (Utrecht, Holland). He obtained his first degree in Zambia under the Commonwealth sponsorship. With subsequent post graduate training at the University of Zimbabwe’s College of Health Sciences he obtained a Mphil. in Medicine. He followed up by acquiring a Mimed Sc degree in Clinical Epidemiology from the Newcastle University in Australia and a PhD degree from the Utrecht Medical School University in Holland.
Achievements
Professor Gwanzura has been a deputy director in the Health Profession Education Department (HPE). He is also responsible for the design of suitable programs and identification of appropriately qualified and experienced teaching staff and is currently involved in the redirection and adoption of education 5.0 in the University of Zimbabwe. The Professor has been an active Laboratory Board member of the Zimbabwe Association of Medical Laboratory and Clinical Scientists which is a regulatory body for the Medical Laboratory Sciences Profession. He is an active member and Fellow of the Zimbabwe Academy of Science (ZAS) where he is the Executive Treasurer.
Professor Gwanzura is also a Board member of the Biomedical Research Training Institute (BRTI) which is a non-profit making organisation; a committee member of Medical Research Council -National Health Research Development Committee (MRCZ-NHRD) and a member of the National Professional Regulator Council for the Medical Laboratory Scientist Council of Zimbabwe (MLSCZ). He has participated in many internationally sponsored research projects including studies by the National Institute of Health (NIH), the International Centre of Excellence in Malaria Research (ICEMR), the John Hopkins University in the USA, and the Ethical, Legal and Social Implications of Human Genome Project [ELSI] in collaboration with the University of Stanford Medical School USA. He has worked in collaboration with other local and international partners on STDs, HIV /AIDs and related opportunistic infections projects in identifying various pathogenic and opportunistic microorganisms which has cumulated into well over 112 scientific peer reviewed publications.
Professor Gwanzura has a long track record in research and collaboration as a co-investigator with international universities including Stanford University, Denver Health Sciences College, University of California at San Diego, University of Michigan, Boston University and Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in the United States; Amsterdam University and Utrecht Medical School in Holland; University of Zambia Medical School; University of Sassari Medical School in Sardinia in Italy, and many others. With a passion in paradigm of personalised medicine, nutrition and lifestyle, Professor Gwanzura has a vision of worldwide sustainable academic, and technologically based, health and family care.