Doctoral Degree for Research into Multidrug Resistance to TB and HIV

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Conducting research into patients with a confirmed diagnosis of multidrug resistance to tuberculosis (MDR-TB) and HIV in KwaZulu-Natal earned Dr Sizwe Mbona his doctoral degree.

Born and raised in the small village of Etshenilengele near Estcourt, life was not easy for Mbona.

Both his parents died when he was young but he was able to complete his schooling although his poor matric results prevented him from enrolling at a university as he did not meet the minimum acceptance requirements.

He upgraded his matric subjects and improved his marks in English, Mathematics and Physical Science. The Science Foundation Programme (a bridging course) at UKZN accepted him and he was financially supported by NSFAS.

Mbona’s interest in Statistics grew and he excelled in Mathematics, eventually graduating with a BSc degree in Applied Mathematics and Statistics scoring 10 distinctions and a Dean’s Commendation along the way.

Mbona registered for his Honours in Statistics and continued to achieve a master’s qualification which allowed him to tutor first-year students and get an income.

While assisting master’s and PhD students in Data Analysis and with encouragement from his colleagues, Mbona registered for his PhD studies.

In his research, data was collected during four decentralised MDR-TB sites and one centralised site with the data set consisting of 1 542 patients, aged from 18 who were diagnosed with MDR-TB. The aim was to assess the survival rate of patients with MDR-TB and HIV in order to improve treatment outcomes. The application considered time-to-cure MDR-TB in competition with all-cause mortality.

The main findings of the research were that patients treated in the centralised hospitals recovered faster than those who were treated in decentralised sites, while it was also observed that the death rate was higher in HIV-positive patients compared to HIV-negative patients.

He said to optimise successful treatment outcomes, regular monitoring and support were needed at a district facility and individual level to ensure the local context supported new programmes and implementation was performed according to guidelines.

Mbona is currently a lecturer at the Durban University of Technology (DUT) where he also supervises master’s and PhD students. He has had three research papers published in accredited journals.

‘My academic journey has transformed me academically, physically and psychologically,’ said Mbona.

He thanked Professor Henry Mwambi and Professor Shaun Ramroop for their invaluable support and guidance throughout his studies.

‘Special thanks to my family for always standing by my side during difficult times. Your constant encouragement and love have been my strength. May God bless you all,’ said Mbona.

Ramroop commented: ‘I have known Dr Sizwe Mbona for the past nine years. He is clearly a student of great ability who is disciplined and works exceptionally hard, displaying great thoroughness in the way he perceives mathematical and statistical concepts.’

Mwambi said: ‘It was a pleasure to supervise Dr Sizwe Mbona for his PhD. Dr Mbona started his academic journey from quite a difficult background but this did not stop him achieving academic excellence. I was honoured to guide him right from his undergraduate degree in Statistics and Mathematics, through to honours, master’s and now PhD in Statistics on the Pietermaritzburg campus. Dr Mbona’s achievement is a testament that determination, resilience and focus always pay.

‘His PhD work investigated methodological advancement and application in the area of competing risks including the handling of incomplete data in survival analysis with application to mortality due to drug resistant TB for patients co-infected with HIV. Going forward the sky is the limit for Dr Mbona and I wish him the very best in his own further development and in mentoring upcoming statisticians.’

Words: Leena Rajpal

Photograph: Supplied