RZHRG Faculty & Investigators

Director of the Rwanda Zambia Health Research Group

Dr. Kristin M. Wall is Associate Professor with Tenure in the Department of Epidemiology at Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health and Director of the Rwanda Zambia Health Research Group (RZHRG), one of Emory’s longest-standing global health research partnerships. Founded over 40 years ago by Dr. Susan Allen, RZHRG has generated foundational evidence on HIV prevention, couples’ counseling and testing, family planning, and infectious disease in sub-Saharan Africa. Dr. Wall became Co-Director in 2022 and Director in 2026 and now leads the group’s scientific direction, mentorship of junior investigators, and stewardship of partnerships across Zambia, Rwanda, and the United States.

Through The Wall Lab and RZHRG, Dr. Wall has spent over 20 years developing and evaluating high-impact, affordable interventions for underserved and high-risk populations across the HIV, sexually transmitted infection (STI), and reproductive health continuum. Her research integrates epidemiology, implementation science, and health economics to ensure that effective interventions are also scalable and sustainable in the settings that need them most.

Her postpartum family planning program in Rwanda has reached more than 32,000 women, produced dramatic increases in long-acting contraceptive uptake, and was endorsed by the Rwandan Ministry of Health for national implementation in 2025. Her female genital schistosomiasis (FGS) program, including screening algorithms, a rapid antibody test developed with CDC colleagues, and novel AI-assisted cervical imaging tools, informed her role on the WHO Diagnostic Technical Advisory Group (2022-2024). As co-investigator on the first randomized controlled trial of an Ebola vaccine in pregnant women, she contributed to a landmark Nature Medicine publication (2025) to revise international guidance for vaccine use in pregnancy.

Professor and Founding Director of the Rwanda Zambia Health Research Group

Dr. Allen has over forty years of experience conducting research in Africa. After receiving her Medical Degree from Duke University and a residency in Pathology from the University of California San Francisco, she moved to Rwanda where she established the Projet San Francisco. Since its founding in 1986, PSF has been a leader in epidemiologic and laboratory research and vaccine clinical trials on HIV, sexually transmitted infections, and family planning, in risk groups including heterosexual couples, female sex workers, men who have sex with men, and adolescent girls and young women.

The Rwanda research site has expanded focus beyond sexual and reproductive health to studies of malaria and Ebola. Following the 1994 Rwandan genocide, Dr. Allen moved to Zambia where she founded the Center for Family Health Research in Zambia (CFHRZ). Like Rwanda, CFHRZ has been a leader in research on HIV, STI, and family planning, in risk groups including heterosexual couples and unmarried high-risk women. CFHRZ is currently conducting the first phase 3 HIV vaccine clinical trial to be conducted in Zambia, a multisite study in high-risk women.

Dr. Hunter has over 40 years of experience in the field of retrovirus molecular biology, with over 200 peer-reviewed publications in the field. His laboratory research currently focuses on the virologic and immunologic correlates of HIV and SIV transmission with a goal of informing vaccine design. The laboratory has been a leading contributor in these areas of research. Dr. Hunter’s recent work has focused on understanding HIV-1 transmission, with an emphasis on the biological and genetic properties of the transmitted founder virus.

His research team have also investigated the impact of the genotype of the transmitted HIV-1 on disease pathogenesis in the newly infected individual. Recent studies have reported evidence for transmission of drug resistance in Zambians and Rwandans attending government health clinics. Dr. Hunter received his Bachelor of Science in Bacteriology from Birmingham University in England, and a PhD in Tumor Immunology from the Imperial Cancer Research Fund & Brunel University of England. He completed is post-doctoral training in RNA tumor viruses at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles.

Executive Director of CFHR

Dr. Nyombayire has been working in the field of HIV/AIDS for more than 15 years. After receiving his MD from the University of Rwanda- Kigali, he received a Fogarty Fellowship to complete his Master of Science in Clinical Trials from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. His research has focused on HIV prevention and transmission, and has included research studies on the heterosexual transmission and natural history of HIV among discordant couples, the first observational studies assessing HIV incidence among Rwandan female sex workers (FSW), and assessing HIV and STIs prevalence and associated risk behaviors among Rwandan men who have sex with men (MSM).

Dr. Nyombayire has been an investigator in several different HIV vaccine trials as well as malaria therapeutics clinical trials, and is currently leading a government of Rwanda sponsored mass Ebola vaccination campaign to protect 200,000 Rwandans living on the Western province bordering DRC.  Dr. Nyombayire has participated in several national technical working group on HIV prevention, care and treatment and has contributed to national HIV guideline reviews and updates with scientific evidence based practices. In addition to his research, he also continues to provide daily HIV clinical care and treatment to key and priority populations, including FSW and their partners, MSM, and patients with sexually transmitted infections.

Founding Director of CFHR (formerly Projet San Francisco)

Dr. Karita has more than 40 years of experience in the field of family planning and HIV/AIDS prevention and research, in particular working with key populations such as female sex workers (FSW) and men who have sex with men (MSM). After receiving his MD from the National University of Rwanda, Kigali, he completed a Master of Science in Molecular Biology at the Free University of Brussels, Belgium and a Master of Science in Public Health in Epidemiology at the University of Birmingham, Alabama. During his terms as Director of the National AIDS Control Program and as the founding Director of the Treatment and Research AIDS Center in Rwanda, Dr. Karita played a very active role in the implementation and scale-up of individual HIV voluntary counseling and testing (VCT) services in Rwanda, initiated the first pilot program for the prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV (PMTCT) in Rwanda, and offered technical assistance to many VCT and PMTCT programs across Africa.

As current Director of the Projet San Francisco (PSF) and the Center for Family Health Research (CFHR), he has been involved in the promotion and expansion of couples HIV voluntary counseling and testing (CVCT), couples family planning counseling (CFPC), and long acting reversible contraception (LARC) services in Kigali and throughout Rwanda. Dr. Karita has also served as the site PI for seven HIV vaccine trials, and one phase 2 therapeutic malaria trial. As Director of PSF, Dr. Karita is currently overseeing a mass vaccination campaign to protect 200,000 Rwandans from Ebola. He will also be overseeing a safety clinical trial for this same vaccine administered to pregnant women.

Dr. Ingabire has been working in the fields of HIV research/control and family planning promotion for 15 years. She has received an MD from the National University of Rwanda, and is currently pursuing a Master's degree in Infectious Disease at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. Dr. Ingabire was first introduced to HIV services supervision while working as clinical investigator at the former Treatment and Research Center on HIV/AIDS, Malaria, Tuberculosis and other Epidemics (TRAC Plus). Currently she has been supervising HIV prevention and treatment programs targeting the general population, but focusing on special groups such as HIV discordant couples and female sex workers (FSW) at CFHR.

Dr. Ingabire’s work has included testing, monitoring, and evaluating new HIV prevention strategies in these groups, including Couples Voluntary Counseling and Testing, HIV treatment for prevention, and Test and Start. Her research also addresses heterosexual HIV transmission from people enrolled in HIV treatment, challenges with HIV Viral suppression, STI re-infection and treatment resistance, and syndromic STI treatment vs diagnostic based treatment. Dr. Ingabire also leads family planning activities at PSF, including integration of Long Acting Reversible Contraceptives in government partner clinics, research on improving post-partum IUD provision and improving family planning access for FSW.

Dr. Kilembe has been working in the field of HIV/AIDS for over 3 years. After receiving his medical degree from the University of Zambia, he completed a Master of Science in Clinical Trials (2009) and a Master of Science in Infectious Diseases (2017) from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. Dr. Kilembe has worked at the Center for Family Health Research in Zambia (CFHRZ) since 2001 and currently serves as the Project Director in Lusaka. He is the Principal Investigator on several International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI) studies, including a prospective cohort study that recruits and follows high risk women (HRW: female sex workers (FSW) and single mothers (SM)) to provide HIV prevention and Family planning services. This study aims to determine HIV and STI risk factors and incidence, detect acute HIV infection, and prepare for HIV vaccine clinical trials. He also served as the site director for NIH, CDC and UK DFID funded research and program activities with heterosexual cohabiting couples, including: expansion of couples voluntary counseling and testing (CVCT) within Zambia. Dr. Kilembe has experience in leading behavioral and laboratory studies on HIV transmission within and from outside the marriage, and with and without antiretroviral therapy; and studies in voluntary male medical circumcision. He is currently the principal investigator for two HIV vaccine trials at CFHRZ: 1) a Phase 2b HIV vaccine efficacy trial through the HIV Vaccine Trials Network, into which their two Zambia research centers have enrolled 218 participants from the HRW cohort and 2) an EDCTP sponsored phase 1 HIV Vaccine trial.

Dr. Inambao has been conducting research for over 20 years, since he established the Center for Family Health Research in Zambia (CFHRZ) in Ndola, on the Copperbelt Province of Zambia. He earned a medical degree from the University of Zambia, then completed a Master of Public Health in Epidemiology from the University of Alabama, and a Higher Diploma from the National Institute of Public Administration in Zambia in Management and Leadership. Initially, the clinic offered couples voluntary counseling and testing (CVCT) and followed cohorts of HIV discordant couples to study the behavioral and laboratory correlates of HIV transmission and acquisition. Based on their work at CFHRZ, a rapid scale up of CVCT was performed in all government health facilities on the Copperbelt Province. CVCT and Couples Family Planning Counseling with provision of Long Acting Reversible Contraceptives was then expanded to government health clinics throughout Zambia. During this time CFHRZ served as a Center of Excellence providing training and technical assistance to over 15 countries.

In 2012, they began recruiting female sex workers and single mothers into an observational cohort at the research clinics in Ndola and Lusaka. With all study cohorts, they have integrated family planning counseling with HIV testing and counseling, with an emphasis on long-acting methods for those women/couples not desiring a pregnancy within the next three years. He has been Principal Investigator on various observational and clinical trials conducted at CFHRZ Ndola. Dr. Inambao also serves as the Departmental Head of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at Ndola Teaching Hospital, Chair of the Copperbelt Health Research Committee, and a member of the Tropical Diseases Research Center Research Ethics Committee.

Dr. Chishiba Kabengele is a study physician and co-investigator joining the RZHRG with over 6 years of experience in the medical field. He received his Bachelor’s degrees in Human Biology and Medicine & Surgery from the University of Zambia. He is currently working on his Master’s degree in Epidemiology at the University of London and he completed a Master of Public Health degree from the University of Lusaka in 2019. Dr. Kabengele has experience as a university lecturer, Junior and senior resident medical officer, and study physician and co-investigator in Zambia. He is a research fellow with the Sub-Saharan African Network for TB/HIV Research Excellence (SANTHE) with a primary focus on research understanding HIV and Sexually transmitted infections and contraceptive uptake and its influence on HIV vaccine efficacy for high risk women.

Dr. Sepo Mwangelwa is a current study physician and co-investigator joining the RZHRG. He received two Bachelor's degrees in Pre-Medicine and Human Biology from Pensacola Christian College in Florida, USA and The University of Zambia in Lusaka, Zambia, respectively. Following his undergraduate studies, he has received an MBChB in Medicine and Surgery from the University of Zambia, Lusaka, Zambia, and is a current MSc Global Health Policy candidate at the University of London. Dr. Mwangelwa’s interest and experience are focused on HIV; primarily its resistant patterns, successful recruitment and retention in clinical trials, and the associated global health issues. His 12 years of experience has included positions such as Junior and Senior Resident Medical Officer, Cardiac Technician, Caregiver, and Study Physician and Co-investigator across various hospitals, clinics, and organizations in Zambia. His contributions to science incorporate research in HIV and STIs in high-risk women and an assessment for HIV vaccine efficacy trials. He also collaborates with the SuperScientists organization, a group working towards inspiring the next generation to become scientists because scientists are "real people with real superpowers".