Academic Profile

Nokwanda Gibixego (MPH) is a Lecturer in the Department of Public Health at the University of Fort Hare (UFH). She holds a Bachelor of Nursing (BCur) from UFH and began her professional career as a Registered Nurse at a tertiary hospital in the Eastern Cape, where she managed clinical operations, supervised nursing staff, developed patient care plans, and ensured adherence to medical protocols. Driven by a commitment to public health, she pursued a Master of Public Health (MPH), which she completed in 2019. Since joining UFH as an academic in December 2017, she has contributed to teaching and curriculum development in the Master’s in Public Health (MPH) and Postgraduate Diploma (PGD) in Public Health programs. Currently, she is a PhD candidate at the University of the Western Cape, where she is furthering her expertise in population health. Ms. Gibixego’s research focuses on adolescent health behavior, health disparities, social determinants of health, substance use disorders, and tobacco control, among other critical public health issues. She has disseminated her work through national conferences, peer-reviewed publications, and media engagements. Notably, she authored a chapter titled “Acceleration of the Biopsychosocial Model in Public Health” in an IGI Global publication (2023) and has published in accredited journals. Her insights on the health implications of traditional male circumcision (TMC) in South Africa have been featured in interviews with Radio 702 and The Citizen (2024).