PhD candidate Muhulo Muhau Mungamba, researcher at Amsterdam UMC, department of
Public & Occupational Health, won the APH-GH travel grant.
Muhau’s research aligns with APH-GH’s mission to address global health disparities. While social determinants such as lifestyle, healthcare access, and socioeconomic status have been extensively studied in Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD), molecular mechanisms remain critically underexplored in African populations. By investigating DNA methylation patterns linked to CKD, his study will provide insights into gene-environment interactions that contribute to disease risk. These findings could inform the development of novel prediction tools and intervention strategies, supporting precision medicine and CKD screening programs tailored for African populations. Additionally, this visit will strengthen collaborations between South Africa and the Netherlands, further reinforcing APH-GH’s international research network.
Muhau is currently pursuing his PhD at Amsterdam UMC within the Global Health team of Prof. Dr. Charles Agyemang, while being based in South Africa. The travel grant makes it possible for Muhau to conduct part of his research in Amsterdam. The dataset he is working with is larger than 100 GB, requiring high-performance computing (HPC) clusters from the Amsterdam UMC Department of Human Genetics for processing and statistical modeling.
In total, 18 proposals were received and reviewed by two reviewers. Congratulations to Muhau!