Dr Tafadzwa Machipisa
Postdoctoral Researcher
Institution
University of Pennsylvania, USA
Bio
Dr. Tafadzwa Machipisa is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Pennsylvania and a fellow at the Penn Center for Global Genomics & Health Equity. She earned her Ph.D. in Medicine from the University of Cape Town, South Africa, with visiting fellowships at McMaster University, the Population Health Research Institute in Canada, and Emory University, USA. Her research investigates the genetics of cardiometabolic traits and diseases in underrepresented populations. She applies genome-wide association studies, Mendelian randomization, polygenic risk scores, and evolutionary population genetics to understand disease risk and biology. Dr. Machipisa led the first and largest GWAS of rheumatic heart disease (RHD) in Africans through the RHDGen study, involving participants from eight African countries. With expertise in statistical genetics, bioinformatics, and population genomics, she is dedicated to advancing equitable genomic research and translating findings to improve health outcomes in diverse global populations.
Selected Publications
Machipisa T, Chong M, Muhamed B, Chishala C, Shaboodien G, Pandie S, de Vries J, Laing N, Joachim A, Daniels R, Ntsekhe M, et al. Association of novel locus with rheumatic heart disease in Black African individuals: findings from the RHDGen study. JAMA cardiology. 2021 Sep 1;6(9):1000-11.
Machipisa T, Chishala C, Shaboodien G, Zühlke LJ, Muhamed B, Pandie S, de Vries J, Laing N, Joachim A, Daniels R, Ntsekhe M, et al. Rationale, Design, and the Baseline Characteristics of the RHDGen (The Genetics of Rheumatic Heart Disease) Network Study. Circulation: Genomic and Precision Medicine. 2023 Feb;16(1):e003641.
Mayanja R, Machipisa T, Soremekun O, Kamiza AB, Kintu C, Kalungi A, Kalyesubula R, Sande OJ, Jjingo D, Fabian J, Robinson-Cohen C, et al. Genome-wide association analysis of cystatin-C kidney function in continental Africa. EBioMedicine. 2023 Sep 1;95.
Kamiza AB, Toure SM, Vujkovic M, Machipisa T, Soremekun OS, Kintu C, Corpas M, Pirie F, Young E, Gill D, Sandhu MS. Transferability of genetic risk scores in African populations. Nature Medicine. 2022 Jun;28(6):1163-6.
Karthikeyan G, Watkins D, Bukhman G, Cunningham MW, Haller J, Masterson M, Mensah GA, Mocumbi A, Muhamed B, Okello E, Sotoodehnia N, Machipisa T, Ralph A, Wyber R, Beaton, A. Research priorities for the secondary prevention and management of acute rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease: a National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute workshop report. BMJ Global Health. 2023 Oct 1;8(Suppl 9):e012468.