Dr. Mumbi Chola

Dr. Mumbi Chola is a senior public health leader with over 15 years of experience in HIV, RMNCAH, immunization policy, and health systems strengthening in Zambia and across Sub-Saharan Africa. He has led large-scale national studies, notably serving as Field Implementation Technical Lead for the 2020/21 Zambia Population-based HIV Impact Assessment (ZAMPHIA), overseeing protocol development, nationwide field operations, recruitment and training of over 250 staff, and implementation of robust data quality and monitoring systems under challenging conditions such as the COVID-19 pandemic, elections, and community unrest.

He currently serves as Technical Lead – Strategic Information & Research for the African-led HIV Control Working Group, shaping an evidence-informed framework for long-term, sustainable HIV control in sub-Saharan Africa. In this role, he works at the intersection of strategic information, research, policy, and program implementation, providing technical and programmatic support, synthesizing complex evidence on HIV epidemics and control, and contributing to technical reports, guidance, and peer-reviewed manuscripts.

Dr. Chola is also a core member of the Zambia Immunization Technical Advisory Group (ZITAG), advising the Ministry of Health on vaccines and immunization policy through rigorous review and synthesis of global and local evidence. He has contributed to national strategic processes such as the Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health and Nutrition (RMNCAH&N) roadmap, coordinating diverse stakeholders and building consensus on priority areas.

His portfolio includes extensive consultancy work in M&E, implementation research, and health systems analysis for organizations such as UNICEF, UNFPA, JICA, CIDRZ, and the Global Network of People Living with HIV (GNP+). Recent work has focused on person-centred, integrated HIV services at primary health care and community level, vaccine delivery innovations, and health facility and service readiness assessments.