Africa Trainee Research Spotlight Session: New Insights in Pharmacokinetics drug-drug interactions (DDI) among HIV and TB Patients in Africa

Jose M. Calderin is an early-career scientist in Pharmacometrics, currently pursuing his PhD at the University of Cape Town. Originally from Havana, Cuba, he holds a Bachelor's degree in Pharmaceutical Sciences from the University of Havana. His doctoral research focuses on population PK/PD modelling to optimize treatment strategies for pulmonary and meningeal tuberculosis, integrating preclinical and clinical data.

Shadia Nakalema is an Internal Medicine Physician and Research Scientist at the Infectious Diseases Institute, Mulago, committed to expanding her expertise in healthcare to address emerging challenges. Shadia has extensive experience working with special populations, including pregnant and breastfeeding women. As part of the Contraceptive Implant Research Consortium for Low-Income Countries, she focuses on building evidence for the safe use of contraceptive implants among women living with HIV. Her primary research interests lie in pharmacokinetics and pharmacogenomics, with a particular focus on drug-drug interactions between antiretroviral drugs (such as efavirenz and nevirapine) and contraceptive implants.

Shadia is also part of the DolPHIN-3 consortium, which focuses on optimizing long-acting injectable antiretroviral therapy for pregnant and postpartum women living with HIV. As part of this, she is pursuing a PhD, examining the drug interactions between standard antiretroviral therapies and hormonal contraceptives. Additionally, she aims to explore implementation science aspects related to the integration of long-acting ART and family planning services for women living with HIV. This research will further contribute to improving treatment strategies and reproductive health options for women living with HIV.

Davies Otieno is a first-year PhD Candidate in Makerere University, Infectious Diseases Institute, working under the supervision of Prof. Catriona Waitt. Drawing on a background in Medicine from the University of Nairobi, and an MSc in Clinical Pharmacology from the University of Aberdeen, he developed a keen interest in variability in clinical pharmacokinetics and clinical outcomes. Davies' doctoral research currently focuses on antimicrobial pharmacokinetics in maternal sepsis. Prior to his PhD, Davies completed specialty training in Internal Medicine where he investigated CYP3A4 genotypes using a clinical predictive index in patients taking tacrolimus after kidney transplantation. These findings were presented at the ISSX 2025 African Chapter. He is also interested in open-source tools for pharmacometrics and keen on collaborative initiatives.

My name is Sharon Sawe, and I am originally from Kenya. I have a background in biostatistics and data science, and I am currently pursuing a PhD in Pharmacometrics at the University of Cape Town, in the Department of Medicine, Division of Clinical Pharmacology. My research mostly focuses on the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of antitubercular drugs in pregnant and breastfeeding women, as well as drug exposure in their infants. I am enthusiastic about the application of artificial intelligence and machine learning in pharmacometrics, and I am passionate about advancing maternal and child health through pharmacometrics.

Mathew Njoroge is a senior scientist at the Holistic Drug Discovery and Development Centre (H3D), University of Cape Town (UCT), where he works as part of a multidisciplinary team to advance preclinical drug discovery projects. His interest in drug discovery was sparked during his undergraduate in Pharmacy at the University of Nairobi and forged during postgraduate studies with Prof. Kelly Chibale's group at UCT, where he graduated with his PhD in 2010.

His postgraduate work, and his career since then have focused on understanding the metabolism and pharmacokinetics of compounds with a view to translating in vitro data to human exposure – efficacy relationships, as part of drug discovery projects in malaria, tuberculosis and antimicrobial resistance. This work, combined with H3Ds mission to build Africa-specific models, has led to research interests in drug metabolism and disposition in the African population – more specifically in considering the impact of pharmacogenetic variability on the pharmacokinetics of drugs in African populations. 

Julius O Enoru (Ph.D.) is a Director (Senior Principal Research Scientist) at the Department of Qualitative Translational and ADME Sciences (QTAS), AbbVie Pharmaceutical Research & Development, South San Francisco, CA, USA. He holds a Ph.D. in Molecular Biology from Vrije Universiteit Brussels (VUB), Belgium and completed a Postdoctoral Research Fellowship program at the department of Drug Metabolism and Pharmacokinetics, Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, Pennsylvania. Julius is a subject matter expert in Translational ADME sciences, currently responsible for scientific oversight of pre-FIH in Vitro ADME Sciences functions at the AbbVie South San Francisco, CA site. He has contributed to many INDs, NDAs and responses to regulatory agencies’ inquiries. Julius represents AbbVie on the pharmaceutical industry consortium - International Consortium for Innovation and Quality in Pharmaceutical Development – “Guidelines for development of Targeted Covalent Inhibitors Working Group”.

Julius is passionate about the advancement of xenobiotic research in the African continent and seeks to connect partners to establish collaboration with industry/academic colleagues. He was the co-chair of the 2025 ISSX Africa workshop in Johannesburg, South Africa, and is a member of many international professional organizations. Julius has been a mentor to many students and continues to mentor early career scientists through the ISSX mentorship program.