Harriet is a research scientist with a background in medical microbiology and immunology. During her master’s at the University of Zambia, she led the investigation on the long-term immune responses to Oral Cholera vaccines. Results from this work revealed that the vaccine-induced vibriocidal antibody titres wane very quickly, and it is therefore very critical that we also assess the longevity of immunity via vibriocidal antibodies generated after natural infection in our setting. This data will be key for scheduling re-vaccination campaigns for OCV, especially in cholera-endemic areas. She is currently enrolled at Stellenbosch University, and her PhD focuses on understanding the epidemiology and evolution of V. cholerae in Zambia. Her research aims to characterize circulating strains comprehensively through phylogenetic analysis, determine antimicrobial resistance profiles, identify virulence factors, and investigate the host-immune responses during cholera infection.  She is being supervised by Prof. Tulio de Oliveira, Prof. Lenine Liebenberg, and Prof Wesaal Khan from Stellenbosch University.

Additionally, she is collaborating with John Hopkins University to validate V. cholerae Isogenic Zchol Inaba and Ogawa strains for use in immunology assays. These isogenic strains will be used to study the immune response to specific cholera antigens and contribute to the development of more effective vaccines. Furthermore, Harriet is involved in research investigating the effectiveness and immunogenicity of oral cholera vaccines by employing vibriocidal antibody assays to measure antibody titers in vaccinated and naturally infected individuals. These combined research efforts contribute to a comprehensive understanding of cholera and inform the development of effective control and prevention strategies.