Azure Tariro Makadzange

Tariro Makadzange is a Physician Scientist with an MD from Harvard Medical School and PhD (DPhil) in Immunology from University of Oxford. Her specialist training is in Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases. She co-founded a large HIV treatment program in Zimbabwe, established a clinical research and basic immunology research program. She was faculty at Harvard Medical School/Massachusetts General Hospital before transitioning to a career in Industry where she worked at Gilead Sciences. She initially worked in Clinical development on first in human studies through to Phase III trials with small molecules and biologic therapeutics. She subsequently switched to discovery research establishing viral immunology program at Gilead leading work on HIV therapeutic vaccines immunogen design, preclinical testing in animal models including non-human primates, and serving as the project team lead for an HIV therapeutic vaccine. She was also Virology lead for the External Innovation program at Gilead, reviewing investment and research partnership opportunities. In 2021 she left industry to establish an independent research organization in Zimbabwe focused on diversifying clinical trials, public health and implementation science research. She also run a lab that is focused on basic immunology research in infectious diseases including antibody discovery and vaccine immunogen design.