Mramba Nyindo, Ph.D.

Mramba Nyindo studied veterinary science and animal husbandry at the University of the Panjab in Lahore, Pakistan, and earned a second degree in veterinary medicine from the University of East Africa, Nairobi campus. He also holds an MS in veterinary medical science and a PhD from the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana (1970-1975), where he became the first to culture Ehrlichia canis, the causative agent of canine ehrlichiosis (tropical canine pancytopenia), a fatal disease of dogs transmitted by the hard tick Rhipicephalus sanguinus. In 1972, he won the JO Albert award and was commended as the best graduate student at the College of Veterinary Medicine. His PhD research focused on cell-mediated and humoral immune responses in dogs and ponies infected with Ehrlichia canis and E. equi, respectively. An advocate of Team-based Learning (TBL), he introduced this pedagogical method at KCMU Co. in July 2012. Mramba Nyindo has worked with the International Center of Insect Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE) and the Institute of Primate Research (IPR) at the National Museum of Kenya. He is currently an Associate Professor in Parasitology, Entomology, and Immunology, as well as the Head of the Department of Parasitology and Entomology at Kilimanjaro Christian Medical University College. His research interests are focused on neglected tropical diseases, including worms, protozoans, and vectors, with a particular emphasis on schistosomiasis. He is also interested in prostate cancer and the cell biology of prostate cancer in East African patients and has published several papers in peer-reviewed journals.