Rirhandzu Precious Mkhari is a medical student and master’s candidate at the University of Cape Town, pursuing a Master of Medicine in Clinical Science and Immunology through the Clinician-Scientist pathway. Her research focuses on developing non-sputum molecular diagnostic techniques for tuberculosis to improve accessibility and accuracy in resource-limited settings.

Driven by a commitment to equitable healthcare, she works at the intersection of research, surgery, and social responsibility. She has served as Chairperson of Friends of Médecins Sans Frontières UCT, Head of Global Surgery in the UCT Surgical Society, and a Research Advocacy and Innovation Fellow in the Division of Global Surgery, where she has championed awareness of surgical access challenges in low-resource environments.

Beyond her academic and advocacy work, she enjoys singing, writing, and playing the violin. Rirhandzu hopes to become a clinician-scientist and paediatric surgeon, dedicated to reimagining healthcare in Africa through innovation and research-informed practice.