Robert Makombe

Robert Makombe, MBChB, MSc, is a global health expert with over 25 years of experience in clinical and programmatic management of TB, TB/HIV coinfection, and drug-resistant TB, as well as in pandemic preparedness and response. He has worked across the public and private health sectors in Zimbabwe, including leading the TB programme in Harare. His technical expertise has supported the design, implementation, and scale-up of TB control strategies in high-burden countries in sub-Saharan Africa, Central Asia, and the Asia-Pacific.

Since 2003, he has held senior technical and advisory positions with international agencies, including as an intercountry professional officer) with the WHO Regional Office for Africa, a TB/HIV scientist with the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Botswana, and a senior advisor with global non-governmental organisations. His work has centred on strengthening service delivery systems, advancing integrated models of care, and supporting national strategic planning. In 2017, he joined FHI 360 and was based in South Africa, where he served in senior leadership roles, including as Director for TB. There, he led regional technical strategy and implementation support for TB and TB/HIV programmes.

From 2017 to 2021, he served as the TB focal point on the Global Fund Technical Review Panel. He is currently a member of the Stop TB Partnership’s Public-Private Mix Working Group and has served on the WHO Strategic and Technical Advisory Group for TB (STAG-TB) since 2023.