Dr Sphilile Mbhele

Dr Sphilile Mbhele

Lecturer

CAMPUS
Westville

Biography

Dr. S. Mbhele is an Audiologist by qualification who obtained a Bachelor of Communication Pathology (Audiology) and a Master of Audiology degree from the University of Kwa Zulu-Natal. She later obtained a PhD University of Cape Town. She has served at the Department of Health as a clinical Audiologist from the year 2018 to April 2020. She also served as a Vice-president of the KZN SLT/A provincial Forum (2019- 2020).   She is presently a lecturer at the University of Kwa Zulu-Natal Audiology department, involved in the teaching of vestibular assessment and management, paediatric audiology clinical practice as well as audiological principles and practices for speech therapists. She also supervises undergraduate and post-graduate research projects. Currently, she serves as a member of the KwaZulu-Natal Auditory Implant Programme (KZNAIP) and is part of the SACIG Vestibular Task team.

Research Interests

  • Assessment and management of vestibular disorders
  • Audiological and vestibular disorders in children
  • Public Health: Fall prevention in the elderly
  • Ototoxicity and vestibulotoxicity
  • Aural rehabilitation

List of Publications

  1. Mbhele, S., & Makhoba, M. (2022). Audiologists’ phenomenographic experiences of professional development during community service in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. South African Journal of Communication Disorders, 69(1), a844. https://doi.org/10.4102/sajcd.v69i1.844
  2. Mbhele, S., Rogers, C., Rea, P., Arshad, Q. & Saman, Y. (2024). Bárány Society Meeting Scientific Abstracts. Journal of Vestibular Research. 34(5-6): 342. doi:10.1177/09574271241295853.
  3. Mbhele, S., Rogers, C. & Saman, Y. Clinical balance assessment tools for children with hearing loss: a scoping review. BMC Pediatr 25, 218 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12887-025-05563-2