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Prof Legesse Kassa Debusho

Professor | College of Science, Engineering and Technology
School of Science | Department: Statistics

Tel: 011 670 9256
Email: debuslk@unisa.ac.za
Campus: Science Campus, Florida, Johannesburg
Building: GJ Gerwel
Office: C6-13

  • PhD in Statistics, University of Kuwa-Zulu Natal (former University of Natal), South Africa
  • MSc in Statistics, Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia
  • BSc in Statistics, Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia

C2

  • Design of experiment
  • Longitudinal data analysis
  • Spatial statistics
  • Extreme value analysis
  • Multivariate statistical analysis
  • Generalized linear models
  • Generalized linear mixed effects model
  • Nonparametric regression models

  • Statistics

  1. Debusho LK, Mashabela MR, Sebatjane PN, Sithole S, Tabo B, et al. (2025) Evaluation of statistical methods applied in theses and dissertations in an Open, Distance and e-Learning University. PLOS ONE 20(3): e0319654. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0319654
  2. Debusho, L.K., Gemechu, L.L. Joint spatiotemporal modelling of tuberculosis and human immunodeficiency virus in Ethiopia using a Bayesian hierarchical approach. BMC Public Health 25, 377 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-024-20996-7
  3. Bezalem Eshetu Yirdaw, Legesse Kassa Debusho (2025). Modeling repeated measurements data using the multilevel Bayesian network: A case of child morbidity. Journal of Biomedical Informatics, Volume 161, 104760, ISSN 1532-0464, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbi.2024.104760.
  4. Bezalem Eshetu Yirdaw and Legesse Kassa Debusho (2024). Multilevel Bayesian network to model child morbidity using Gibbs sampling. Artificial Intelligence in Medicine, 149(1):102784. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.artmed.2024.102784
  5. Kiros Welay, Negassi Amaha, Solomon Demeke, Legesse K. Debusho, Meseret Girma (2023). Growth performance and carcass characteristics of Koekoek chickens exposed to temperature variation with supplementary Coriander seed powder. Journal of Thermal Biology, 116, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtherbio.2023.103674
  6. Tadele Akebea Diriba and Legesse Kassa Debusho (2023a). Spatio-temporal dependence modelling of extreme rainfall in South Africa: A Bayesian integrated nested Laplace approximation technique. Communications in Statistics, 9(2):152-180. https://doi.org/10.1080/23737484.2023.2207503
  7. Gemechu LL, Debusho LK (2023a). Bayesian spatial modelling of tuberculosis-HIV coinfection in Ethiopia. PLoS ONE 18(3): e0283334. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0283334
  8. Leta Lencha Gemechu, Legesse Kassa Debusho (2023b). Spatial Clustering of Tuberculosis-HIV Coinfection in Ethiopia at Districts Level, AIDS Research and Treatment, vol. 2023, Article ID 5191252, 14 pages, 2023. https://doi.org/10.1155/2023/5191252
  9. Fufa, Daba Bulto, Diriba, Tadele Akeba, Dame, Kenenisa Tadesse and Debusho, Legesse Kassa (2023). Competing risk models to evaluate the factors for time to loss to follow-up among tuberculosis patients at Ambo General Hospital. Archives of Public Health, 81 (117). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13690-023-01130-2
  10. Yirdaw BE, Debusho LK (2023). Semiparametric modelling of diabetic retinopathy among people with type II diabetes mellitus. BMC Med Res Methodol. 2023 Jan 9;23(1):7. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12874-022- 01794-4 . PMID: 36624377; PMCID: PMC9830762.
  11. Tadele Akeba Diriba and Legesse Kassa Debusho (2023b). Seasonal and Station Effects Modelling to Extreme Temperature Data in South Africa. Environ Model Assess 28, 465-489. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10666-023-09881-6
  12. Legesse Kassa Debusho and Nemso Geda Bedaso (2023). Bayesian Spatial Modelling of HIV Prevalence in Jimma Zone, Ethiopia. Diseases 11(1), 46. https://doi.org/10.3390/diseases11010046
  13. Kiros, W., Negassi, A., Solomon, D., Debusho, L. K., & Meseret, G. (2022). Meat quality of Sasso T44 and Koekoek cockerels exposed to temperature variation with supplementary coriander seed powder. Tropical animal health and production, 54(6), 402. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11250-022-03404-3
  14. Jabir, Y. N., Aniley, T. T., Bacha, R. H., Debusho, L. K., Chikako, T. U., Hagan, J. E., Jr, Seidu, A. A., & Ahinkorah, B. O. (2022). Time to Death and Associated Factors among Tuberculosis Patients in South West Ethiopia: Application of Shared Frailty Model. Diseases (Basel, Switzerland), 10(3), 51. https://doi.org/10.3390/diseases10030051
  15. Gemechu LL & Debusho LK. Spatial Co-Clustering of Tuberculosis and HIV in Ethiopia. Diseases. 2022; 10(4):106. https://doi.org/10.3390/diseases10040106
  16. Zewude, B. T., Debusho, L. K., & Diriba, T. A. (2022). Multilevel logistic regression modelling to quantify variation in malaria prevalence in Ethiopia. PloS one, 17(9), e0273147. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0273147
  17. Zewude, B. T., & Debusho, L. K. (2022). Prevalence Rate and Associated Risk Factors of Anaemia among under Five Years Children in Ethiopia. Nutrients, 14(13), 2693. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu14132693
  18. Bedaso, N. G., & Debusho, L. K. (2022). Clinics register based HIV prevalence in Jimma zone, Ethiopia: applications of likelihood and Bayesian approaches. BMC infectious diseases, 22(1), 281. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12879-021-06965-0

  19. Mtambo, O.P.L., Debusho, L.K. Analysis of childhood overweight and obesity in Namibia using spatio-temporal quantile interval models. J Health Popul Nutr 40, 51 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1186/s41043-021-00274-7

  20. Tadele Akeba Diriba and Legesse Kassa Debusho (2021). Statistical modelling of spatial extremes through max-stable process models: application to extreme rainfall events in South Africa. Journal of Hydrologic Engineering. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)HE.1943-5584.0002123.
  21. Tadele Akeba Diriba and Legesse Kassa Debusho (2021). Statistical modelling of extreme rainfall indices using multivariate extreme value distributions.   Environmental Modelling and Assessment. Doi:10.1007/s10666-021-09766-6
  22. Legesse Kassa Debusho and Tadele Akeba Diriba (2021). Conditional modelling approach to multivariate extreme value distributions: application to extreme rainfall events in South Africa. Environmental and Ecological Statistics.
  23. Metadel Azeze, Awoke Seyoum, Endalew Tesfa, Legesse Kassa Debusho (2020). Predictors of Human Death by Road Traffic Crashes in Bahir Dar City, North Western Ethiopia; A Count Data Analysis Regression Model. International Journal of Theoretical and Applied Mathematics, 6 (6), pp 95-104.
  24. Tadele Akeba Diriba and Legesse Kassa Debusho (2020). Modelling dependency effect to extreme value distributions with application to extreme wind speed at Port Elizabeth, South Africa: a frequentist and Bayesian approaches. Computational Statistics, 35, 1449-1479. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00180-019-00947-2.
  25. Tadele Akeba Diriba, Legesse Kassa Debusho and Joel Botai (2020). Modelling dependence structure of extreme wind speed using bivariate distribution: a Bayesian approach. Environmental and Ecological Statistics, 27, 319-362. doi:10.1007/s10651-020-00448-2.
  26. Florence Malongane, Lyndy Joy McGaw, Legesse Kassa Debusho and Fhatuwani Nixwell Mudau (2020). Sensory Characteristics and Volatile Compounds of Herbal Teas and Mixtures of Bush Tea with Other Selected Herbal Teas of South Africa. Foods, 9(4), 496- doi:10.3390/foods9040496.
  27. Folorunso Oludayo Fasina, Lerica Le Roux-Pullen, Peter Smith, Legesse Kassa Debusho, Aminu Shittu, Saleh M Jajere, Oluwawemimo Oluseun Adebowale,  Ismail Odetokun, Michael Agbaje, Modupe M Fasina, Olubunmi G Fasanmi, Deborah Van Dyk, Mohammed S Abubakar, Onakpa M Monday, Masaad G Ali, Hozaifa S Yousuf, Waliedin E Elmgboul, Mohammed M Sirdar (2020). Knowledge, attitudes and perceptions associated with antimicrobial stewardship among veterinary students: A multi-country survey from Nigeria, South Africa and Sudan. Journal of Frontiers in Public Health, section Infectious Diseases – Surveillance, Prevention and Treatment, https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2020.517964
  28. Tafere Tilahun Aniley, Legesse Kassa Debusho, Zelalem Mehari Nigusie, Wondwosen Kassahun Yimer and Belay Birlie Yimer (2019). A semi-parametric mixed models for longitudinally measured fasting blood sugar level of adult diabetic patients. Journal of Medical Research Methodology, doi.org/10.1186/s12874-018-0648-x.
  29. Legesse Kassa Debusho, Dibaba Bayisa Gemechu and Linda M. Haines (2018). Algorithmic Construction of Optimal Block Designs for Two-Colour cDNA Microarray Experiments Using the Linear Mixed Effects Model. Communications in Statistics - Simulation and Computation, https://doi.org/10.1080/03610918.2018.1429617.
  30. Tesfamariam, E. H., Annandale, J. G., Steyn, M. J., Truter, W. F., Debusho, L. K. and Talore, D. G. (2018), Yield, resource use efficiency and trace metal uptake of weeping lovegrass grown on municipal sludge-amended soil. J. Sci. Food Agric, 98: 478–486. doi:10.1002/jsfa.8484
  31. Tadele Akeba Diriba, Legesse Kassa Debusho, Joel Botai, Abubeker Hassen (2017). Bayesian modelling of extreme wind speed at Cape Town, South Africa. Environmental and Ecological Statistics, 24:243–267.
  32. Eyob H Tesfamariam, John G Annandale, Martin J Steyn, Wayne F Truter, Legesse K Debusho and Deribe G Talore (2017). Yield, resource use efficiency, and trace metal uptake of weeping lovegrass grown on municipal sludge-amended soil, Journal of The Science of Food and Agriculture (wileyonlinelibrary.com) DOI 10.1002/jsfa.8484
  33. Oore-ofe O. Olumuyiwa-Akeredolu, Prashilla Soma, Antoinette V. Buys, Legesse Kassa Debusho and Etheresia Pretorius(2017). Characterizing pathology in erythrocytes using morphological and biophysical membrane properties: Relation to impaired hemorheology and cardiovascular function in rheumatoid arthritis. BBA – Biomembranes, 1859 (12): 2381-2391.
  34. Malose Makhubela and Legesse Kassa Debusho (2016). Factorial invariance and latent mean differences of the BDI-II across gender in South African university students. Journal of psychology in Africa, pp 522-526.
  35. Legesse Kassa Debusho and Tadele Akeba Diriba (2016). Bayesian modelling of summer daily maximum temperature data. Proceedings of the 4th International Conference on Mathematical, Computational and Statistical Sciences, pp. 126-133. ISBN: 978-1-61804-367-2.
  36. Gemechu, B.D., Debusho, L. K. and Haines, L. M. (2015). A- and D-optimal row-column designs for two-colour cDNA microarray experiments using linear mixed effects models. South African Statistical Journal, 49, 153–168.
  37. Legesse Kassa Debusho, Dibaba Bayisa Gemechu and Linda M. Haines (2015). Properties of A- and D-optimal row-column designs for two-colour microarray experiments: Robustness against missing arrays and efficiency.  Proceedings of the 57th Annual Conference of the South African Statistical Association (SASA 2015). pp. 33-39. ISBN: 978-1-86822-670-2.
  38. Tadele A. Diriba, Legesse Kassa Debusho and Joel Botai. (2015). Modeling extreme daily temperature using generalized pareto distribution at Port Elizabeth, South Africa. Proceedings of the 57th Annual Conference of the South African Statistical Association (SASA 2015). pp. 41-48. ISBN: 978-1-86822-670-2.
  39. Makola, L., Mashegoane, S. and Debusho, L.K. (2015). Work-family and family-work conflicts amongst African nurses caring for patients with AIDS. Curationis 38(1), Art. #1436, 8 pages.
  40.   Legesse Kassa Debusho, Linda M. Haines and Dibaba Bayisa  Gemechu (2014). Optimal Factorial Designs for Two-colour Microarray Experiments: Properties of Admissible designs, A-, D- and E-optimality Criteria. Peer-reviewed Proceedings of the Annual Conference of the South African Statistical Association for 2014 (SASA 2014), Rhodes University, Grahmstown, South Africa. pp 17-24, ISBN: 978-1-86822-659-7.
  41. Dibaba Bayisa Gemechu, Legesse Kassa Debusho and Linda M. Haines (2014). A-optimal designs for two-colour cDNA microarray experiments using the linear mixed effects model. Peer-reviewed Proceedings of the Annual Conference of the South African Statistical Association for 2014 (SASA 2014), Rhodes University, Grahmstown, South Africa. pp 33-40, ISBN: 978-1-86822-659-7.
  42. Tadele A Diriba, Legesse Kassa Debusho, Joel Botai and Abubeker Hassen (2014). Analysis of Extreme Rainfall at East London, South Africa. Peer-reviewed Proceedings of the Annual Conference of the South African Statistical Association for 2014 (SASA 2014), Rhodes University, Grahmstown, South Africa. pp 25-32, ISBN: 978-1-86822-659-7.
  43. Legesse K. Debusho and Gamu Chibayambuya (2013). Efficient Response Surface Designs with unknown Block Size. Peer-reviewed Proceedings of the Annual Conference of the South African Statistical Association for 2013 (SASA 2013). November 2013, University of Limpopo, The Ranch, Polokwane, South Africa. ISBN: 978-1-86822-649-8.

International conferences

  1. Legesse Kassa Debusho and Tadele Akeba Diriba (2021). Seasonal and station effects modelling to extreme temperature data in South Africa. Annual Conference of the South African Statistical Association (SASA 2021), Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa.
  2. Legesse Kassa Debusho and Tadele Akeba Diriba (2019). Conditional modelling approaches to multivariate extreme value distributions: Application to extreme rainfall events in South Africa. Annual Conference of the South African Statistical Association (SASA 2019), Nelson Mandela University, Port Elizabeth, South Africa.
  3. Legesse Kassa Debusho and Owen P. L. Mtambo (2018). Quantile interval regression models. Annual Conference of the South African Statistical Association, University of South Africa, Florida Campus, Johannesburg.
  4. “Spatio-temporal quantile interval regression using R-INLA with applications to childhood overweight and obesity in sub-Saharan Africa”, The XXIX International Biometric Conference, 7-15 July 2018, Barcelona, Spain.
  5. “A semi-parametric Linear Mixed Models for Longitudinally measured Fasting Blood Sugar Level of Adult Diabetic Patients”, International Biometric Society - Australasian Region 2017 Conference, 25-30 November 2017 at Mantra on Salt Beach located at Gunnamatta Avenue, Kingscliff, New South Wales, Australia.
  6. “Algorithmic Construction of Optimal Block Designs for Two-Colour cDNA Microarray Experiments Using the Linear Mixed Effects Model”, The 9th Conference of the Eastern Mediterranean Region and the Italian region of the International Biometric Society, May 8-12, 2017 at the MET hotel, Thessaloniki, Greece.
  7. Legesse Kassa Debusho, Dibaba Bayisa Gemechu and Linda M. Haines (2016). Algorithmic Construction of Optimal Block Designs for Two-Colour cDNA Microarray Experiments Using the Linear Mixed Effects Mode. Annual Conference of the South African Statistical Association (SASA 2016), University of Cape Town, South Africa.
  8. Tadele A. Diriba, Legesse Kassa Debusho and Joel Botai. (2016). Random Effect Approach for Extreme Wind Speed in South Africa (SASA2016). University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.
  9. “Algorithms for Construction of Optimal Block and Row-Column Designs for Two-Colour cDNA Microarray Experiments”, The XXVII-th International Biometric Conference, 10-15 July, 2016 at the Victoria Conference Centre in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.
  10. “Analysis of Extreme Rainfall at East London, South Africa”, The 8th Conference of the Eastern Mediterranean Region of the International Biometric Society (EMR-IBS), May 11-15, 2015 in Cappadocia, Turkey.

  11. Legesse Kassa Debusho, Dibaba Bayisa Gemechu and Linda M. Haines (2015). Properties of A- and D-optimal row-column designs for two-colour microarray experiments: Robustness against missing arrays and efficiency.  Annual Conference of the South African Statistical Association (SASA 2015), University of Pretoria, South Africa.

  12. Tadele A. Diriba, Legesse Kassa Debusho and Joel Botai. (2015). Modeling extreme daily temperature using generalized pareto distribution at Port Elizabeth, South Africa. Annual Conference of the South African Statistical Association (SASA 2015), University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa.
  13. “Algorithms for Construction of Optimal block designs for two-colour cDNA microarray experiments”, The 8th Conference of the Eastern Mediterranean Region of the International Biometric Society (EMR-IBS), May 11-15, 2015 in Cappadocia, Turkey.
  14. Optimal Factorial Designs for Two-colour Microarray Experiments: Properties of Admissible designs, A-, D- and E-optimality Criteria”, October 2014. Annual Conference of the South African Statistical Association (SASA 2014), Rhodes University, Grahmstown.

  • International Biometric Society Strategic Issues Committee from 2014 - 2017.
  • A member of the Awards Fund Committee for International Biometric Society from 2010 - 2013.
  • Received the 2008 Herbert Sichel Medal award from the South African Statistical Association (SASA) in year 2009 for best article published by SASA members in year 2008.

  • Optimal designs for the quadratic regression model with a random intercept term: The major objective of the research is to construct optimal designs for quadratic regression model with random intercept, optimal designs for estimation of variance components and prediction of random effects for a linear mixed model.
  • Optimal designs for microarrays: The main aim of the project is to develop optimal designs for microarray experiments using a mixed effects model setting by introducing at least the array effects as random.
  • Algorithms and Software to compute Optimal Designs for Microarray Experiments: The objective of this project is to provide new and improved statistical and computational tools (i.e. computer packages) using Rfor designing optimal designs for microarray experiments. 

R packages

  • Gemechu, D. B., Debusho, L. K., and Haines, L. (2018). factoptd: Factorial optimal designs for two-colour cDNA microarray experiments. Retrieved from https://CRAN.R-project.org/package=factoptd  (R package version 1.0.3).
  • Debusho, L. K., Gemechu, D. B., and Haines, L. (2017). optrcdmaeAT: Optimal row-column designs for two-colour cDNA microarray experiments. Retrieved from https://CRAN.R-project.org/package=optrcdmaeAT (R package version 1.0.0).
  • Gemechu, D. B., Debusho, L. K., and Haines, L. (2017). soptdmaeA: Sequential optimal designs for two-colour cDNA microarray experiments. Retrieved from https://CRAN.R-project.org/package=soptdmaeA (R package version 1.0.0).
  • Gemechu, D. B., Debusho, L. K., and Haines, L. (2017). optbdmaeAT: Optimal block designs for two-colour cDNA microarray experiments. Retrieved from https://CRAN.R-project.org/package=optbdmaeAT (R package version 1.0.1).