Position: Member of Board of Control
Address: University of the Witwatersrand
Telephone: 031 2604555
Fax: 031 2604566
Email Address: Caprisa@ukzn.ac.za
Blurb: Prof Shabir Madhi received his Master’s degree in Paediatrics and his Ph.D. degree in Health Sciences from the University of the Witwatersrand. He is a certified infectious disease specialist and currently holds the position of DST/NRF Research Chair for Vaccine Preventable Disease, Executive Director of the National Institute for Communicable Diseases at NHLS, and Professor of Vaccinology at the University of the Witwatersrand.
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Prof Shabir Madhi received his Master’s degree in Paediatrics and his Ph.D. degree in Health Sciences from the University of the Witwatersrand. He is a certified infectious disease specialist and currently holds the position of DST/NRF Research Chair for Vaccine Preventable Disease, Executive Director of the National Institute for Communicable Diseases at NHLS, and Professor of Vaccinology at the University of the Witwatersrand. Prof Madhi is also President of the World Society of Paediatric Infectious Diseases and founding member of the Southern African Society for Paediatric Infectious Diseases. He currently heads a team of 120 grant-funded staff researching vaccines for preventable diseases. The focus of his work is on identifying potential vaccine candidate antigens, epidemiological studies on preventable diseases and clinical evaluation of vaccines.
Prof Madhi has built an international reputation in the field of vaccination against pathogens causing pneumonia as well as the effectiveness of vaccines in HIV positive children. His research over the last decade played an important role in assisting the World Health Organisation’s Strategic Advisory Group of Experts in making recommendations on potentially life-saving childhood vaccines such as the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine and the rotavirus vaccine. The latter garnering specific mention by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in its commitment of $10 billion over the next 10 years to deploying vaccines to the world’s poorest children.
Prof Madhi has contributed nine book chapters and over 110 peer reviewed articles in various high-ranking journals including the prestigious journals such as The New England Journal of Medicine, Lancet, and Nature Medicine. He is a part-time consultant to the World Health Organisation and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, has served on a number of advisory committees for pharmaceutical companies, the WHO African Task Force on Immunisation and SIVAC (Supporting National Independent Immunisation and Vaccine Advisory Committees).
He has garnered a number of awards for his work, including the NRF President’s Award for Transformation of the Science Cohort, the Watkins-Pitchford prize from the SA Institute for Medical Research, the University of Witwatersrand Vice Chancellors Award for Research, Faculty Research prize from the University of the Witwatersrand, the Young Investigators Award from the European Society for Infectious Diseases, and the National Science and Technology Forum’s TW Kambule Senior Black Researcher Award. His international standing is also evident by him being an invited speaker multiple International Scientific Meeting symposia / sessions
Category: The Board of Control
Chairperson: No
