Research, Innovation & postgraduate

Special Achievements

Professor Shabir Madhi

NSTF-South32 Lifetime Award

Professor Madhi was awarded the NSTF-South32 Lifetime Award at the ‘Science Oscars’ of South Africa. A NRF A-rated scientist and a paediatrician, Madhi's research has focused on the epidemiology and clinical development of vaccines against pneumonia and diarrhoeal disease, as well as vaccines for pregnant women to protect the mother and her offspring.

These studies have informed World Health Organization’s recommendations on the use of the lifesaving pneumococcal conjugate vaccine and rotavirus vaccine in children, and flu vaccination of pregnant women.

Dr Simone Richardson

Faculty Research Prize

Dr Richardson (NICD/ Antibody Immunity Research Unit) was awarded the 2022 Faculty Research Prize for her publication in Cell Host and Microbe entitled “SARS-CoV-2 Omicron triggers crossreactive neutralization and Fc effector functions in previously vaccinated, but not unvaccinated, individuals”.

The Research Prize Award is made for the research publication considered to be of high quality within the discipline and judged substantially on the Impact Factor and rank in the discipline of the journal in which the article was published.

ASSAf Science for Society Gold Medal

Professor Karen Hofman was awarded the Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf) Science for Society Gold Medal. Hofman received a Gold Medal for her application of scientific thinking in the service of society, the results of which mean that we as a population are healthier.

ASSAf annually awards ASSAf Science for Society Gold Medals in recognition of outstanding achievements by individuals. Up to two Gold Medals are awarded per annum for outstanding achievement in scientific thinking for the benefit of society.

Karen Hofman is a Research Professor and Founding Director of the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC)/Wits Centre for Health Economics and Decision Science (PRICELESS SA) in the School of Public Health.

Doctor of Science in Medicine honoris causa degree - University of London; Ministerial COVID-19 Special Award; L’ordre national du Mérite (National Order of Merit); Named in Harvard’s list of 25 standout voices in public health in Africa

Professor Rees, Executive Director of the Wits RHI was bestowed a Doctor of Science in Medicine honoris causa degree by the University of London in 2022. The University of London bestows these honorary degrees to people of eminence and distinction.

Secondly, Professor Rees was awarded the prestigious Ministerial COVID-19 Special Award at the National Batho Pele Excellence Awards in the Platinum Category in recognition of her contributions to the COVID-19 pandemic. This accolade acknowledges and recognises her outstanding contributions to COVID-19 research for 2021/2022.

She was also awarded the prestigious L’ordre national du Mérite (National Order of Merit) by the President of the French Republic Emmanuel Macron, in recognition of her ground-breaking and outstanding medical career. In February 2022, she received notice of the honour from the French Ambassador to the Republic of South Africa.

Lastly, in 2022, Professor Rees was named in Harvard’s list of 25 standout voices in public health in Africa (Harvard Public Health Magazine). She is amongst the many outstanding and remarkable leaders making a new path for the public health field and shaping policy and practice on the continent.

Sydney Brenner Institute for Molecular Bioscience, (Director - Professor Michele Ramsay)

NRF Science Team Award

Sydney Brenner Institute for Molecular Bioscience (SBIMB) was awarded the NRF Science Team Award for extending the boundaries of scientific research in Africa that is impactful to society. The team is recognised for advancing human genetics in Africa. The director of SBIMB, Professor Michèle Ramsay and her senior research team, including Professor Scott Hazelhurst, Dr Ananyo Choudhury, Distinguished Research Professor Collen Masimirembwa, and Professor Chris Mathew, won the 2022 NRF Science Team Award.

This award recognises a team’s contributions, creativity and achievements in expanding the boundaries of scientific research in Africa, producing science outcomes which have positively impacted society, and raising South Africa’s international stature as a world-class research destination.

2022 FIP Distinguished Pharmaceutical Science Award

Professor Yahya Choonara received the 2022 FIP Distinguished Pharmaceutical Science Award at the 80th FIP World Congress of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences held in Seville, Spain. The FIP Distinguished Pharmaceutical Science Award recognises an outstanding research-active scientist, who has made significant contributions to the diverse field of pharmaceutical sciences. The award will be granted every three years at an annual FIP Congress.

ASSA Lifetime Distinguished Member Award

Professor Maryna Steyn is a Biological Anthropologist and Director of the Human Variation and Identification Research Unit was awarded an ASSA Lifetime Distinguished Member Award.

As a specialist in human skeletal remains, she consults to the South African Police Service on decomposed and skeletonized human remains and holds an accreditation as forensic anthropologist from FASE (Forensic Anthropology Society of Europe). In the past 20 years she has completed more than 500 forensic anthropological case reports and has been involved in several high-level investigations and repatriations. She conducts research on human remains from forensic contexts and archaeological sites, focusing on skeletal identification and palaeopathology.

Professor Paul Manger

FHS Best Postgraduate Supervisor Award

Professor Paul Manger was awarded the Faculty of Health Sciences Best Postgraduate Supervisor Award. His research focuses on the evolution of brain and behaviour – evolutionary neuroethology –of African mammals.

Professor Manger, his colleagues and numerous postgraduate students examine the structure of African and other mammal brains to investigate how brains change and how they stay the same in different phylogenetic lineages and mammals showing major morphological variations. The laboratory has examined the brains of very small mammals (such as Mus minutoides, with a brain weighing in at 275 mg) through to the brains of African elephants (which weigh in at around 5 kg). These studies are building a fundamental understanding of the processes of brain evolution and how they relate to behaviour in mammals.

Professor Gavin Norton (posthumously)

2021 Helen Laburn Prize

The late Professor Gavin Norton was awarded the 2021 Helen Laburn Prize in 2022. The Prize was initiated by members of the School of Physiology, on Helen’s passing in 2014, to celebrate and honour her invaluable and special contribution to creating an environment in which research excellence can thrive.

Professor Norton was the Director of the Cardiovascular Pathophysiology and Genomics Research Unit. He was a formidable researcher. He had a great passion for the teaching and training of students and was instrumental in curriculum development, implementation and monitoring in the School of Physiology. His contribution to the body of work covering cardiovascular pathophysiology, hypertension and heart failure, has been immense.

May his soul rest in peace.

Dr Brooke Nichols

2022 Boston University School of Public Health Excellence in Research Early Career Award

Dr Brooke Nichols was awarded the 2022 Boston University School of Public Health Excellence in Research Early Career Award.

Dr Nichols, a health economist and infectious disease mathematical modeller from the Health Economics and Epidemiology Research Office (HE²RO) was awarded a Research Early Career Award by the Boston University School of Public Health (BUSPH) Excellence.

The early career excellence award recognizes the outstanding contribution of one junior faculty member whose primary academic appointment is at BUSPH. Recipients should have scholarly accomplishments that advance public health research and improves the health of the communities.

Professor Thesla Palanee–Phillips

Promotion and Joint Appointment to Affiliate Associate Professor with the University of Washington

Professor Palanee–Phillips obtained a promotion and Joint Appointment to Affiliate Associate Professor with the University of Washington, Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Seattle, USA in 2022. This is a monumental achievement in her career.

Professor Sinead Delany-Moretlwe

Professor of Global Health and Infectious Diseases at Wits; SAHPRA registered long-acting, injectable cabotegravir (CAB-LA) for HIV prevention

Professor Delany-Moretlwe, the Director of Research at Wits RHI was appointed the Professor of Global Health and Infectious Diseases at Wits.

In addition, in 2022 the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) registered longacting, injectable cabotegravir (CAB-LA) for HIV prevention. As an executive committee member for the HIV Prevention Trials Network (HPTN) and the protocol chair for the HPTN 084 trial, Professor Delany-Moretlwe was intrinsic to this globally significant development.

HPTN 084 is a study being done to evaluate the safety and efficacy of CAB-LA in a context where long-acting pre-exposure prophylaxis for HIV prevention is needed to increase treatment adherence.

Professor Colleen Wright

2022 James W. Reagan Clinical Cytology Award

Professor Colleen Wright, Honorary Professor in the Department of Anatomical Pathology, School of Pathology was awarded the 2022 James W. Reagan Clinical Cytology Award. The Award was presented at the 21st International Congress of Cytology which took place in November 2022 in Baltimore, USA.

Professor Wayne Grayson

President of the International Committee for Dermatopathology

Professor Wayne Grayson, Honorary Professor in the Department of Anatomical Pathology, School of Pathology was appointed as President of the International Committee for Dermatopathology.

Network for Genomics Surveillance in South Africa

(part of the network - Drs Jinal Bhiman and Catherine Scheepers)

NSTF-South32 Data for Research Award

At the 2022 NSTF-South32 Awards, the Data for Research Award was awarded to a team of science “rockstars” from the Network for Genomics Surveillance in South Africa (NGS-SA) for their groundbreaking work with SARS-CoV-2.

The team consists of virologists, scientists, bioinformaticians and clinicians and is responsible for the discovery of both the Beta and Omicron variants of the virus. The Network for Genomic Surveillance in South Africa (NGS-SA) is a network of laboratories, scientists and academic institutions that have joined forces to rapidly respond to public health threats in South Africa, launched with five of the largest National Health Laboratory Service labs with funds from the Department of Science and Innovation (DSI) and SAMRC.

Two Wits authors, Drs Jinal Bhiman and Cathrine Scheepers of the MRC Antibody Immunity Research Unit are part of the Network for Genomic Surveillance in South Africa.