Organization: CAPRISA
Region: Africa
Nationality: South Africa
Country: South Africa
Interests & expertise: HIV cure
Profession or occupation: Researcher
What inspires you to work in the HIV field?
Being a research clinician has equipped me with the knowledge and training, as well as the relevant tools and methodologies, to pursue opportunities in the fields of HIV prevention and cure. The South African clinical research world, while resource-constrained and subject to many socioeconomic difficulties, is made up of passionate and dedicated researchers who can change the course of HIV research nationally and globally. This inspires me to aim to effectively contribute to this dynamic field.
What are your goals as an IAS change maker?
In low- and middle-income countries like South Africa, comprehensive multi-institute, multidisciplinary global research programmes must be established to allow African scientists to grow via capacity building. Programmes must focus on basic, behavioural, clinical and translational research that has a sharp focus on prevention, treatment and HIV cure. My goal is to positively contribute towards these types of programmes.