Media statement

New Leadership at the South African Medical Research Council

Professor Salim S. Abdool Karim is to take the helm as President of the South African Medical Research Council.  The appointment was announced by the MRC Board Chairperson, Professor Lizo Mazwai.  Professor Abdool Karim will take up the position in a part-time capacity for an interim period beginning on 2 April 2012.

On announcement of the appointment, Professor Mazwai said:

“I am pleased to welcome Prof Abdool Karim as the Interim President of the South African Medical Research Council.  As an academic, clinician and key strategic leader in science, Prof Abdool Karim is the perfect choice to take the reins in leading medical research in South Africa. He will bring his expertise in science and policy along with him, which will further strengthen the MRC’s health research reputation as well as build on its impact on everyday health in South Africa.”

Professor Salim S. Abdool Karim is Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research) at the University of KwaZulu-Natal and Director of CAPRISA - Centre for the AIDS Program of Research in South Africa.  He is also Professor of Clinical Epidemiology at Columbia University, Adjunct Professor of Medicine at Cornell University and Associate Member of The Ragon Institute of Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Harvard University. Speaking about his recent appointment, Prof Abdool Karim said he is looking forward to leading the MRC.

He was co-Principal Investigator of the CAPRISA 004 trial of tenofovir gel which provided proof of concept that antiretroviral drugs can prevent sexually transmitted HIV infection and herpes simplex virus type 2 in women. He is involved in the development, as patent co-inventor, of clade C HIV vaccines and led the first HIV vaccine trial in South Africa. His clinical research on TB-HIV treatment has impacted on and continues to shape the international guidelines on the clinical management of co-infected patients.

He is the recipient of “TWAS Prize in Medical Sciences” from The Academy of Sciences for the Developing World, the Drug Information Association’s “President's Award for Outstanding Achievement in World Health”, the South African National Science & Technology Forum Award, the Olusegun Obasanjo Prize from the African Academy of Sciences, the “Science for Society” Gold Medal Award from the Academy of Science in South Africa, Gold Medal Award from the South African Medical Association and the Outstanding Senior African Scientist Award in 2011.

He is a Member of the WHO Expert Advisory Panel on Sexually Transmitted Infections and HIV, Member of the Scientific Advisory Board of the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPfAR), and Member of the Strategic Advisory Board of the Global HIV Vaccine Enterprise.”

Professor Abdool Karim will take up the MRC Presidency on 2 April 2012, replacing Professor Ali Dhansay, who has been Acting President of the MRC since January 2010. In parallel with his new position at the MRC, Professor Abdool Karim, will be continuing as a part-time active researcher pursuing his AIDS research at CAPRISA, based at the University of KwaZulu-Natal.

“South Africa is blessed with many world-class scientists and a well-established tradition of excellence and innovation. As one of the largest funders of medical research in Africa, the MRC is well placed to facilitate, build and support their efforts at Universities, Research Institutes and within the internal programmes of the MRC to generate innovative solutions to the health challenges facing our country”, Professor Abdool Karim said.

The MRC is pleased to welcome Professor Abdool Karim to his new post. We are looking forward to seeing the MRC experience even more growth and increased visibility under his guidance, which will attract the best young scientists that South Africa has to offer.