Professor Shabir Madhi, Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of the Witwatersrand, has been named the recipient of the 2026 National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID) Maxwell Finland Award for Scientific Achievement – one of the world’s leading honours in infectious diseases and vaccinology.
The award recognises Madhi’s decades-long contribution to vaccine research, public health, and disease prevention, his research having played a pivotal role in shaping global vaccination policies and improving child survival rates worldwide.
As Professor of Vaccinology and Director of the South African Medical Research Council Vaccines and Infectious Diseases Analytics Research Unit (VIDA) at Wits, Madhi has led ground-breaking studies on pneumococcal, rotavirus, influenza, RSV, and Covid-19 vaccines.
His work generated critical evidence supporting the introduction of life-saving vaccines in low-and middle-income countries, helping prevent hundreds of thousands of child deaths globally.
Madhi has also been instrumental in strengthening Africa’s leadership in vaccinology and infectious disease research through initiatives, like the African Leadership in Vaccinology Expertise (ALIVE), co-founded at Wits University.
His international leadership includes serving on advisory bodies for the WHO and chairing South Africa’s National Advisory Group on Immunisation.
The 2026 NFID awards will be presented in Washington later this year.
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