Internationally recognised prediabetes researcher and award-winning Professor Andile Khathi has been appointed as Deputy Dean for the Division of Medical Sciences in the University of KwaZulu-Natal’s School of Medicine, reports The Witness.
Khathi (38) takes up the position after building a distinguished academic career marked by excellence in research, teaching and postgraduate supervision, and comes on the heels of his recognition as a recipient of the university’s 2025 Distinguished Teacher’s Award, honouring his transformative contribution to higher education.
Khathi previously served as Academic Leader for Human Physiology and Anatomy from 2019 to 2026.
Dean and Head of the School of Medicine in the College of Health Sciences Professor Refiloe Masekela welcomed the appointment, saying Khathi had shown excellence in research and innovation as well as in teaching and learning.
“We look forward to his leadership over the next five years,” she said.
The appointment caps another milestone year for Khathi, who also received the UKZN Vice-Chancellor’s Research Award in 2025 for his sustained research excellence and commitment to postgraduate supervision.
In 2025, he was awarded the South African Medical Research Council’s Bronze Award for his ground-breaking and impactful research, while in 2022, he received the National Research Foundation’s Research Excellence Award for Emerging Researchers in Natural Sciences.
Khathi has published more than 145 peer-reviewed research papers and a book chapter during his academic career, and supervised and graduated 12 doctoral students, 49 master’s graduates and 61 honours students, reflecting his longstanding commitment to developing the next generation of medical researchers.