KwaZulu-Natal’s world-renowned TB expert Professor Kogie Naidoo has been honoured for her achievements with the Outstanding Female Scientist Prize presented by the European and Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP), a research programme of the EU, at the 11th EDCTP Forum opening ceremony in Paris recently.
The prize was awarded to “world-leading female scientists in sub-Saharan Africa working on HIV/Aids, tuberculosis, malaria and neglected infectious diseases”, reports the Sunday Tribune.
Naidoo received the award for her seminal scientific contributions on the treatment of patients with TB and HIV co-infection, which have shaped local and international treatment guidelines.
The acknowledgment was a huge recognition for women scientists in Africa, she said, adding that the work being done was of high quality and made an impact on saving lives.
“It also shows how responsive we are to the needs of our population…it’ profiling the work we’re doing,” she said.
“Science and women are still emerging because it’s been traditionally the domain of men. As I have extended my research to diagnosing and treating multidrug-resistant TB, I have seen how investing in science is creating a healthy future for poor nations in supporting equitable access to life-saving drugs and health care.
“This award also acknowledges the Centre for the Aids Programme of Research in South Africa (Caprisa) team, its funders, collaborators, peers, patients and the entire community.”
Naidoo, who is the deputy director and head of Caprisa and honorary associate professor in the College of Health Sciences at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, has made major contributions to Aids care and treatment in southern Africa.
She is currently leading a consortium on evaluating new diagnostics for extensively drug-resistant TB, and also working on various projects to increase treatment adherence.
Sunday Tribune PressReader article – Top KZN scientist scoops award (Open access)
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