Dr Nomathemba Chandiwana, BSc, MBBCh, MPH, serves as the Co-Chair of the 7th Southern African HIV Clinicians Society conference, bringing her broad-based expertise as a Principal Scientist and Director at Ezintsha, a research unit of the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg South Africa. Her research includes addressing the cardiometabolic challenges in HIV, with a focus on investigating better, safer, and cost-effective antiretroviral treatment options, particularly among women who represent the majority of people with HIV in Africa. Through the experience gained from HIV clinical research, she is the Researcher Director at the Restonic-Ezintsha Sleep Clinic, where her recent work has been on research and advocacy into emerging health concerns among people with living HIV – obesity and obstructive sleep apnoea.
Dr. Silingene J. Ngcobo (Ph.D., MN, Pg Dip HIV Man, PHC, BA honors, BCur (I et A), RCHN, RPN, RM, RN) serves as the co-chair of the 7th SAHCS and is affiliated with the Discipline of Nursing at the University of KwaZulu Natal. Her research interests focus on implementation research, particularly in HIV care within community healthcare settings, key populations, health promotion, teenage pregnancy, HIV care education and training, interprofessional education, and health advocacy.
SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEE
Antiretroviral Treatment
Prof Gary Maartens
Prof Graeme Meintjes
Prof Jeremy Nel
Dr Phumla Sinxadi
Paediatric and Adolescents
Prof Moherndran Archary
Dr Leon Levin
Dr James Nuttall
Prof Helena Rabie
Dr Nosisa Sipambo
Primary Health Care & Nursing
Dr Themba Nxumalo
Dr Julia Turner
Basic Science
Dr Tendesayi Kufa-Chakezha
Other Infectious Diseases
Dr Tom Boyles
Dr Phiona Namale
Dr David Stead
HIV Treatment Failure and Drug Resistance
Dr Gillian Hunt
Prof Gert van Zyl
Operations Research
Dr Samanta Lalla-Edward
Dr Jeannette Wessels
Prevention
Prof Linda-Gail Bekker
Prof Sinead Delany-Moretlwe
Dr Dvora Joseph-Davey
Ms Hasina Subedar
Tuberculosis
Prof Sizulu Moyo
Prof Kogie Naidoo
Prof Norbert Ndjeka
Women’s Health
Dr Natasha Davies
Prof Motshedisi Sebitloane
Key Populations
Prof Zamasomi Meyiwa-Luvuno
Dr Andrew Scheibe
Non-Communicable Diseases
Prof Ntobeko Ntusi
Prof Francois Venter
Ethics
Prof Theresa Rossouw
Prof Marc Blockman
Clinical Skills Building
Dr Richard Lessells
Prof Yunus Moosa
ADVISORY COMMITTEE
Professor Gary Maartens is both head of clinical pharmacology at the University of Cape Town (UCT) and a chief specialist physician at Groote Schuur Hospital. He is an international authority on the therapeutic aspects of HIV-associated TB, drug-resistant TB and antiretroviral therapy in resource-limited settings. He has published over 200 peer-reviewed papers, was the founding president for the South African College of Clinical Pharmacologists, and in 2015, was awarded a gold medal by the Medical Research Council of South Africa for outstanding contributions to medical research.
Professor Yunus Moosa is an Associate Professor, Chief Specialist and Head of the Department of Infectious Diseases at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. His work focuses on the care of inpatients and outpatients with complex infectious disease issues. He is involved in bedside teaching and training of medical students, postgraduates at all levels and Infectious Diseases Subspecialists. His research interests include HIV drug resistance, diagnosis of smear negative tuberculosis and TB drug induced liver injury.
Dr Ndiviwe Mphothulo has been an HIV Clinician for the past 20 years. He holds MBChB, Diploma in HIV Management (SA), Master of Public Health (MPH), Master of Business Leadership (MBL), and is currently a PhD candidate (Public Health) at University of KwaZulu-Natal. He has been a rural doctor for most of his career with a special interest in tuberculosis, Drug Resistant TB, and HIV management in Primary Health Care settings. He has worked at Taung District Hospital’s TB and MDR-TB wards and also practiced as a General Practitioner (GP) for over 15 years in the North-West Province. Dr Mphothulo has also worked at the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality Clinics for 4 years.
Dr Jeremy Nel graduated with an MBChB from University of Cape Town in 2006, and thereafter specialised in internal medicine at the University of the Witwatersrand, where he later also completed a fellowship in infectious diseases. He was awarded a Diploma in Tropical Medicine and Hygiene from the Royal College of Physicians with distinction in 2017 and recently completed a fellowship in transplant infectious diseases at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Dr Nel has published research in the fields of tuberculosis, nontuberculous mycobacteria, HIV and cryptococcal meningitis.
Professor Francois Venter is Divisional Director, Ezintsha, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa. He has expertise in HIV programme implementation, including antiretroviral therapy (ART), opportunistic infection prophylaxis, human resource allocation, data systems, and service integration, having led large PEPFAR-funded HIV programmes. He leads multiple ART optimisation studies, has an active interest in public sector access to HIV services, medical ethics, and human rights.