Prof. Bavesh Kana directs the DSI/NRF Centre of Excellence for Biomedical TB Research, a national centre with nodes at the University of the Witwatersrand, Stellenbosch University and University of Cape Town, all in South Africa. He is a consultant for the Bill and Melinda Gates Medical Research Institute in Cambridge, USA. He represented South Africa on the BRICS TB Research Network. He studies tuberculosis with a focus on developing new TB drugs, with a shorter treatment duration and fewer side effects. He received the CEO Titan Award given to influential men who embody the spirit of excellence and have made meaningful contributions to shift the African landscape for outstanding medical contribution in South Africa, the SADC region and the African Continent. He has also translated his research into products that enable quality assurance and verification of tuberculosis diagnostic devices. This has led to spinout a Biotech company and currently, these products are being used in over 50 countries around the world. In 2020, he pivoted this technology to support national diagnosis of Covid-19, through supporting laboratories in the public sector. He created a new series of products that enabled mass testing in South Africa, these have now been rolled out to 34 countries. For these and related activities, his team was awarded the South African National Science and Technology Forum Innovation Award in 2021.

Prof. Wolfgang Preiser is a medical virologist who specialised in his home town Frankfurt, Germany, and at University College London. He received his second doctoral degree (Habilitation) in 2005 while working as a consultant virologist in Frankfurt. Since 2005 Wolfgang Preiser has been Professor and Head of the Division of Medical Virology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Stellenbosch / National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS) Tygerberg.

His principal research interests cover three broad themes: (I) diagnosis of HIV infection and monitoring antiretroviral therapy, from antibody testing to resistance genotyping; (II) the epidemiology, diagnosis and monitoring of opportunistic viral infections, esp. hepatitis B and cytomegalovirus, in immunocompromised patients; and (III) emerging and potentially zoonotic viral diseases. He served as a temporary advisor to the World Health Organization on severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in China in 2003 and led the Frankfurt group who, together with colleagues from Hamburg, were among the first to isolate the SARS-associated coronavirus in spring 2003.

He is heavily involved in the response to the COVID-19 pandemic, in charge of one of two public service laboratories for the Western Cape Province and through membership of the South African Ministerial Advisory Committee on COVID-19, the InterAcademy Partnership COVID-19 Expert Group, the COVID-19 Clinical Research Coalition, as well as several other bodies at institutional, provincial, national and international level.

Prof. Johnny Mahlangu is a Full Professor in Haematology and Head of School of Pathology in the Faculty of Health Sciences of the University of the Witwatersrand and the National Health Laboratory Service. He is also a Consultant Clinical Haematologist in Charge of the Haematology Ward at the Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital and Director of the International Haemophilia Training Centre in Johannesburg. Johnny received his undergraduate and postgraduate training in science and medicine at the University of the Witwatersrand with haematology specialist and clinical haematology sub-specialist qualifications through the Colleges of Medicine of South Africa.

His main area of research is novel therapies in bleeding disorders in which he has served as Principal Investigator for over 90 international multicentre studies. Prof Mahlangu is current President of the College of Pathologists in South Africa, Chairman of the South African Medical Research Council Board and Chairman of the International Society on Haemostasis and thrombosis scientific and standardization Committee on Factor VIII, FIX and rare bleeding disorders. He is a recipient of over 20 awards the most recent include the Wits University Vice-chancellor Academic citizenship award in 2018, the Novo Nordisk Haemophilia Foundation International Haemophilia Community Award in 2018, the American Society of Haematology Global Capacity Building award in 2019, Publons top 1% cross-field reviewer award in 2019, Wits University Vice-Chancellor Research award for 2020 and elected member of the Academy of Science in 2020.

Dr. Zivanai Cuthbert Chapanduka is a Haematological Pathologist, currently head of the Division of Haematopathology at the Tygerberg NHLS/Stellenbosch University Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences in Cape Town. He has been in the healthcare industry since 1980, starting as student Medical Laboratory Technologist. Zi has worked at various points as a Clinical and/or Pathology Haematologist, Deputy Medical Director, Chief of Pathology, Medical, Regulatory and Corporate Affairs Director, and Chief Executive Officer of a Pharmaceutical and Consultancy start-up, among other Leadership roles. Zi has a wide range of experience and research interests in Haematology, Blood Transfusion, Business and Leadership. Since returning to academia, he has several complete and ongoing research projects including those with a business and administrative slant and recently, in COVID-19. Education of MMed students/registrars is Zi’s enduring passion. Outside work Zi is a father and grandfather, long distance runner, musician, composer, and writer of poetry and prose. He has a keen interest in History.