Dr. Dewaldt Engelbrecht

Dr Dewaldt Engelbrecht completed his undergraduate training at the University of Johannesburg in Biochemistry and Psychology, before moving to the University of the Witwatersrand for MSc and PhD studies in Molecular Medicine, examining programmed cell death in the malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum. He is an HPCSA-registered Medical Biological Scientist with experience in oncology clinical laboratory medicine. After a hiatus from academia to gain industry experience and specialised technical knowledge, he joined the Wits Diagnostic Innovation Hub as Principal Scientist of the Molecular Oncology Laboratory, aimed at driving groundbreaking diagnostic techniques in oncology and delivering those services to patients.

Dr. Babatyi Malope-Kgokong

Dr. Babatyi Innocentia Malope-Kgokong is a distinguished academic leader and researcher, serving as the Head of Academic Affairs and Research at the National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS). With a PhD in Community Health from the University of the Witwatersrand, a Postgraduate Diploma in Economic Policies from the University of London, and an MSc (Cum Laude) and BSc in Medical Laboratory Sciences from the University of Limpopo, she provides strategic leadership in academic and research endeavours, fostering collaborations and advancing the organization's research agenda.

As a renowned expert in her field, Dr. Malope-Kgokong has held lecturing positions at the University of Limpopo and University of Johannesburg and has research experience in epidemiology and data management at the Clinical HIV Research Unit and National Institute for Communicable Diseases. Her research profile boasts numerous peer-reviewed articles in reputable scientific journals, with over 1500 citations, an h-index of 15, and an i10 index of 18. In addition to her research expertise, she has a proven track record of bringing together stakeholders from diverse backgrounds to facilitate knowledge sharing, collaboration, and innovation.

Dr. Malope-Kgokong's academic service extends to her membership on the Executive Committee of the National Science and Technology Forum, the National Health Research Committee, the Health Professional Council of South Africa - Committee for Medical Scientists Task Team, and various other committees and task teams.

Prof. Craig Househam

Prof. Craig Househam is a graduate of the University of Cape Town, having completed both undergraduate and postgraduate study at this university. He is a specialist paediatrician and holds an honorary professorship from the University of the Free State, where he headed the Department of Paediatrics and Child Health until January 1995. He became the head of the Free State Health Department in February 1995, a post which he held until 2001. In 2002, he was appointed as head of the Western Cape Department of Health, a post which he held until his retirement on 31st March 2015. As Head of Health in the Free State and the Western Cape, Prof Househam served various national and provincial bodies and management structures. Since his retirement, Professor Househam served on a national ministerial task team related to hospital performance from 2015 to 2017 and from December 2017 to April 2018 and was a member of the intervention task team appointed to assist the management of the Gauteng Department of Health. During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Prof Househam was appointed with Prof Taole Mokoena to investigate Personal Protective Equipment PPE) availability in three major hospitals. Prof Househam was contracted from April 2021 to April 2022 by the National Treasury to review Public Financial Management (PFM) practice in the health sector in North-West Province. He is the author of two books, a contributor to two medical textbooks, and the author of scientific publications in the fields of paediatrics and healthcare. Prof Househam has served on the boards of the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA), where he chaired the SAHPRA Board Audit Committee, and the Office of Health Standards Compliance (OHSC), where he was a member of the OHSC Board Finance and Risk Committee. He is currently Vice Chairperson of the St. Luke’s Hospice Operating Company Board and Chair of the Board Risk Committee and was appointed as Deputy Chairperson of the NHLS Board on 1 November 2024.

Prof. Jeffrey Mphahlele

Prof. Jeffrey Mphahlele (BSc, BSc Med Hons, MSc, PhD), is the Chairperson of the National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS) Board. He is the Deputy Vice Chancellor for Research and Innovation at the North-West University (NWU). He is a medical-biological scientist with a PhD in medical virology. Prior to joining the NWU, he was the Vice President for Research at the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) (October 2014 to June 2021). He was a full-time academic at MEDUNSA (later University of Limpopo MEDUNSA Campus) in various capacities: Professor and Academic Head of the Department of Virology and the NHLS (2005 to September 2014); Co-Director of the SAMRC/Diarrhoeal Pathogens Research Unit, which is a WHO Regional Reference Laboratory for Rotaviruses in Africa (2010 to March 2018); and Co-founder and Head of the South African Vaccination and Immunisation Centre (SAVIC; www.savic.ac.za) hosted by Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University (2005-2014). He trained, supervised, and mentored several post-doctoral, doctoral, and master students to contribute to developing the next generation of researchers. He was elected to the Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf) in 2016 and is a C1-rated researcher funded by the National Research Foundation (2017-2022). His research publications focus on epidemiology, vaccination control of infectious diseases, and strengthening immunisation services and policies. He has made numerous contributions to scientific and expert committees. Currently, he has been a member of the Polio Working Group of the WHO Scientific Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE) since 2016 and chaired the South African National Task Force (NTF) for Laboratory Containment of Poliovirus (2006-2018). He is a former member of the Ministerial Advisory Committee on COVID-19 vaccines (2020-2022); the South African NITAG (National Advisory Group on Immunisation, i.e., NAGI) (2012-2021); the Committee for Medical Science of the Medical and Dental Professions Board of the Health Professions Council of South Africa (2012-2015); the Clinical Governance Committee of the South African National Blood Service (SANBS) (2009-2014); and the Biological Medicines Committee of the Medicines Control Council (2001-2010). His interest in governance began in 2004 when he joined the South African Veterinary Council [category of non-veterinary representative until 2010]. Since then, he served on various governance bodies. At the national level, he chairs the National Science and Technology Forum (NSTF), a broad-based stakeholder body representing over 130 organisational members in six distinct sectors of science, engineering, technology (SET) and innovation in South Africa (November 2022 to date); has been Vice-Chairperson of the NHLS Board (June 2020-October 2024); Advisory Board member of the National Intellectual Property Management Office (NIPMO) (from April 2023); Founding Board member of the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) (2017-2021); and Board of Directors of the Poliomyelitis Research Foundation NPC (2018-2022). Internationally, he served as the Vice-Chair of the European and Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership Association Board (2019 to 2022), Vice-Chair of the Global Research Collaboration for Infectious Disease Preparedness (2015 to 2020), Founding Board Member of the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (2016 to 2018), and Oversight Committee member of the Network for Education and Support in Immunisation at the University of Antwerp, Belgium (2014 to 2019)

Prof.Wendy Stevens

Professor Wendy Stevens, MMed (Haem, Wits), FCPath (SA) (Haem, Wits) Executive Director: Wits Diagnostic Innovation Hub Strategic Director: National Priority Programs, NHLS Director: ILEAD; Regional Innovation Hub Prior Head: Department of Molecular Medicine and Haematology, Specialist Haematologist H-index: Scopus – 57 / Google Scholar – 73 / ResearchGate - 65 Ranked 9 in microbiology in SA Professor Stevens is a medical doctor, specialist pathologist by profession, who has made significant contributions to the development of capacity for affordable, accessible HIV and TB diagnosis and monitoring in South Africa and over 60 centers in sub-Saharan Africa. Her research activities have included expanding early infant diagnosis of HIV, making HIV viral load and CD4 testing more affordable, and investigating HIV drug resistance. In 2006, she was honored with an award from the National Department of Science and Technology for her contributions to the development of laboratory capacity in Southern Africa, and in 2023 received the SAMRC Gold Scientific Achievement Merit Award in recognition of the excellence of research. Prof Stevens has served as an advisor to and investigator for various HIV research networks, including the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI) in New York, the HIV Vaccine Trials Network (HVTN) in Seattle (NIH funded), the AIDS Clinical Trials Group (ACTG) (also NIH funded), the Microbicide Development Program (funded in the UK), and the ACTG Pharmacology Scientific Committee, among others. Additionally, she has held investigator status for several internationally funded projects, such as the CIPRA project in collaboration with Professor McIntyre and the team at the University of the Witwatersrand. Her research has received funding from various organizations including the Netherlands AIDS Fund, the Gates Foundation, Grand Challenges Canada, the Global Fund, PEPFAR, CDC, USAID, and the MRC. Prof Stevens has also served as a consultant for the World Health Organization in Geneva, the CDC in Atlanta, and the NIH in Bethesda, USA, on several different working groups. She participates in review committees for UNITAID (WHO) and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Grand Challenges. Since November 2010, Prof Stevens has held the role of Strategic Director of National Priority Programs at the National Health Laboratory Service, focusing on laboratory efforts related to priority diseases such as HIV, TB, and cervical cancer. Her current portfolio includes options for implementation at scale through the National Priority Programme and optimizing the clinic-laboratory chain through innovations for Africa via the African Innovation Network called iLEAD (three centres of excellence across South Africa, Mozambique and Senegal). During the more recent SARs-CoV-2 outbreak, Prof Stevens and her team were responsible for national assay validation of over 256 assays, including molecular, serology, and antigen, antibody-based testing. Prof Stevens founded the Wits Diagnostic Innovation Hub in 2022, which encapsulates her foresight in bridging the gap between research and implementation science, aiming to foster innovation, and increasing the access to diagnostics to those that need it the most. Wits DIH provides a platform for innovators, organisations, and vendors to evaluate and validate these technologies, as well as offer guidance on regulatory and implementation frameworks within a real-world setting. The impact of Prof. Stevens's work is also evident in her significant contributions to the literature, with over 500 peer-reviewed manuscripts and book chapters, enriching the global knowledge base on molecular medicine haematology and infectious diseases. Prof. Stevens's distinguished career is not just a series of achievements but a testament to her unwaivering dedication to improving healthcare through innovation, research, implementation science and strong leadership. Her work has not only had a profound impact on the lives of patients in South Africa and beyond but also set a precedent for future generations in the healthcare and research communities. She recently received the SAMRC gold medal for her research.

Prof. Elise Schapkaitz

Professor Elise Schapkaitz was appointed as the Academic affairs and quality assurance (AARQA) executive for the National Health Laboratory Service in April 2025. She previously served as a specialist haematologist at Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital for over 20 years. In 2018, she was appointed Associate Professor in the Department of Haematology and Molecular Medicine at the University of the Witwatersrand She holds an MBBCh, MMed, and PhD from the University of the Witwatersrand along with a Fellowship of the College of Pathologists of South Africa in Haematology. Her research contributions are reflected in her publication record, with over 60 peer-reviewed journal articles. Prof. Schapkaitz is dedicated to advancing quality assurance and promoting academic excellence in the field of pathology.

Dr. Yogan Pillay

Currently serving as Director: HIV & TB Delivery at the Gates Foundation, Yogan previously held the position of Country Director at Clinton Health Access Initiative in South Africa and Senior Director for universal health coverage. A former Deputy Director-General in the Department of Health, South Africa, responsible for health programs, Yogan obtained a PhD from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and has co-authored two textbooks on global health, co-edited books on mental health & on the South African health system. He has also authored and co-authored over 100 peer-reviewed journal articles. In 2018, Yogan was awarded the Karel Styblo Medallion in recognition of his contributions to TB control efforts, and a certificate of appreciation for leadership in the global fight against TB by KNCV Tuberculosis Foundation. In 2021 he was appointed extraordinary professor by Stellenbosch University’s Department of Health: Health Systems & Public Health.

Prof. Tivani Phosa Mashamba-Thompson

Prof Tivani Mashamba-Thompson is an internationally trained Molecular Biology Medical Scientist registered by the HPCSA. An NRF C1 rated researcher holding the position of Professor of Diagnostics Research at University of Pretoria. She is also a Founding Director for the Centre for Development and Implementation of Point-of-Care Diagnostics at University of Pretoria.Mashamba-Thompson contributes to the governance of South Africa’s National Health Laboratory Services (NHLS) as a non-executive board member, serving as a Chairperson of the NHLS Research and Innovation Committee. She also serves as a Deputy Chairperson of the National Health Research Committee of South Africa. She further extends her expertise as a scientific advisor to Abbott International. Additionally, she holds a position on the external advisory board for Cornell University's PORTENT centre.