Rate My Professor Shabir Madhi

Professor Shabir Ahmed Madhi is Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of the Witwatersrand, a position he has held since January 2021. He is also Professor of Vaccinology at the same institution. He completed his MB BCh degree at the University of the Witwatersrand in 1990, obtained a Master of Medicine in Paediatrics in 1998, and earned his PhD from the University of the Witwatersrand in 2003. He became a fellow of the College of Paediatrics of South Africa in 1996 and holds a sub-specialty in Infectious Diseases.

Professor Madhi serves as Director of the South African Medical Research Council Vaccines and Infectious Diseases Analytics Research Unit (VIDA) and as co-Director of the African Leadership Initiative for Vaccinology Expertise (ALIVE). He previously served as Executive Director of the National Institute for Communicable Diseases from 2011 to 2017. His research focuses on vaccines against respiratory pathogens, including pneumococcal conjugate vaccines, rotavirus vaccines, influenza vaccines in pregnant women, and COVID-19 vaccines; he led the first COVID-19 vaccine clinical trials conducted in Africa. He is an A-rated scientist by the National Research Foundation and has authored or co-authored more than 350 peer-reviewed publications. Among his honors are the South African Medical Research Council Platinum Medal for lifetime achievement, the Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (CBE) awarded in 2023, and the Sabin Gold Medal in 2024. He has held leadership roles including chair of South Africa’s National Advisory Group on Immunization and positions on World Health Organization committees related to vaccines and immunization.