Dr Nesri Padayatchi (EDCTP Senior Fellow 2011) - a leading expert in MDR-TB - Awarded SAMRC Silver Scientific Achievement Award!

                                    
EDCTP alumnus - a well- known research clinician, epidemiologist, academic and scientist in multidrug resistance tuberculosis (MDR-TB) was recognised by the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) for her research excellence in the management of patients with MDR and XDR TB. Dr Nesri Padayatchi, a scientist and Deputy Director at the Centre for the AIDS Programme of Research in South Africa (CAPRISA), received the SAMRC 2018 Silver Scientific Achievement Award, a medal, at the SAMRC Scientific Merit awards in last year.

“SAMRC recognises and congratulates you as an outstanding South African scientist who has contributed to raising the profile of science in South Africa,” said Dr Mike Sathekge, chairperson of the SAMRC Board.

Professor Nesri Padayatchi, MBChB, DCH(Paediatrics), DTM&H (Tropical Medicine), DPH(Public Health), DHSM (Health Management) MS(Epi), is an honorary Associate Professor in Public Health and Nursing, in the College of Health Sciences at the University of KwaZulu-Natal in Durban, South Africa.

She has more than 30 years clinical and research experience in the management of TB and related problems. Respected as an authority on the treatment of multi-drug resistant tuberculosis, her experience extends to the design and implementation of several self-initiated TB-HIV clinical trials as the Principal and/or co-investigator of the studiesShe serves as the South African Principal Investigator for the Columbia University-Southern African Fogarty AIDS International Training and Research Programme since 2009. She serves on the South African National Advisory Board for MDR –TB since 2010 to date and on the KwaZulu Natal MDR-TB technical advisory committee since 2013.

Her biggest scientific contribution has been as a co-investigator in the SAPiT and STRIDE (A5221) studies which changed not only South African guidelines for the management of patients with TB-HIV coinfection, but also WHO and DHHS guidelines.

She has participated as the Principal Investigator in the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention TB Trials Consortium and was the CAPRISA Principal Investigator for the ACTG studies from 2006-2013. She has published several scientific papers on TB-HIV in high impact journals and is a member of the Academy of Science of South Africa.

Padayatchi serves on several scientific bodies that include, the International Union against TB and Lung Diseases (IUATLD) Ethics Advisory Group, the Board of the South African HIV Clinicians society, the South African National and Provincial Advisory Boards for MDR –TB.

“I am honoured and humbled to be recognised by the South African Research Medical Council and my peers,” said Padayatchi. “TB remains the leading cause of death in South Africa  and MDR-TB, in particular, threatens the gains made in HIV. MDR TB remains a serious global threat particularly in impoverished communities constrained countries.”