Professor Charles Feldman receives Honorary Doctorate
- FHS Communications
The University of Pretoria (UP) bestowed an honorary Doctorate of Medicine on Charles Feldman, professor of pulmonology in the Wits Department of Internal Medicine.
Feldman, whose significant contribution to the field of pneumococcal respiratory infections, was honoured for the role his work has played in academic medicine worldwide.
“Among all my achievements, this is one I will always cherish,” he said, adding that “the citation indicated that the degree was in recognition of my research achievements in the field of pneumococcal respiratory infections, and this has been my research area of focus for my entire academic career”.
Addressing graduates at UP’s virtual graduation ceremony wherein his degree was conferred honoris causa, Feldman highlighted the importance of collaborations for cutting edge research with interdisciplinary context.
His relationship with UP dates back to the 1980s where he learnt the value that collaborations have in pursuing research excellence. During that period, it was uncommon for South African researchers to collaborate outside of their immediate peer group, let alone with researchers from another University.
Feldman’s career as a pulmonology and intensive care specialist was greatly influenced in 1982 when he was a Witsie registrar in training at the-then Hillbrow Hospital. There, he witnessed many young patients with community-acquired pneumonia succumb to their infections within the first 24-48 hours.
Following a review of the clinical data, he presented the findings of his early research at the first South African Thoracic Society Congress that he attended in Bloemfontein. “I spent the next 40 or so years trying to determine and understand why patients with pneumococcal pneumonia died, and what could be done to prevent this” he explains.
Professor Feldman has since had a significant international standing as a researcher and publisher in the fields of Pulmonology/ICU which have seen his involvement in numerous international initiatives. He is an NRF A-rated scientist and is the recipient of the Wits 2009 Vice-Chancellors Research Award.
The Academic Head of the Department of Internal Medicine at the Faculty of Health Sciences, Professor Colin Menezes congratulated Feldman saying “we are so proud of his achievements”. He says that his research focus on community-acquired pneumonia - a leading cause of death worldwide, and, in South Africa - has informed the guideline recommendations and optimal management of patients; improving patient outcomes.
“His research has been translational, involving both laboratory-based work as well as clinical studies, looking at the aspects of the pathogenesis of pneumococcal community-acquired pneumonia,” said Prof. Menezes.