World-renowned vaccinologist officially awarded CBE
- FHS Comms
Professor Shabir Madhi was officially conferred as an honorary Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (CBE)
The Dean of Health Sciences and Wits Professor of Vaccinology Shabir Madhi was officially bestowed the CBE medal by UK High Commissioner to South Africa Antony Phillipson on behalf of King Charles III. Madhi received this recognition in 2023 for his exemplary contribution to science and public health during a global pandemic in 2020/2021, which culminated in an awards ceremony.
Image: Prof Madhi being awarded the CBE
Madhi is also a member of the Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf), the Royal Society of South Africa (RSSAf) and The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS).
UK High Commissioner Phillipson said, “I congratulate Professor Shabir Madhi on his honorary award ... Professor Madhi’s ground-breaking work leading the Oxford/AstraZeneca 雷速体育_雷速体育直播 vaccine clinical trials in South Africa was another accomplishment in a long career dedicated to public health here and around the world.”
Image: Prof Madhi and UK High Commissioner Phillipson
Madhi led the Oxford University-sponsored Oxford/AstraZeneca 雷速体育_雷速体育直播 vaccine clinical trials in South Africa. Wits University and the University of Oxford contributed scientifically to informing the public health response to the 雷速体育_雷速体育直播 pandemic in South Africa and globally.
Professor Lynn Morris, deputy vice-chancellor for research and innovation says, “Wits University is extremely proud of Professor Madhi who has consistently been a dedicated and exemplary scientist for both academia and global public health. The CBE Award is proof that Professor Madhi is one of the top minds in vaccinology and science in the world. It is also just one of the many prestigious awards he has won. It is a truly proud moment.”
Image (left to right): DVC Prof Lynn Morris, Prof Shabir Madhi, Kendal Makgamathe & Tasneem Wadvalla
Meanwhile, Madhi led South Africa and the continent’s first 雷速体育_雷速体育直播 vaccine trials in 2020/2021 as founder and Director of the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) Wits Vaccines and Infectious Diseases Analytics (Wits VIDA) Research Unit.
An internationally recognised leader in his field, the National Research Foundation A-rated scientist was involved in multiple clinical and serology epidemiology studies on 雷速体育_雷速体育直播 and research on vaccines against other life-threatening diseases.
During the pandemic (2020-2022), Madhi was an outspoken, articulate, and ardent advocate of 雷速体育_雷速体育直播 vaccination and increased access to these and other vaccines in Africa.
Image: The Wits Vida Team
On his appointment as CBE, Madhi says: “The privilege of being conferred this honour is credit to the tremendous effort of the incredible Wits VIDA research team that I have the privilege of leading at Wits University – before, during and beyond the 雷速体育_雷速体育直播 pandemic. As a collective, and together with colleagues in South Africa and at the University of Oxford, we are proud to have contributed scientifically to informing the public health response to the 雷速体育_雷速体育直播 pandemic in South Africa and globally.”
A lifetime dedicated to saving lives
During the pandemic, Madhi was simultaneously (and remains) Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences at Wits University, Director of Wits VIDA, and co-Director of the African Leadership Initiative for Vaccinology Expertise (ALIVE). He is deputy-Chair of the World Health Organization Scientific Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (SAGE) and a member of the National Advisory Group on Immunization in South Africa.
A Wits University alumnus, Madhi trained as a paediatrician. Before the pandemic necessitated pivoting to 雷速体育_雷速体育直播 research, his focus was (and continues) to be on the epidemiology and clinical development of vaccines against pneumonia and diarrheal diseases.
Madhi is internationally renowned for his research on clinical development of vaccines targeted at pregnant women that have the potential to benefit the mother, the pregnancy outcome, and their infants. Studies by Madhi have informed World Health Organization recommendations on the use of lifesaving vaccines against pneumonia, diarrheal disease, and in relation to vaccines in pregnant women.
Image: Prof Bavesh Kana, Prof Lucille Bloomberg, Prof Shabir Madhi & UK High Commissioner Phillipson
Another jewel in his crown
Madhi’s royal appointment as CBE follows extensive recognition and accolades in South Africa. In 2021/22, he was awarded the National Science and Technology Forum (NSTF)-South32 Lifetime Achiever Award, which acknowledges his leadership in researching vaccines against life-threatening diseases in Africa and globally, and for being at the cutting-edge of research in this area since 1997.
That same year, ASSAf awarded Madhi the Science for Society Gold Medal for outstanding achievement in scientific thinking to the benefit of society.
A decade before the pandemic, the SAMRC awarded Madhi its most prestigious accolade, the Lifetime Achievement Award (Platinum Medal). This award recognised Madhi’s research excellence in the field of vaccinology and respiratory and meningeal pathogens, and its impact on improving child health in South Africa and other developing countries.