Dr. Quarraisha Abdool Karim, Hideyo Noguchi Africa Prize Winner, Joins GHIT Fund Board of Directors

First Board Member from Africa

TOKYO, Sept. 19, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The Global Health Innovative Technology (GHIT) Fund is pleased to announce that Dr. Quarraisha Abdool Karim was elected and appointed to the Director of the GHIT Fund Board at the Council Meeting held on September 9, 2024. Dr. Abdool Karim, an esteemed infectious diseases epidemiologist, was awarded the 4th Hideyo Noguchi Africa Prize (in the field of medical research) in 2022 and will be the first GHIT board member from Africa.

Dr. Abdool Karim serves as co-founder and Associate Scientific Director of the Centre for the AIDS Programme of Research in South Africa (CAPRISA) and holds professorships in Clinical Epidemiology at Columbia University in the United States and in Public Health at the University of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa. Her groundbreaking research on HIV in South Africa, particularly among adolescent girls, and her leadership in numerous global health initiatives underscore her significant contributions to the field. She has authored over 330 peer-reviewed publications and played a pivotal role in the CAPRISA 004 trial for an antiretroviral vaginal gel, a major milestone in HIV prevention research, which was highlighted by Science as a top 10 scientific breakthrough in 2010.

Dr. Hiroki Nakatani, Chair & Representative Director of the GHIT Fund, says, "Dr. Abdool Karim's outstanding achievements and dedicated efforts in addressing public health challenges began with her passion to save African women from HIV/AIDS, a disease deemed untreatable 35 years ago. We are confident that her enthusiasm will be invaluable in addressing the neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) targeted by our fund. As a board member, we expect Dr. Abdool Karim to significantly contribute to accelerating product development for these diseases and enhancing our investment impact."

Dr. Abdool Karim's appointment marks an important milestone for GHIT as it continues to foster diverse and inclusive leadership to drive forward its mission of fighting neglected infectious diseases through investing in research and development and promoting global partnerships.

Biography of Dr. Quarraisha Abdool Karim
Dr. Abdool Karim is co-founder and Associate Scientific Director of the Centre for the AIDS Programme of Research in South Africa (CAPRISA). She holds professorships in Clinical Epidemiology at Columbia University in the United States and in Public Health at the University of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa. Over the past 30 years, she has contributed to the understanding of the HIV epidemic in South Africa, the identification of factors influencing HIV transmission among adolescent girls and young women, and the implementation of groundbreaking research and programs to prevent HIV infection.

For more information on the Board of Directors, please visit the link below.
https://www.ghitfund.org/leadership/boardofdirectors/en

About the 4th Hideyo Noguchi Africa Prize
https://www.cao.go.jp/noguchisho/english/award/04/index.html 

The GHIT Fund is a Japan-based international public-private partnership (PPP) fund that was formed between the Government of Japan, multiple pharmaceutical companies, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Wellcome, and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The GHIT Fund invests in and manages an R&D portfolio of development partnerships aimed at addressing neglected diseases, such as malaria, tuberculosis, and neglected tropical diseases, which afflict the world's vulnerable and underserved populations. In collaboration with global partners, the GHIT Fund mobilizes Japanese industry, academia, and research institutes to create new drugs, vaccines, and diagnostics for malaria, tuberculosis, and neglected tropical diseases.
https://www.ghitfund.org/en

For more information, contact:
Katy Lenard at +1-301-280-5719 or klenard@burness.com
Mina Ohata at +81-36441-2032 or mina.ohata@ghitfund.org