Al-Qalam 
By Al-Qalam Reporter
In a groundbreaking moment for African science, Professor Quarraisha Abdool Karim has been elected to the Fellowship of the Royal Society. The society is the United Kingdom’s independent scientific academy and the world’s oldest such institution, dating back to 1660.
Abdool Karim, a globally renowned infectious diseases epidemiologist, is the Associate Scientific Director and co-founder of the Centre for the AIDS Programme of Research in South Africa (CAPRISA), based at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. She has now joined an elite group of global scientific thinkers and pioneers that includes historical giants such as Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin, Stephen Hawking, and Albert Einstein.
She is only the seventh South African to be elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society. Other South Africans in this distinguished cohort include Wits Vice-Chancellor and physicist Professor Zeblon Vilakazi, tuberculosis researcher Professor Valerie Mizrahi, her husband, epidemiologist Professor Salim Abdool Karim, chemist Professor Tebello Nyokong, physicist Professor Bernie Fanaroff, and theoretical physicist Professor George Ellis. “Creating a platform for emerging young scientists in Africa, that’s our continent’s treasure chest,” said Abdool Karim, following the announcement of her election.
Her vision has always been deeply rooted in social justice, scientific excellence, and the empowerment of the next generation. Over a career spanning more than 40 years, Professor Abdool Karim has made pioneering contributions to global HIV prevention, particularly in advancing methods that protect adolescent girls and young women, one of the most vulnerable groups to HIV infection in sub-Saharan Africa. Her landmark CAPRISA 004 trial in 2010 demonstrated that antiretroviral medications could prevent the sexual transmission of HIV, laying the foundation for what is now known as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP).
In a CAPRISA video celebrating her election, Professor Abdool Karim reflected on the persistence that led to the 2010 breakthrough: “It took 18 years, and eventually in 2010, we shared with the world that antiretrovirals used by uninfected people can prevent infection. And that really tells you about a very long journey, to get to game-changing science.”
She said she wakes up every morning excited about what more we can do with science, and to see how science, and the influence of science on society, continues to grow.
“We can do excellent science, and we can innovate in Africa. Having done this for over 40 years gives me energy every day,” said Professor Abdool Karim. Her scientific leadership extends well beyond her research. She has over 300 peer-reviewed publications and has mentored more than 600 African scientists, many of them women.
She is a staunch advocate for using science to improve public health outcomes and tackle inequality.
“Who bears the greatest burden of AIDS? It is the poorest of the poor where we face a multiplicity of challenges. The burden of infectious diseases and social inequality go hand-in-hand,” she said. In addition to her role at CAPRISA, Professor Abdool Karim is a Professor of Clinical Epidemiology at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health in New York. She also holds the John C. Martin Chair in Global Health at CAPRISA and serves as Pro Vice-Chancellor (African Health) at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. She is the current President of The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS), and as UNAIDS Special Ambassador for Adolescents and HIV, she continues to shape global policy and scientific strategies in the fight against HIV/AIDS. “Healthy nations are wealthy nations, I see it every day. We remain committed to ending AIDS as a public health threat,” she said.
Her election to the Royal Society marks not only personal recognition for decades of scientific excellence but also a broader moment of pride for African science and a reminder of the need for continued investment in the continent’s scientific talent and institutions. “Becoming a Fellow of the Royal Society is a moment in a long journey of being a scientist. And an important reminder, as I pause to celebrate this moment, is an important reminder of how much more needs to be done,” said Professor Abdool Karim.
She will be formally inducted into the Royal Society at a ceremony in London in July.
