Platinum, President, and gold awards for excellence in health research

21 February 2025 - Wits University

Lifetime achievement for Prof. Karen Hofman, President Award for Adjunct Prof. Precious Matsoso, and a gold medal for Prof. Shane Norris at the SAMRC awards.

The South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC’s) 11th annual scientific merit awards on 20 February 2025 honoured some of the best scientific minds in health research.

Lifetime achievement for better nutrition decisions

Professor Karen Hofman received the Platinum Lifetime Achievement Award, which recognises outstanding scientists who have raised the profile of South African science and helped build the foundations of health research in the country for future generations.

Hofman is the Founding Director of the SAMRC-Wits Centre for Health Economics and Decision Science, PRICELESS SA, which is a research-to-policy unit that provides evidence, methodologies and tools for effective decision-making in health.

Hofman has dedicated over three decades to global public health. She is a renowned expert in priority setting for health investments, child health, and the commercial determinants of health, with a focus on food and beverage policies. She is a leader in leveraging fiscal, legislative, and regulatory tools to improve population health and in using science for meaningful public engagement.

An ardent advocate for the Health Promotion Levy – the “sugar tax” – Hofman lobbied and provided the research that informed the introduction of this tax in South Africa in April 2018. This tax on sugar-sweetened beverages aims to reduce the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages and thereby mitigate related public health crises including obesity, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, many common cancers, and tooth decay.

Other accolades towards the well-deserved lifetime achievement award include the Academy of Science of South Africa’s Science-for-Society Gold Medal, which Hofman received in 2022 for her outstanding application of scientific thinking to societal challenges. In 2020, she received the Wits University Vice-Chancellor’s Social Impact Research Award for conducting high-quality research that drives policy and fosters social impact and, in 2016, the Public Health Association of South Africa’s PHILA Award acknowledged her excellence and commitment to public health. 

Presidentially pioneering regulatory science

Former Director-General at the Department of Health, Precious Matsoso received the SAMRC’s President’s Lifetime Achievement Award for work that “embodies the highest ideals of scientific merit and public service”. 

Matsoso is currently the Director of the Health Regulatory Science Platform (HRSP), a division of the Wits Health Consortium (WHC), and an honorary lecturer in the Department of Pharmacy and Pharmacology at Wits University, 

A visionary leader in public health, a pioneer in regulatory science, and a dedicated advocate for global health equity, Matsoso’s career has focused on strengthening health systems, shaping transformative policies, and ensuring access to essential medicines for all.

As Co-Chair of the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Intergovernmental Negotiating Body for the Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness, and Response Treaty, she plays a critical role in steering global discussions to protect future generations from health crises. 

Her leadership in the WHO Emergency Programme and the establishment of the African Medicines Agency have brought about fundamental changes in regulatory frameworks, particularly across the African continent.

As Director-General of the National Department of Health, she was instrumental in revitalizing the SAMRC, championing initiatives such as the National Health Scholars Programme, and the Health Data Advisory and Coordinating Committee. These efforts have significantly advanced health research, capacity building, and innovation within the country.

Solid gold research over the life course

Shane Morris, Research Professor at Wits and the Director of the SAMRC Developmental Pathways to Health Research Unit (DPHRU) received a Gold Medal (in abstentia).

Gold medals recognise accomplished senior scientists who have made seminal contributions that have had a profound impact on the health of people, particularly those residing in developing nations. 

Norris is an epidemiologist with over 26 years of experience in life course epidemiology. His research focuses on understanding intergenerational risks for non-communicable diseases.

His expertise includes maternal and child health, nutrition, and body composition across the life course, as well as expertise in longitudinal cohort and trial study methodologies.

Norris is co-Principal Investigator of the now Birth-to-40 cohort (formerly Birth-to-20; Bt20+), Africa’s longest-running birth cohort study, ongoing for 35 years. His work on interventions to enhance maternal and child health outcomes continues to make a profound impact on health research in South Africa and beyond.

SAMRC Board Chairperson Professor Johnny Mahlangu congratulated this year’s recipients commending their dedication to advancing health research and innovation.

“On behalf of the SAMRC Board, I extend my heartfelt congratulations to this year’s recipients of the SAMRC Scientific Merit Awards. Your dedication to advancing health research and innovation is truly commendable. These awards celebrate not only your outstanding contributions but also the impact your work has on improving lives and shaping the future of healthcare in South Africa and beyond. We salute your excellence and commitment to health research,” said Mahlangu, who is also Head of the Department of Molecular Medicine and Haematology in the Faculty of Health Sciences at Wits University.