BOARD MEMBERS
Dr Sabelo Hadebe
SAIS President
Sabelo is an Associate Professor in Immunology in the Division of Immunology, Department of Pathology, Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Cape Town (UCT). He completed his PhD at the University of Aberdeen (Scotland) in Immunobiology and his first post-doctoral training at the Francis Crick Institute, formerly MRC National Institute of Medical Research (London). He returned to South Africa after being awarded a Robert Bosch Fellowship in 2017. He joined the Division of Immunology in UCT in 2018 as a group leader and lecturer in 2018 and promoted to Associate Professor in 2025. He leads the Type 2 Immunity Lab which focuses on diseases characterised by Type 2 immunity. Type 2 immunity Lab uses transgenic and gene knockout experimental models, human in vitro models and human derived tissues combined with imaging and OMICS tools. Sabelo was recognised as a Rising Star by the International Union of Immunological Societies (IUIS). Sabelo also leads undergraduate and postgraduate courses in Immunology.
Dr Nancy Meulenberg
Nancy is a lecturer and researcher in molecular medicine within the HIV Pathogenesis Research Unit at the University of the Witwatersrand, where she also chairs the Edge team at the Infectious Disease and Oncology Research Institute (IDORI). Her primary research focus in on evaluating candidate HIV-1 immunogens in preclinical models. To pursue this, she left a promising career at a startup Biotech company as she believes that a focus on public health issues was a better career choice. She earned her PhD from the University of the Witwatersrand, an MSc from the University of Cape Town and a Bachelor’s with Distinction from Boston University. Although her academic and professional experiences have spanned three continent, Africa is her home as she strives to see healthcare and education strengthened as well as diversity and equity established here. Nancy has co-authored more than twelve peer-reviewed international publications. Her multicultural and multilingual background make her an excellent candidate to bridge the knowledge gap, promote STEM education in resource-limited settings, and tackle persistent challenges such as the all-too-prevalent vaccine hesitancy.
Dr Louise du Toit
Dr Louise du Toit is an immunology researcher at the University of Pretoria, specialising in molecular and translational immunology. Her research focuses on immune responses in infectious diseases and immune dysregulation, with interests in HIV, immunogenetics, and metabolomics. She contributes to the development of the IINSPIRE FOCIS Centre of Excellence in Clinical Immunology and is actively involved in postgraduate training and science outreach through the South African Immunology Society. Louise combines research, education, and scientific communication to strengthen clinical immunology capacity and promote translational research in Africa.
Dr Heena Ranchod
Heena is a lecturer and researcher in the Department of Immunology, School of Pathology, University of the Witwatersrand. After completing her PhD in Biotechnology at the University of Pretoria in 2019, Heena completed a year of post-doctoral training at University of Kansas in the United States of America. She previously worked as Senior Scientist in the private sector but maintained her academic activities through a joint appointment at the University of Witwatersrand. In her role as a lecturer, Heena teaches basic Immunology to post-graduate students, with a focus on introducing clinical immunology. within the Health Sciences faculty. Currently, her research is focused on investigating host biomarkers for TB. Her primary research interests are in TB with emphasis on improving diagnostics and therapeutics of the disease as well as exploring host immunological responses.
Dr Deepthi Abraham
I am a clinician-scientist and one of twelve paediatric rheumatologists in South Africa. I currently serve as Head of the division of Paediatric Rheumatology and Immunology at Tygerberg Children’s Hospital, and the Faculty of Medicine and Health services at Stellenbosch University where I work closely with children living with autoimmune conditions, connective tissue diseases, rare disorders, and Inborn Errors of Immunity (IEI).
Practicing in a developing country like South Africa presents a uniquely complex clinical reality. In a healthcare system where significant resources are necessarily directed toward communicable diseases such as HIV and tuberculosis, it can be incredibly challenging to differentiate, diagnose, and optimally manage children with rare immune-mediated and connective tissue conditions. These children often experience recurrent, persistent, and prolonged illness, adding substantially to the burden carried by families and the healthcare system. It is within this space that I strive to bring clarity, precision, and hope.
There is a growing awareness of rare inborn errors of immunity and other acquired and congenital immunological disorders, even within resource-constrained settings. Advances in novel sequencing technologies have revolutionized rare disease research, allowing us to better understand the genetic basis of Mendelian and monogenic diseases and the pathways that drive them. This has strengthened translational research models and made meaningful bench-to-bedside medicine a tangible reality. I am deeply committed to contributing to this evolving field through both clinical care and research.
I am also passionate about nurturing and strengthening clinical immunology training in South Africa—an area that is gradually regaining recognition and momentum, yet still requires focused development and investment. Building capacity, mentoring future clinicians, and creating sustainable academic growth in paediatric immunology and rheumatology are important aspects of my work and vision.
Dr Luyanda Kwofie
Dr Luyanda Kwofie is the Head of Department of Immunology, jointly appointed by the National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS) and the University of Pretoria. She is a Medical Scientist and academic with over 20 years’ experience in diagnostic immunology, laboratory leadership, and academic training, and has been affiliated with NHLS since 2007.
She holds a PhD in Medical Immunology from the University of Pretoria (2018). Her expertise includes clinical immunology diagnostics such as flow cytometry, autoimmunity, serology, allergy testing, HLA typing and antibody analysis, immune function testing, and diagnostic assay development and validation.
Dr Kwofie is actively involved in undergraduate and postgraduate teaching, curriculum development, and the supervision of Honours, MSc, and PhD students. She also contributes to research governance through service on institutional ethics and transformation committees.
Nationally, she serves on professional leadership platforms including the South African Immunology Society (SAIS) Executive Committee as Treasurer and as Chairperson of the SMLTSA Immunology Advisory Committee. She was President of the 10th SAIS Conference (2025) and internationally contributes as a Topic Coordinator for Frontiers in Immunology.
Dr Cosnet Lerato Rametse-Sangweni
Dr Cosnet Lerato Rametse-Sangweni is an emerging clinician-scientist in immunology with a strong commitment to translational research that bridges laboratory science, clinical care, and community health.
She holds an MBChB and a PhD in Immunology from the University of Cape Town, earned through the intercalated UCT MD/PhD programme established by the late Professor Bongani Mayosi, and was a member of its inaugural cohort in 2012. Her research spans mucosal immunology, HIV susceptibility, maternal–infant immunity, and HIV vaccine immunology across both laboratory and clinical trial settings. She has published in peer-reviewed journals and presented her work at both local and international conferences.
Dr Rametse is an honorary staff member at the Department of Internal Medicine & the Internal Medicine Research Translation Unit (IMTRU) and currently serves as a postdoctoral fellow and research clinician at the Antibody Research Unit (AIRU), NICD, where she co-leads an HIV vaccine clinical trial. She plays key scientific leadership roles across multiple studies, including as a science advisory board member and co-lead investigator on projects examining HIV prevention, immune responses in adults and infants affected by HIV, and the impact of heat and climate change on pregnancy. Current interests additionally includes using immunology for precision medicine.
Her work has received international recognition, including participation in the Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting and the Global Young Scientists Summit (both 2023). She is a recipient of the South African Health Excellence Awards Emerging Clinician Scientist Award (2023) and the L’Oréal–UNESCO For Women in Science Young Talents Award for South Africa (2021) and was named a Mail & Guardian Top 200 Young South African in Health (2020) and a Gates Foundation Rising Star Scientist(2023).
Beyond the lab, Dr Rametse-Sangweni is deeply committed to mentorship, education, and science outreach. She is the founder and chairperson of Many Paths NPO, a youth- focused initiative, and an active mentor and judge in the Eskom Expo for Young Scientists. Her work exemplifies a commitment to advancing both health equity and the next generation of African scientists
Prof. Andre van Niekerk
Sashika Balla
Sashkia Balla is a Project Manager at the Antibody Immunity Research Unit (AIRU), where she coordinates AFRIPATH, a new protein production facility focused on supporting high-quality antibody and antigen generation for research and translational applications. She holds a Master of Science in Medicine from the University of the Witwatersrand. Her Master’s research on mother-to-child transmission of cytomegalovirus (CMV) sparked a strong interest in advancing maternal and child health through translational immunology, bridging laboratory science with real-world clinical impact.
Trained as a Medical Scientist, Sashkia has a strong background in monoclonal antibody research, with hands-on experience in assay development, data analysis, and maintaining rigorous laboratory standards. Her scientific contributions span high-impact projects on HIV, CMV, and SARS-CoV-2 conducted at AIRU. She brings a highly organised, detail-oriented approach to her role, supporting the effective delivery of various research projects.
She is also passionate about supporting science communication and enhancing the visibility and accessibility of immunology research. In addition, she has a strong creative interest in scientific branding and is the designer behind the AIRU, AFRIPATH, and PedMAb (a paediatric clinical study) logos.
Dr Khanyisile Kgoadi
Dr Khanyisile Kgoadi is a Lecturer and Researcher at the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) in the Department of Physiology within the School of Biomedical Sciences. She joined Wits in January 2024 and teaches Immunology, Physiology and Biochemistry to Undergraduate Health Sciences (Medics, Biomedical Engineers, Therapeutic sciences & Bachelor of Health Sciences) and BSc students. She also serves as an undergrad course coordinator. She has secured research grants (including SAMRC-SIR Grant) as a principal investigator and runs own research group, the Kgoadi lab. She supervises and trains Postgraduate (PG) Health Sciences students and conducts Infectious Diseases Research with focus on TB Immunology, HIV-TB coinfection and their Immunometabolism. She has also served as a MSc and PhD research protocol/proposal assessor when requested by the Wits Faculty of Health Sciences. She has been actively involved in several outreach projects that include serving as a tutor, mentor, motivational speaker and competition judge for high school leaners in the STEM field.
She obtained her BSc degree in Human Physiology and Biochemistry from the University of Johannesburg (UJ) in 2010. She obtained her BSc Hons & MSc (Biochemistry) degrees from the University of Pretoria (UP) where her published Masters research focused on the development of Metabonomics as additional prognostic tool for metabolic complications caused by HIV/AIDS and highly active antiretroviral treatment (HAART). She obtained her PhD (Clinical Science and Immunology) from the University of Cape Town (UCT) in 2021. Her PhD work characterized innate and adaptive immune cells during central nervous system tuberculosis (CNS-TB). She previously served as a Board member of the South African Immunology Society (SAIS) from 2018 to 2021 and accepted the invitation to become a board member again in August 2024. She was a visiting scholar at Emory University in the United States in 2021, where she later joined the Emory Vaccine Center as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow. Her Emory University Postdoc work was published in Nature Communications as first author; this research investigated the impact of HIV on Mycobacterium Tuberculosis infection during HIV-TB coinfection. She did her second Postdoc in 2023 at Seattle Children’s Research Institute (SCRI) in the United States where she was part of the team investigating the vaccine (M72/AS01E and ID93) correlates of protection against TB as part of the multi-national NIH grant titled Immune Mechanisms of Protection Against Mycobacterium Tuberculosis Centers (IMPAc-TB) to advance TB vaccine development.
She has been a teaching assistant throughout her studies and served as a faculty and training workshop Instructor for the 2018 UCT-IBRO Summer School and 2023 SCRI Summer School. She has presented her research at several local and international conferences that include the Keystone Symposia and Bill and Melinda Gates Collaboration for TB Vaccine Discovery (CTVD) meeting. Her accolades include winning the 2015 South African Women in Science Award, 2017 Society for Neuroscience Trainee Professional Development Award, 2019 Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Global Health Travel Award for A2 Tuberculosis: Immunity and Immune Evasion, 2022 Collaboration for Tuberculosis Vaccine Discovery (CTVD) Early Career Scientist Award and being named among the 2018 Mail & Guardian 200 Young South Africans. She was a semi-finalist of the Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders, a U.S Government’s Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI) in 2018 and 2019.
Prof. Theresa Rossouw
Professor Theresa Rossouw is a clinician-scientist in the Department of Immunology at the University of Pretoria and Director of the Institute for Innovative Immunology Research and Education (IINSPIRE). Her research focuses on immune dysregulation, immune recovery, and vaccine responsiveness in high-burden infectious disease settings, particularly HIV and emerging viral infections.
She serves on several scientific committees, is the immediate past President of the South African Immunology Society (SAIS), and is Treasurer of the Federation of African Immunology Societies (FAIS), contributing to regional and continental immunology leadership.
Through IINSPIRE, Professor Rossouw aims to build a translational immunology platform that integrates advanced immune profiling, clinical cohort research, and postgraduate training within a single ecosystem. The vision of IINSPIRE is to strengthen African-led immunology research, develop the next generation of clinician-scientists, and position African data and expertise at the forefront of global immunological discovery.
Dr Roanne Keeton
Dr Keeton is a Senior Research Scientist and viral immunologist based in the Division of Medical Virology at the University of Cape Town (UCT). Her initial training was in basic immunology with a particular interest in infectious diseases affecting Sub-Saharan Africa. She completed her PhD which focused on the role of TNF and TNF receptors in host immune protection against Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M.tb) at the UCT in 2009 and did subsequent postdoctoral and early career research on the role of malarial co-infections on M.tb vaccine immunogenicity and efficacy. In 2019 she made a change to clinical research where the focus was initially on HIV/TB coinfection. After the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, her research focus switched almost exclusively to COVID-19 research, analyzing antibody and T cell responses to SARS-CoV-2 infection and vaccination. She now leads the preclinical work within the Cellular Immunology Platform, a hub established for immunogenicity testing of vaccines for epidemic and pandemic viruses, where the current focus is novel RSV, HIV and MPXV vaccines.