The CHRU Team

CHRU world renowned scientists

CLINICAL RESEARCH SITE The Isango Lethemba TB Research Unit team

CLINICAL RESEARCH SITE The King DinuZulu Hospital Clinical Research Site team

CLINICAL RESEARCH SITE Sizwe Tropical Diseases Hospital CRS team

CLINICAL RESEARCH SITE Clinical HIV Research Unit Helen Joseph Hospital Clinical Research Site team

CHRU team

Dynamic team of scientists and professionals

The Clinical HIV Research Unit (CHRU) is home to a dynamic team of professionals who bring over two decades of clinical trial experience to the unit. They include scientists/principal investigators, medical officers, study coordinators, healthcare workers, pharmacists, counsellors and staff experienced in clinical trial operations - data management, quality assurance and regulatory.

The CHRU Team

Scientific leadership team

Professor Ian Sanne

Professor Ian Sanne is a South African-born infectious disease doctor whose research focuses on an integrated program of HIV, HIV co-infectious diseases, TB and COVID-19 research from prospective phase I to IV clinical trials, conducted predominantly through international collaborations. He is the founding member of CHRU and of the health non-profit organisation, Right to Care. He was CEO of Right to Care from 2001 until 2023. He is the Principal Investigator of the Wits HIV Research Group Clinical Trials Unit and is the Adult AIDS Clinical Trial Group (ACTG) International Vice-Chair, responsible for its research at 25 international sites in 13 countries and prioritising its research agenda. At present he also serves as the Chief Medical Officer at The Palladium Group.

Dr Mohammed Rassool

Dr Mohammed Rassool conducts clinical research in the treatment and prevention of HIV, HIV co-infections, TB, DR-TB, DS-TB, MDR-TB and other opportunistic infections. He is affiliated to the University of the Witwatersrand and is responsible for the TB portfolio at CHRU. He is also involved with industry-funded HIV and COVID-19 research. He is the Principal Investigator and sub-investigator on multiple international collaborative COVID-19, HIV and TB research protocols. The impact of this research has improved South African Department of Health and World Health Organisation treatment guidelines, with results published in peer-reviewed articles. Through collaboration with partners such as the NIH, BMBF, EDCTP, Global TB Alliance, Medicines Sans Frontiers (MSF), pharmaceutical companies, the TB Union and USAID, his research informs global research requirements. Dr Rassool has extensive experience in both protocol implementation and clinical research site management. His research also focuses on TB vaccine efficacy and HIV prevention. He is also a member of the NIH ACTG Network’s TB Transformation Scientific Group

Dr Sharlaa Badal-Faesen

Dr Badal-Faesen is an infectious diseases researcher who conducts clinical research in HIV, drug-resistant HIV, HIV co-infectious diseases, HIV comorbidities, TB, Hepatitis B and C and COVID-19. She is affiliated to the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) and serves as a member of its Health Research Ethics Committee. Dr Badal-Faesen participates in National Institutes of Health (NIH) global collaborative research, providing evidence-based outcomes to improve treatment guidelines. Key outcomes of her research include the effective use of ART for the prevention of HIV-1 transmission in discordant couples, the reduction of cardiovascular events in people living with HIV, and the safety and efficacy of the Single-Do se Ad26.COV2.S in COVID-19 prevention (the Ensemble COVID-19 vaccine study). She is also involved in research exploring the long-term use of ART and the increase of comorbidities in ageing populations. Dr Badal-Faesen is a member of numerous scientific research committees, protocol teams and the NIH ACTG network’s Performance Evaluation Committee.

Dr Francesca Conradie

Dr Francesca Conradie supports the global research agenda to eradicate TB by 2030, a goal set by the World Health Organisation (WHO). She is the founding member of CHRU's clinical research sites at Sizwe Hospital in Johannesburg, the King Dinuzulu TB Research Unit in Durban and Isango Lethemba TB Research Unit in Gqeberha where studies focus on delivering more effective, tolerable and safe ways of treating patients with Drug Resistant (DR-TB). Rifampicin Resistant TB (RR-TB), in all of its forms from rifampicin mono-resistant TB to Extensively Drug Resistant TB (XDR-TB) remain key barriers to achieving the WHO goal. Dr Conradie has been involved in several breakthroughs in the treatment of these difficult-to-treat forms of TB. She was part of the Bedaquiline trial and the subsequent incorporation of this drug as a WHO recommendation and into South Africa’s national TB programme. She was the Principal Investigator for the TB Alliance’s NIX trial which led to the registration by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration of BPaL for XDR-TB. Dr Contradie holds the USAID BEAT Tuberculosis grant which investigates a short all-oral regimen for RR-TB. She is a member of the South African National Department of Health’s TB Advisory Committee and Vice-Chair of the ACTG Protocol Team for the A5343 and A5356 trials.

Dr Pauline Howell

Dr Pauline Howell is the Clinical Research Site (CRS) leader at the Sizwe CRS located at the Sizwe Tropical Disease Hospital in Johannesburg. Her research focus is on delivering shorter, safer, more effective and tolerable ways of treating drug-resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB) in children and adults, and during pregnancy. She is affiliated to the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) and teaches DR-TB to under- and post-graduate students. She is pleased to have been an investigator in landmark DR-TB trials - STREAM, Nix and ZeNix which shaped WHO guideline changes, as well as several IMPAACT paediatric DR-TB trials which have also contributed to WHO guideline updates. Dr Howell continues to be involved in access programmes, including the bedaquiline and delamanid Compassionate Access Programmes (CAP) as well as the BPaL CAP. She is the clinical medical monitor for the pragmatic BEAT-Tuberculosis trial, vice-chair on the IMPAACT 2034 and IMPAACT 2020 protocols, member of the Gates MRI Concilium, chair of the BringBPaL2Me safety committee, and a task member on the CHEETA initiative. Dr Howell has worked in DR-TB for the last ten years and presents widely.

The CHRU Team

Principal investigators (PIs)

Dr Tom Boyles

Dr Tom Boyles’ research interests relate to the improvement in care for patients with HIV and TB in resource-limited settings. He has worked as a clinician in South Africa, directly contributing to the care of people with HIV and TB. He worked on a rural HIV programme which led to over 50 citations. His key research interest has been around antibiotic resistance for the reduction in antibiotic usage and cost savings without compromising patient care. At CHRU he is the Principal Investigator for six randomised controlled trials across various infectious diseases. Dr Tom Boyles is a member of the International TB Meningitis Consortium, a previous associate editor of the International Journal of TB and Lung disease, and programme lead for the HIV section of the International Union Against TB and Lung Diseases. He is also interested in the spectrum of TB disease/infections and the use of phenotype to guide the intensity and duration of TB treatment. He has also collaborated with the Stanford Machine Learning Group to harness machine learning technologies to improve TB diagnostics. The Wits Health Consortium also awarded Dr Tom Boyles the Great Leap Forward Fellowship.

Dr Jaclyn Ann Bennet

Dr Jaclyn Ann Bennet is a Principal Investigator in HIV/TB research at the Clinical HIV Research Unit (CHRU). She joined CHRU after completing her community service at Rahima Moosa Mother and Child Hospital. She is a Sub-Investigator on various ACTG and commercial clinical trials and the Principal Investigator on a study investigating a second-line antiretroviral regimen. She was the Principal Investigator for the treatment of symptomatic non-hospitalized adults with COVID-19. Dr Bennet is interested in optimising research through the use of technology and is currently focused on combining technology and medical research to improve both the efficiency and accuracy of data collection.

Dr Carla Chibwesha

As a Principal Investigator at CHRU, Dr Chibwesha’s research is focused on improving the health and well-being of women and girls globally and by addressing the clinical and public health challenges of HPV and HIV. She is a South African national, US trained and board-certified obstetrician-gynaecologist and Associate Professor in the Division of Global Women’s Health at the University of North Carolina. She holds a visiting appointment at the University of the Witwatersrand and leads a research partnership between UNC Global Women’s Health, CHRU and Right to Care. This initiative promotes equitable breast and cervical cancer screening in South Africa. To date, their program has reached over 100,000 women across South Africa, many of whom are living with HIV. Dr Chibwesha is also the Principal Investigator for the AIDS Malignancy Consortium site at CHRU and protocol chair for the multi-country AMC 099/COVENANT cervical cancer prevention trial. She is actively engaged in training the next generation of women’s health researchers.

Dr Noluthando Mwelase

Dr Noluthando Mwelase is a CHRU investigator in NIH and pharmaceutical-funded clinical trials with a core focus on HIV, HIV co-infections, HIV prevention, TB and COVID-19. She is committed to scientific research to improve the standard of treatment in poorly resourced settings. Her research includes the INSIGHT START study, ACTG neurology in HIV-positive participants, ART for the prevention of HIV, the treatment of advanced AIDS-associated Kaposi Sarcoma in resource-limited settings and the prevention of HIV-related TB. Dr Mwelase’s research also focuses on supporting those at the highest risk group of new HIV infections in South Africa, namely, adult girls and young women who account for more than half of CHRU’s clinical trial participants. She also participated as an investigator on clinical trials that tested the safety and efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines. Dr Mwelwase is currently an A5343 protocol team member.

Dr Shakira Rajaram

Dr Shakira Rajaram is based at CHRU’s clinical research site at the King DinuZulu Hospital in Durban. Her research focus is on the clinical management and clinical research primarily within the fields of TB and HIV. Through her experience in protocol implementation and clinical research site management, she has played a key role in contributing to maintaining an overall healthy population both medically and socially in the eThekwini area. She is the Principal Investigator of several multi-drug resistant TB, extensively drug-resistant TB, and drug sensitive TB studies. Through collaboration with partners from the Global TB Alliance, Medicines Sans Frontiers (MSF), and USAID, her clinical trials have contributed to change in treatment modalities and guidelines globally. She is committed to scientific research to improve the standard of treatment in poorly resourced settings with a passion and interest about new novel platforms for implementing research and treatment.

The CHRU Team

Senior management team

Ina de Jongh

Ina de Jongh is head of operations at CHRU and also holds the position of WITS HIV Research Group Clinical Trial Unit (WHRG CTU) coordinator, responsible for the liaison with grants staff at the National Institute of Health Division of AIDS (DAIDS). She has served CHRU as the operations and grants manager for over two decades. She has extensive experience in budget costing mechanisms which enable CHRU to determine recruitment rates, financial budget and cost effectiveness. De Jongh is also responsible for the annual reports of the grants. She is also experienced in managing USAID/PEPFAR and EU grants.

Coreen Barker

Coreen Barker is the Responsible Pharmacist and Pharmacist of Record at CHRU. She has over 25 years’ of experience in clinical research. She has been the Principal Pharmacist in various international studies. She is the sole proprietor of RightMed Pharmacy, and has established multiple pharmacies to support research and PEPFAR implementation activities. She has recruited and trained over 30 pharmacy staff, demonstrating her ability to build a skilled team. She has supported and guided pharmacists from both local and international research sites.

Vuyokazi Sharon Jezile

Under the stewardship of Vuyokazi Sharon Jezile, precision and excellence in clinical research data management at CHRU is ensured. An expert in research methodologies, she has a wealth of experience in Phase 1-IV clinical trials. She is committed to the highest standards of quality and compliance, ensuring that every data point tells a story of scientific rigour and transformative impact. Jezile implements state-of-the-art data management systems to ensure that CHRU’s operations are efficient, secure and ethical. She also prepares CHRU’s data operations for future research opportunities. She believes that data holds the potential to unlock breakthroughs in HIV, TB, COVID-19 and other opportunistic infections.

Betty Matome

Betty Matome has extensive Phase I-IV clinical trial research experience as both a study coordinator and a quality assurance officer. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she led a team of field workers to ensure the recruitment and retention of participants for the J&J Ensemble COVID-19 vaccine trial. She leads the Study Coordinator Department across all research networks and commercial/pharmaceutical studies. Matome is inspired by the improvement of treatment regimens for people in poor resource settings that scientific research has enabled. She strives to help those affected by infectious diseases and impact on standards of care.

Iveshni Govender

when she joined CHRU as a research pharmacist. The high standards demanded by the strictly regulated research environment resonated with her work ethic, and she later joined CHRU’s Quality Assurance team. She has a passion for the principles of quality data and research ethics. Her team ensures that the clinical trials conducted at CHRU are aligned to the highest international standards and compliant with sponsor, GCP, ethics, regulatory and CHRU’s SOP requirements.

Amanda Ndala

Amanda Ndala holds a Bachelor of Commerce in Economics from UNISA. Her responsibilities include supervising all administrative staff, ensuring a hygienic environment in the unit and procuring stationery, medical and laboratory goods and services. She is also co-chairperson of the Occupational Health and Safety committee.

Mashudu Phidza

Mashudu Phidza is experienced in clinical research and in engaging communities to secure and retain clinical research participants. Through her work, CHRU enjoys an average retention rate of 98%. She was also a team leader during the J&J Ensemble COVID-19 vaccine trial.