2010 Awardee: Professor WD Francois Venter
Professor WD Francois Venter Named Winner of First Merle A. Sande Health Leadership Award
An alumnus of the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, Professor WD Francois Venter currently serves as the senior director of the HIV Management Cluster in the Reproductive Health and HIV Research Unit (RHRU) at the University of Witwatersrand. Venter oversees programs related to HIV care, information systems, cost-effectiveness estimates, and a comprehensive training program with active monitoring and evaluation. Venter is also an associate professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of Witwatersrand.
Professor Venter has helped develop South Africa’s HIV program in numerous capacities. He assisted in creating the South African antiretroviral guidelines for the Department of Health in 2002-03 and the National Strategic Plan in 2007. He serves as a formal community representative on the Treatment Task Team of the South African National Aids Council and is active in WHO activity for both HIV and TB in South Africa. Venter also serves as president of the Southern African HIV Clinicians Society; he is the youngest person ever to hold this position.
Advocacy for the rights and well-being of patients, particularly those who have been marginalized in South African society, is one of Professor Venter’s deepest passions. He has dedicated his efforts to mentoring and teaching previously disadvantaged groups and has applied all of his many talents to ensure that the healthcare system of South Africa is capable of helping those affected by infectious diseases such as HIV and TB.
Professor Venter has been honored several times for his work, including being acknowledged by the University of Witwatersrand as “one of Wits’ most quoted academics” in 2007 and being named as one of the top influential leaders at the national level by the South African Institute of Health Care Managers in 2008. In 2009, he was named as one of Mail and Guardian’s “300 Young South Africans You Should Take to Lunch.” His research has been published in three books and in more than 45 academic journal articles.
Professor Venter’s remarkable knowledge and experience, dedication to his patients, and resounding impact on his country perfectly echo the characteristics of Dr. Merle Sande. Accordia is honored to recognize Professor Venter with the 2010 Merle A. Sande Health Leadership Award.
In April 2010, Professor Venter visited the Infectious Diseases Institute for two days. There, as the award recipient, he conducted lectures and presented a keynote address to researchers, physicians, other medical professionals, and guests from the global health community.
More Information
- About the Merle A. Sande Health Leadership Award
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View Professor Venter's Lecture on "Developing a Coherent Approach to HIV in Africa"
