2025 – SAIS Programme

Prof. Theresa Rossouw, MBChB, MPH, DPhil, PhD  
Acting Head of Department, Department of Immunology, Faculty of Health Sciences University of Pretoria; Chairperson: Faculty of Health Sciences Research Ethics Committee; President: South African Immunology Society
Systemic immune activation: lessons from viral infections in humans and animals
Thursday, 30 October 2025 – 15:15pm

Professor Theresa Rossouw describes herself as a clinician first and foremost, though she has been involved in research at the University of Pretoria (UP) since 2008. She says she conducts research so that the treatment and outcomes of patients can be improved. Prof Rossouw leads the research of the HIV Immunopathology Laboratory, working on understanding the pathophysiology of HIV infection, especially with regard to ongoing systemic immune activation and inflammation. This has been associated with the development of long-term complications such as heart disease, neurocognitive dysfunction, renal disease, drug resistance; and the effect of in utero HIV exposure on the immunological, neurological and growth development of infants. Prof Rossouw says her academic role model is Prof Ronald Anderson (retired HOD of UP’s Immunology Department, who still works in a post-retirement UP position), who is “the epitome of a true academic”: fiercely intelligent and greatly accomplished, yet humble, generous with his time and always willing to assist and mentor. She adds that her research matters as it aims to improve the outcomes of patients with dreaded conditions. “I have special empathy for potentially vulnerable people, such as pregnant women and children living with HIV, and I strive to improve their well-being.”  She hopes to empower a new generation of researchers, especially female researchers, to embrace the incredible opportunities offered by science. Her advice to school learners and undergraduates is to never give up on their dreams. Her interests are philosophy, literature, travel, wine, jogging and gardening.

Prof. Melvin Ambele, Associate Professor in the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology at the School of Dentistry, University of Pretoria
From fat to fate: Adipose-derived stromal/stem cells at the crossroads of obesity and cancer
Friday, 31 October 2025 – 08:30am

Professor Ambele is a senior research officer in the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology, seconded to the Institute for Cellular and Molecular Medicine at the University of Pretoria (UP). He completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Buea in Cameroon and his PhD studies in Biological Chemistry at the University of Cape Town in 2014. From 2014 to 2016, Prof Ambele was a postdoctoral research fellow in UP’s Faculty of Health Sciences.

He says he prefers doing research at UP because it is a prestigious research-intensive university with excellent infrastructure to support teaching and research across various disciplines

His research focuses on identifying molecular targets that regulate lipid accumulation and the formation of adipocytes. Obesity is increasing worldwide at an alarming rate, and a recent survey by the Human Sciences Research Council shows that 50% of South African adults are overweight or obese.

“The identification and characterisation of such targets would serve as a candidate for anti-obesity drug development to combat obesity and associated metabolic disorders,” Prof Ambele explains. “This will be greatly significant in addressing the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3 to ensure good health and well-being for all, and in that way, contribute to the betterment of the world.”

Prof Ambele leads a team of researchers that includes postgraduate students. He works across faculties with Dr Pontsho Moela and Dr Ntlotlang Mokgautsi of the Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology in the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences.

Prof. Thumbi Ndung’u, Scientific Director of the HIV Pathogenesis Programme and a Professor in HIV/TB Research at the University of KwaZulu-Natal
The role of immunotherapy in achieving functional cures in people living with HIV
Saturday, 01 November 2025 – 08:30am

Prof. Ndung’u is a faculty member at the Africa Health Research Institute (AHRI) in Durban, South Africa; Professor and Victor Daitz Chair in HIV/TB Research at the HIV Pathogenesis Programme, University of KwaZulu-Natal; Programme Director for the Sub-Saharan African Network for TB/HIV Research Excellence (SANTHE); Professor of Infectious Diseases at University College London, UK; Associate Member of the Ragon Institute; Adjunct Professor of Immunology and Infectious Diseases at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health; and Provost’s Visiting Professor of HIV Virology and Immunology at Imperial College London, UK.

He graduated with a Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine degree from the University of Nairobi, Kenya, completed a PhD in Biological Sciences in Public Health from Harvard University, USA and performed post-doctoral research in Virology at Harvard Medical School. He is the recipient of several awards for scientific excellence and leadership contributions, including the South African Medical Research Council Gold Scientific Achievement Award, the Leadership Award in Public Health Practice from the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, and the KT Jeang Retrovirology Prize in recognition of outstanding work on HIV. He is a member of the Academy of Science of South Africa, a fellow of the African Academy of Sciences and a member of the United States National Academy of Medicine.

Ndung’u has received grant funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Wellcome Trust, the Science for Africa Foundation, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the South African National Research Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, and others. He has mentored more than 50 postgraduate students and has a special interest in capacity building for biomedical research in Africa. He has co-authored more than 320 original research publications. His research focuses on understanding interactions between HIV and the immune system and how these may be harnessed and translated for HIV prevention or cure.

Prof. Amelia Goddard, Head of Department, Professor: Clinical Pathology at the University of Pretoria
Platelet activation and thromboinflammation in canine babesiosis
Saturday, 01 November 2025 – 11:00am

Amelia Goddard is a Professor in Veterinary Clinical Pathology in the Department of Companion Animal Clinical Studies, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria. After 6 years in small animal practice, she returned to academia as a lecturer and completed a specialist residency in Veterinary Clinical Pathology. For her PhD degree she investigated “Biomarkers of haemostatic and inflammatory changes in canine babesiosis”. She has presented over 65 international scientific congress presentations and has delivered more than 50 regional and national CPD lectures. She currently has 78 publications in peer-reviewed journals and has written three book chapters. She has a C1 NRF rating. Her main research interest is investigating thromboinflammation in systemic inflammation, using various animal models such as canine babesiosis, canine parvovirus enteritis, canine spirocercosis, snake envenomation, African horse sickness and cancer in dogs.