Organisation: University of KwaZulu-Natal & Africa Health Research Institute
Designation: Research Professor
Tittle of the presentation: “Developing solutions for South Africa’s priority diseases using indigenous knowledge”

Prof. Nceba Gqaleni trained as a biochemist at the former University of Natal and obtained his doctorate at the University of Strathclyde in Scotland in 1996. He is a National Research Foundation rated researcher with interest on immunology, infectious and non-infectious diseases and traditional medicine. He has served on the Interim Traditional Health Practitioners Council of South Africa appointed by the Minister of Health.

In 2007 was appointed Chair of Indigenous Health Care Systems Research, a prestigious programme funded by the Department of Science & Technology and administered by the National Research Foundation. Prof Gqaleni has also served in various positions within UKZN including Director of the Doris Duke Medical Research Institute, Deputy Dean and Director of the Centre for Occupational and Environmental Health.

He has served on various national and international bodies including the Presidential Task Team on African Traditional Medicine, Chairperson of the IKS Bioprospecting and Product Development Platform of the Department of Science & Technology, Deputy Chairperson of the KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Council on AIDS, and has been a member of the WHO (African Regional Office) expert committee on Traditional Medicine. Currently, he is the member of the task team drafting SA’s Policy on African Traditional Medicine, Project Co-ordinator of the KwaZulu-Natal IK-Based Healthy Lifestyle Strategy to fight COVID-19 and beyond, and member of the WHO Regional Expert Committee on Traditional Medicine for COVID-19.

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