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M Visit our Website for detailed information on the awards: www.mrc.ac.za

ANNUAL MRC SCIENTIFIC MERIT AWARDS 2014

The inaugural MRC awards ceremony held at a gala event in Cape Town in 2013 was a resounding achievement aimed at supporting excellence in health research and to recognise world-class science. This awards ceremony complimented the progress achieved by the South African Medical Research Council during its revitalisation process which now sees the organisation focusing on the top ten causes of death in . The MRC has also established the Strategic Health Innovation Partnerships (SHIP), which is a funding and project management department, whose role is to fund new preventions, diagnostics, therapies and devices for priority diseases/health problems, such as HIV, TB, Malaria, and non-communicable diseases.

The Awards Platinum Medals are awarded for a lifetime of exemplary scientific achievement, with seminal contributions that have impacted health, especially for people living in developing countries. Gold Medals are awarded for major scientific breakthroughs, while Silver Medals are for recent post-doctoral researchers who have made a major scientific contribution. At the discretion of the MRC President, special awards can also be conferred for exceptional contributions to medical research in South Africa.

Past Winners

From left to right: Professor Naeema Abrahams is Senior Specialist Scientist at the Gender and Health Research Unit MRC (Silver Medal); Professor Keertan Dheda is Head of the Division of Pulmonology, Department of at UCT and at Groote Schuur Hospital (Gold Medal); Professor Andre Kenge is Director of the Non-Communicable Diseases Research Unit MRC (Gold Medal); Professor is Director at the National Institute for Non-Communicable Diseases and Director of the Wits/MRC Respiratory and Meningeal Pathogens Research Unit (Platinum Medal); Emeritus Professor Eric Bateman is Director at UCT Lung Institute and honorary consultant at the Division of Pulmonology at UCT (Platinum Medal); Professor Graeme Meintjes is Associate Professor in the Department of Medicine and a member of Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine (IIDMM) at UCT (Silver Medal); Dr Tanya Doherty is Senior Specialist Scientist at the MRC’s Health Systems Research Unit (Silver Medal); Professor Paul Van Helden is Head of the Division of Molecular Biology and Human Genetics at Stellenbosch University (Silver medal conferred in 2004); Professor Malegapuru William Makgoba is Vice-Chancellor and Principal of the University of KwaZulu-Natal (MRC President’s Award).

SHIP funds key research The Strategic Health Innovation Partnerships (SHIP) funding office has awarded funding for flagship projects which are currently underway. Many of the 2013 award recipients are already involved in some of these projects that are geared towards diagnostic and drug development. A vaccine for HIV, improving drugs for malaria, finding better tuberculosis treatment, as well as cardiovascular disease prevention are some of the key research areas.

Call for nominations Sincerely yours The opportunity to nominate researchers working in priority health areas in the country opened Prof Glenda Gray yesterday, 15 April 2014 and close on 3123 May 2014. Please visit our website to view more information MRC President on the awards and to view some of the video material from the previous awards ceremony. LATEST UPDATE