Salim S. Abdool Karim

Salim S. Abdool Karim serves as CAPRISA Professor of Global Health in the Department of Epidemiology at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health. He concurrently holds leadership roles as Director of the Centre for the AIDS Program of Research in South Africa (CAPRISA), Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research) at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, and Adjunct Professor of Medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College.

His academic credentials include an MBBCH from the University of Natal (1983), an MS from Columbia University (1988), and a PhD from the University of Natal (1999). A clinical infectious diseases epidemiologist, Dr. Abdool Karim pioneered HIV prevention research through the landmark CAPRISA 004 tenofovir gel trial, demonstrating that antiretrovirals can prevent HIV and HSV-2 transmission in women. His work on TB-HIV co-infection has directly shaped WHO treatment guidelines, while his research spans microbicides, vaccines, epidemiology, and the social determinants of HIV transmission.

His publication record reveals sustained focus on HIV prevention mechanisms, pharmacokinetics of antiretrovirals, and implementation science, with recent work emphasizing women-centered prevention strategies and broadly neutralizing antibodies. This trajectory demonstrates consistent leadership in translating basic science into public health interventions.

His scientific recognition includes the 2024 Lasker Award and Michael Faraday Prize, alongside election to the US National Academy of Medicine (2013) and multiple global academies. He chairs UNAIDS and WHO advisory panels while serving on editorial boards of the New England Journal of Medicine and Lancet journals.

As CAPRISA Director, he oversees a multinational research consortium addressing HIV pathogenesis, tuberculosis linkages, and capacity building through fellowships across South Africa and the United States, maintaining active grant funding for translational research in resource-limited settings.