Professor Linda-Gail Bekker

Professor Linda-Gail Bekker is a physician scientist and infectious disease specialist with a passion for community and public health. She’s the Director and co-founder of the Desmond Tutu HIV Centre and a Full Professor at the University of Cape Town, and the Chief Executive Officer of the Desmond Tutu Health Foundation. She completed her undergraduate degree as well as PhD at UCT. Her early research focused on antiretroviral rollout and TB integration. Since 2005, it also encompasses biomedical and behavioural HIV prevention among vulnerable populations, specifically adolescents and MSM. Her accolades include, among others, the Ubuntu Award for Social Responsibility and a Gold Medal from the SA Academy of Sciences (2019). She is also a past President of the International AIDS Society. Prof Bekker has reviewed for numerous journals, including the Lancet, Science, and PLOS. Over the last eight years, she has published 325 peer-reviewed articles and delivered 37 keynote addresses.