Professor Keertan Dheda

Professor Keertan Dheda is currently Head of the Division of Pulmonology at the University of Cape Town; Director of the Centre for Lung Infection and Immunity at UCT; and Professor of Mycobacteriology and Global Health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. He obtained his degrees from the University of the Witwatersrand and University College London (PhD). His research work has focussed on the pathogenesis, diagnosis and management of respiratory infections including TB.

He serves or has served on several international academic and advisory bodies including those of the WHO, NIH, Wellcome Trust, and the editorial boards of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Lancet Respiratory Medicine, and the British Medical Journal. He has published over 380 peer-reviewed manuscripts (H index of 103) and is a co-inventor on six patents related to diagnostics and vaccines. A total of 32 of his original first or senior author publications are citation classics (papers cited at least 100 times). His work has been acknowledged through a number of global and local awards including the International Union TB and Lung Disease Award; European Union Scientific Leadership Award; the South African MRC Platinum Lifetime Award; and the Oppenheimer Award.