NRF Women's Month 2026: Prof Pavitra Pillay

Every research journey starts with a question. This Women’s Month, the NRF celebrates women driven by curiosity — researchers whose questions, ideas and determination are expanding our understanding of the world around us. From exploring the unknown to deepening our existing knowledge, curiosity remains at the heart of discovery. We thank all participants for sharing their stories with us.

Prof Pavitra Pillay is an Associate Professor and the Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences at the Durban University of Technology (DUT). She has received numerous NRF grants, including Thuthuka and sabbatical support. Her work seeks to understand how infectious diseases, reproductive health conditions, and health system challenges intersect, and how we can develop practical, evidence-based solutions that improve access to care and health outcomes.

How has your affiliation with the NRF impacted your studies/career?

My relationship with the National Research Foundation (NRF) has been instrumental in shaping and sustaining my development as a researcher, academic leader, and capacity builder. The NRF’s investment in my career through the Thuthuka Programme, sabbatical support, and academic recognition provided the foundation for a coherent and impactful programme of research that bridges basic medical sciences, epidemiology, public health, and health professions education. These opportunities enabled me to establish a sustained research trajectory focused on improving health outcomes for women, adolescents, and children in endemic and resource-constrained settings, while simultaneously contributing to the development of future researchers and strengthening institutional research capacity.

My NRF journey began with a series of Competitive Support for Unrated Researchers (CSPG-Thuthuka) awards during my doctoral studies. These included the CSPG-Thuthuka (PhD Track) grants from 2012 to 2014. This support was transformative, allowing me to complete my PhD, develop advanced research skills, establish national and international collaborations, and lay the foundations for a focused programme of scholarship centred on maternal, child, and adolescent reproductive health. At the time, I was building my academic career as a lecturer and later senior lecturer, balancing teaching, postgraduate supervision, administrative responsibilities, and doctoral studies. The support provided by the NRF gave me the resources and confidence to develop as an independent researcher while contributing to the academic mission of my institution. This was particularly beneficial in a resource-limited and very competitive environment.

In 2015, I was awarded an NRF Sabbatical Grant (PhD Track), which provided dedicated time to consolidate my research outputs and accelerate my transition from doctoral candidate to independent researcher. In recognition of academic excellence, I was inducted into the Golden Key International Honour Society in 2016. These milestones marked an important stage in my development and strengthened my commitment to pursuing a career that integrated research, teaching, and academic leadership.

Following completion of my doctorate, I continued to benefit from NRF investment through CSPG-Thuthuka Post-PhD Track awards in 2019 and 2020. These grants were critical in advancing my research agenda beyond individual studies towards a coherent, translational programme of work that linked laboratory science, diagnostics, epidemiology, implementation research, and health systems strengthening. During this period, my academic leadership responsibilities also expanded significantly, progressing from Senior Lecturer to Head of Department and subsequently to Deputy Dean within the Faculty of Health Sciences. The continuity of NRF support enabled me to build a sustainable research platform while simultaneously navigating increasing leadership responsibilities, supervising postgraduate students, expanding collaborations, and increasing research productivity and impact. Ultimately, this trajectory culminated in my promotion to Associate Professor, reflecting the integration of research excellence, academic leadership, postgraduate supervision, and institutional service.

The NRF’s investment directly contributed to the development of my research focus on female genital schistosomiasis (FGS), reproductive health, and neglected tropical diseases. Through these projects, I led and contributed to comparative and multi-country studies evaluating diagnostic approaches for FGS, particularly the performance of genital-specimen quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) compared with syndromic management and urine-only diagnostic algorithms. These studies demonstrated the superior sensitivity of genital-specimen qPCR among adolescent girls and young women and highlighted the limitations of existing screening approaches in endemic areas. Importantly, this body of work has contributed to new ways of conceptualising the intersection between infectious diseases, sexual and reproductive health, and HIV risk, providing evidence to support integrated screening and service delivery models. The NRF funding enabled me to generate evidence that is not only scientifically rigorous but also directly relevant to policy and programme implementation in African health systems.

The support received from the NRF also facilitated the expansion of my work into broader maternal and child health priorities. Through postgraduate supervision and collaborative research, I contributed to studies examining the epidemiology of hepatitis B virus infection in South Africa, generating national evidence on chronic infection patterns, antenatal screening gaps, and missed opportunities for prevention of mother-to-child transmission. These findings have important implications for strengthening vaccination programmes, antenatal care pathways, and public health planning. Collectively, these projects demonstrate the translational nature of my work, moving from laboratory diagnostics and surveillance to population-level evidence that informs policy and practice.

Beyond my own research programme, NRF funding allowed me to contribute meaningfully to research capacity development. As my academic career progressed through the ranks of Lecturer, Senior Lecturer, Head of Department, Deputy Dean, and Associate Professor, I increasingly assumed broader responsibilities in postgraduate supervision, staff mentorship, research governance, and strategic research development. While many postgraduate projects extended beyond my immediate areas of expertise, I viewed this as a strategic contribution to strengthening the institutional research ecosystem and supporting inclusive academic development. The NRF’s investment therefore had a multiplier effect, benefiting not only my own career but also the development of emerging researchers, postgraduate students, and interdisciplinary research teams.

The recognition and credibility associated with NRF support have also opened opportunities for national and international leadership. The research foundation established through NRF-funded work contributed to my ability to secure additional competitive funding from programmes such as the European Union Horizon Programme, Erasmus+, and institutional research grants. It also facilitated collaborations across Africa, Europe, Scandinavia, the United Kingdom, and the United States. These opportunities have culminated in appointments to influential scientific and advisory structures, including the World Health Organization Technical Advisory Group on Urogenital Schistosomiasis, leadership roles within the South African Association of Health Educationalists (SAAHE), the South African Committee of Health Sciences Deans (SACOHSD), and service on national professional and advisory bodies.

Importantly, the NRF’s support enabled the development of a research profile characterised by both academic excellence and societal impact. My work aligns strongly with the Sustainable Development Goals related to health, education, gender equality, reduced inequalities, clean water and sanitation, and global partnerships. Through an integrated programme of research, postgraduate supervision, curriculum innovation, and health professions education leadership, I have sought to generate evidence that improves service delivery, informs policy, strengthens workforce development, and contributes to better health outcomes in vulnerable communities.

Reflecting on my career trajectory, the NRF has been a critical partner in my development from a doctoral student and early-career lecturer to an established researcher, Associate Professor, and Deputy Dean. The Thuthuka grants, sabbatical support, and academic recognition provided the resources, opportunities, and confidence to develop a coherent and sustained programme of scholarship that has grown in scope, influence, and impact over time. The investment made by the NRF enabled me to build a translational research pathway from basic medical sciences to population-level evidence and implementation-focused solutions, while simultaneously strengthening research capacity, advancing institutional transformation, supporting the next generation of health researchers, and positioning me as a nationally and internationally engaged academic leader.

Collectively, these investments enabled the development of a coherent research programme spanning female genital schistosomiasis, sexual and reproductive health, maternal and child health, diagnostics, epidemiology, implementation science, and health professions education, while supporting postgraduate training, international collaboration, research leadership, and societal impact.

What is your research focus or area of expertise?

My research focuses on improving the health and well-being of women, adolescents, and children, particularly in resource-limited communities in Africa. At its core, my work seeks to understand how infectious diseases, reproductive health conditions, and health system challenges intersect, and how we can develop practical, evidence-based solutions that improve access to care and health outcomes.

A major area of my expertise is female genital schistosomiasis (FGS), a neglected tropical disease affecting millions of women and girls in Africa. FGS is caused by a parasitic infection acquired through contact with contaminated freshwater and can lead to chronic pain, infertility, pregnancy complications, and increased vulnerability to HIV infection. Unfortunately, the condition is often underdiagnosed or mistaken for other reproductive health conditions. My research has focused on developing and evaluating more accurate diagnostic methods and generating evidence to support the integration of FGS screening into routine sexual and reproductive health services. By improving how the disease is detected and managed, my work contributes to better healthcare for women and girls living in endemic communities.

More broadly, my research examines the connections between infectious diseases and reproductive health. I am particularly interested in how conditions such as FGS influence broader women’s health outcomes and how health services can be designed to address multiple health challenges simultaneously. This includes exploring integrated approaches to screening for FGS, HPV infection, cervical cancer, and other reproductive health conditions within existing healthcare programmes.

My work also extends to maternal and child health, where I have supervised and contributed to research on hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection in South Africa. This work has used large national laboratory datasets to identify gaps in antenatal screening and opportunities to prevent the transmission of infection from mothers to their children. The findings provide evidence that can help strengthen vaccination programmes and improve maternal and child health services.

What makes my research distinctive is its translational approach. I work across the spectrum from laboratory science and diagnostics to public health, implementation research, and policy. In simple terms, I am interested not only in understanding health problems but also in ensuring that research findings are translated into practical solutions that can be implemented in real-world healthcare settings. This means working with healthcare professionals, communities, policymakers, and researchers to ensure that evidence leads to meaningful change.

In recent years, my work has expanded into health professions education, where I focus on strengthening the education and training of future healthcare professionals. I contribute to curriculum development, postgraduate education, and the improvement of clinical training models to ensure that graduates are equipped to address emerging health challenges such as infectious diseases, health inequities, climate change, and the changing healthcare needs of communities.

Throughout my career, I have remained committed to research that has both scientific value and social impact. My goal is to generate knowledge that helps improve healthcare services, informs policy decisions, strengthens health systems, and ultimately improves the lives of vulnerable populations. Whether through advancing new diagnostic approaches for neglected diseases, improving maternal and child health programmes, or strengthening the education of health professionals, my research is driven by a commitment to achieving better health outcomes and greater health equity in South Africa and beyond.

What sparked your curiosity about your field of research, and what continues to keep you curious?

My curiosity about my field began through my professional training and practice as a Cytotechnologist, a discipline focused on the microscopic detection and diagnosis of disease, particularly cervical cancer. Early in my career, I was struck by the fact that cervical cancer is largely preventable through early detection and treatment, yet it remains one of the leading causes of cancer-related illness and death among women in sub-Saharan Africa. This paradox sparked a fundamental question that continues to drive my work today: why do preventable conditions continue to have such devastating consequences for vulnerable populations?

For almost three decades, I have taught Cytology to undergraduate and postgraduate students. Teaching not only deepened my technical expertise in cancer diagnostics but also continually challenged me to think about how scientific knowledge can be translated into better healthcare outcomes. Through my interactions with students, healthcare professionals, and communities, I became increasingly aware that accurate diagnosis is only one part of the solution. Access to screening, health literacy, healthcare systems, social determinants of health, and policy implementation all influence whether individuals ultimately benefit from scientific advances.

This curiosity led me to pursue a Master’s in Public Health and subsequently a PhD, which allowed me to broaden my perspective beyond laboratory diagnostics and cancer detection. I began to view health challenges through a public health and interdisciplinary lens, exploring how diseases are shaped by biological, social, environmental, and health-system factors. This shift expanded my research interests from cervical cancer diagnostics to wider issues affecting women’s, adolescents’, and children’s health, including female genital schistosomiasis, reproductive health, infectious diseases, health systems strengthening, and health professions education.

What continues to keep me curious is the opportunity to work at the intersection of disciplines and to address complex health problems that do not fit neatly within a single field. I am fascinated by how conditions such as female genital schistosomiasis, cervical cancer, HPV infection, HIV, and broader reproductive health challenges interact and affect the lives of women in underserved communities. I am equally motivated by the challenge of translating research discoveries into practical solutions that can improve healthcare services, influence policy, and strengthen health systems.

As both a researcher and educator, I remain inspired by the possibility of generating knowledge that can make a tangible difference. Whether I am investigating new diagnostic approaches, supervising postgraduate students, developing curricula, advocating for safe sexual and reproductive health for adolescents, or contributing to public health policy discussions, I continue to be driven by a desire to understand how evidence can be transformed into impact. The questions have become broader and more complex over time, but the motivation remains the same: improving health outcomes and advancing equity for communities that are too often overlooked.

What is one thing you wish more people understood about your field of research?

I wish more people understood that improving health outcomes is about much more than diagnosing disease. While my background is in Cytology and cervical cancer diagnosis, my research has shown that diseases are shaped by complex interactions between biology, social conditions, healthcare access, and health systems. Addressing challenges such as cervical cancer and female genital schistosomiasis requires integrated, patient-centred approaches that connect science, public health, policy, and practice. Ultimately, research is most valuable when it leads to meaningful improvements in people’s lives.

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