Prof. Helen Rees
GCOB, OBE, MB BChir, MA (CANTAB), MRCGP, DCH, DRCOG, Sc.D mASSAf, Executive Director of the Wits Reproductive Health and HIV Institute, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa
Professor Helen Rees is Executive Director of the Wits Reproductive Health and HIV Institute, University of the Witwatersrand, where she is also an ad hominem professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology and Co-Director of the Wits African Leadership in Vaccinology Excellence Flagship programme. She is an Honorary Professor at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and an Honorary Fellow at Murray Edwards College, Cambridge University. Recently she had an honorary degree of Doctor of Science (Medicine) conferred on her by the University of London.
Professor Rees is internationally renowned for her research and policy work in HIV, Vaccines and reproductive health. She has received numerous national and international awards for her contribution to science and to the South African, African and global health sectors. She is an Officer of the British Empire awarded for her contribution to global health and received the Order of the Baobab, one of South Africa’s highest honours, for her contribution to the health of women and children.
Professor Rees’ global reputation has meant that many international global health organisations have recruited her to serve on and/or chair international scientific committees and Boards. In South Africa, currently she Chair’s the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority. During the COVID-19 pandemic Professor Rees has been appointed to several South African Ministerial Committees that inform the Minister of Health on COVID-19 matters, namely the Research Team, Therapeutics Team and the National Essential Medicine Therapeutics Sub-Committee. Internationally, she has recently been appointed to the WHO SAGE COVID-19 Vaccine Working Group as well as onto the WHO IHR Emergency Committee for COVID-19. She is a member of the Facilitation Committee in the COVID19 Clinical Research Coalition. Helen has made many scientific strategic and policy contributions to the African region. She currently Chairs the WHO’s African Regional Task Force on Immunization. Following the Ebola outbreak in West Africa she acted as the rapporteur for the WHO’s International Health Regulations Review Committee post Ebola and co-chaired the WHO ‘High Level Meeting’ on Ebola together with Margaret Chan, the then WHO Director-General. She now Co-Chair’s the WHO Working Group on Ebola Vaccines and is a member of the WHO’s IHR Emergency Committee on Ebola. She has been the chair of WHO’s Emergency Committee on Polio since 2014. Professor Rees was also Chair of the World Health Organisation’s Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (SAGE) which is WHO’s overarching global advisory committee for vaccines and immunisation. She was SAGE focal point for HPV, Rubella and HIV vaccines and chaired the first WHO expert consultations on HPV vaccines. She chaired the WHO Committee on the Sexually Transmitted Infection Vaccine Roadmap as well as WHO’s high level consultation on cervical cancer elimination and continues to serve on the WHO expert committee. She Chairs the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Technical Working Group that reviews current science and the research agenda for single dose HPV vaccines. She has been a member of the WHO SAGE Working group on HPV Vaccines since 2018. She is also a member of the WHO SAGE Committee evaluating progress towards the Decade of Vaccines.
Professor Rees Chairs the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation (GAVI) Programme and Policy Committee and serves on the Gavi Board and also Chairs the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness (CEPI)’s Scientific Advisory Committee and serves on CEPI’s Board.
Professor Rees is internationally renowned for her research and policy work in HIV, Vaccines and reproductive health. She has received numerous national and international awards for her contribution to science and to the South African, African and global health sectors. She is an Officer of the British Empire awarded for her contribution to global health and received the Order of the Baobab, one of South Africa’s highest honours, for her contribution to the health of women and children.
Professor Rees’ global reputation has meant that many international global health organisations have recruited her to serve on and/or chair international scientific committees and Boards. In South Africa, currently she Chair’s the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority. During the COVID-19 pandemic Professor Rees has been appointed to several South African Ministerial Committees that inform the Minister of Health on COVID-19 matters, namely the Research Team, Therapeutics Team and the National Essential Medicine Therapeutics Sub-Committee. Internationally, she has recently been appointed to the WHO SAGE COVID-19 Vaccine Working Group as well as onto the WHO IHR Emergency Committee for COVID-19. She is a member of the Facilitation Committee in the COVID19 Clinical Research Coalition. Helen has made many scientific strategic and policy contributions to the African region. She currently Chairs the WHO’s African Regional Task Force on Immunization. Following the Ebola outbreak in West Africa she acted as the rapporteur for the WHO’s International Health Regulations Review Committee post Ebola and co-chaired the WHO ‘High Level Meeting’ on Ebola together with Margaret Chan, the then WHO Director-General. She now Co-Chair’s the WHO Working Group on Ebola Vaccines and is a member of the WHO’s IHR Emergency Committee on Ebola. She has been the chair of WHO’s Emergency Committee on Polio since 2014. Professor Rees was also Chair of the World Health Organisation’s Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (SAGE) which is WHO’s overarching global advisory committee for vaccines and immunisation. She was SAGE focal point for HPV, Rubella and HIV vaccines and chaired the first WHO expert consultations on HPV vaccines. She chaired the WHO Committee on the Sexually Transmitted Infection Vaccine Roadmap as well as WHO’s high level consultation on cervical cancer elimination and continues to serve on the WHO expert committee. She Chairs the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Technical Working Group that reviews current science and the research agenda for single dose HPV vaccines. She has been a member of the WHO SAGE Working group on HPV Vaccines since 2018. She is also a member of the WHO SAGE Committee evaluating progress towards the Decade of Vaccines.
Professor Rees Chairs the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation (GAVI) Programme and Policy Committee and serves on the Gavi Board and also Chairs the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness (CEPI)’s Scientific Advisory Committee and serves on CEPI’s Board.