Menu
MANAGEMENT
The National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) is ledand managed by a multidisciplinary team of experts who are committed to meeting public health demands in disease surveillance, outbreak management and response, research, epidemiology and training.
Executive director: Prof Adrian Puren
Prof Puren has been appointed Executive Director of the NICD since January 2022. Prof Adrian Puren was trained and held a lectureship at the University of the Witwatersrand, before taking on various positions at the NICD. Adrian was appointed as Deputy Director and Head of Virology in 1999 and Head of the Centre for HIV and STIs in 2017. As head of virology, he focused on developing and implementing a range of viral diagnostic platforms in support of the NICD’s EPI surveillance programmes and diagnostic support.
Adrian’s main interest is in the development of HIV surveillance programmes with a particular focus on HIV incidence and the use of “big data” to inform surveillance, monitoring and evaluation. Prof Puren heads the regional and national endpoint diagnostics laboratory for HVTN-supported vaccine and antibody-mediated preventions trials. He serves as the quality assurance technical manager for the NICD and in this capacity, he has provided support to the National Department of Health’s implementation and quality assurance of HIV rapid testing. Prof Puren serves on various expert bodies and the most recent is the South African Lancet Commission on High Quality Health in the era of Sustainable Development Goals.
Acting Executive Deputy Director: Dr Susan Nzenze
Dr Nzenze is an esteemed public health expert with nearly 15 years of experience. She has conducted vital surveillance studies on Pneumococcal Conjugate and Rotavirus vaccines, TB/HIV, and Child Health and Mortality Prevention (CHAMPS) pilot. An accomplished and qualified medical doctor, Dr Nzenze holds a Master’s in Public Health, specialising in Health Economics, and a PhD in Public Health from the University of the Witwatersrand. Currently, she serves as an Associate Professor at the University of Zimbabwe.
Notably, her research has provided significant evidence of the indirect effects of pneumococcal childhood immunisation in South Africa.
Her expertise is well-recognised, evident in over 35 publications in esteemed peer-reviewed journals, along with presentations at local and international conferences. Moreover, she secured PRF funding for three consecutive years, highlighting the importance of her work.
Driven by a passion for innovation, Dr Nzenze enrolled in cohort 6 of the International Program in Public Health Leadership and actively contributes as a trainer in the Data2Policy initiative.
Her research interests span communicable and non-communicable disease surveillance and prevention, the application of digital tools in healthcare, data-driven decision-making, and the pursuit of cost-effective interventions to improve public health outcomes.
CENTRE HEADS
PROF. ADRIAN PUREN
CENTRE FOR HIV AND STI'S
DR JACQUELINE WEYER
CENTRE FOR EMERGING, ZOONOTIC
AND PARASITIC DISEASES
PROF. CHERYL COHEN
CENTRE FOR RESPIRATORY DISEASES AND MENINGITIS
DR NISHI PRABDIAL-SING
CENTRE FOR VACCINES AND IMMUNOLOGY
DR SUSAN NZENZE
DIVISION OF PUBLIC HEALTH, SURVEILLANCE AND RESPONSE
DR SHAHEED VALLY OMAR
CENTRE FOR TUBERCULOSIS
Prof. Vindana Chibabhai
CENTRE FOR HEALTH-CARE ASSOCIATED INFECTIONS, ANTIMICROBIAL RESISTANCE AND MYCOSES
Prof. Nicola Page
CENTRE FOR ENTERIC DISEASES
DR MAZVITA MUCHENGETI
NATIONAL CANCER REGISTRY
