Salim Abdool Karim facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Salim Abdool Karim
FRSSAf FRS
|
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born | 29 July 1960 South Africa
|
| Nationality | South African |
| Alma mater | University of Natal Columbia University Colleges of Medicine of South Africa University of South Africa |
| Known for | Scientific and leadership contributions in AIDS and Covid-19 |
| Spouse(s) | Quarraisha Abdool Karim |
| Children | 3 |
| Awards | 2023: Honorary Doctorate of Health Sciences, Durban University of Technology 2022: 4th Hideyo Noguchi Africa Prize, Government of Japan VinFuture Special Prize, VinFuture Foundation, Vietnam 2021: UNISA Chancellor’s Calabash Award, University of South Africa Honorary Doctorate: DSc (honoris causa), Rhodes University CPHIA 2021 Lifetime Achievement in Public Health Award, African Union (AU) and Africa CDC 2020: John Dirks Canada Gairdner Global Health Award, Gairdner Foundation John Maddox Prize for Standing up for Science, Sense about Science and Nature 500 years of the Straits of Magellan Award, Government of Chile The Sunday Times Top 100 Honorary Award for contributions to the South African Covid-19 response 2018: Al-Sumait Prize for the Advancement of Science, Amir of Kuwait and the Kuwait Foundation 2017: Lifetime Achievement Award, Institute of Human Virology 2015: African Union’s Kwame Nkrumah Continental Scientific Award Platinum Lifetime Achievement Award, Medical Research Council 2014: Honorary doctorate - DSc (Medicine) (honoris causa), University of Cape Town US Science and Technology Pioneers Prize (to the CAPRISA 004 trial team), the US Agency for International Development 2013: John F. W. Herschel Medal, Royal Society of South Africa 2011: Science for Society Gold Medal Award, Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf) Olusegun Obasanjo Prize, African Academy of Sciences 2009: TWAS Prize, The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Infectious Diseases |
| Institutions | Centre for the AIDS Programme of Research in South Africa (CAPRISA) CAPRISA Professor of Global Health, Columbia University, Mailman School of Public Health, New York. |
Salim S. Abdool Karim is a famous South African doctor and scientist. He is an epidemiologist, which means he studies how diseases spread, and a virologist, a scientist who studies viruses. He is known for his important work in fighting the AIDS and COVID-19 epidemics. His research has helped save thousands of lives.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Salim Abdool Karim was born in Durban, South Africa, in 1960. His family was of Indian heritage. During his childhood, South Africa was under a system called apartheid. This was a set of unfair laws that separated people by race. Because of these laws, his family was forced to move from their home in Durban to a segregated area called Chatsworth.
After high school, he wanted to study engineering but could not afford it. He was able to get a scholarship to study medicine at the University of Natal. While in medical school, he also took out a loan to study computer science and statistics. His first research project as a student looked at how apartheid created unfair differences in health for people of different races.
Career as a Scientist and Leader
Professor Abdool Karim is a professor at the University of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa and at Columbia University in the United States. He has spent his career researching serious diseases and finding ways to stop them.
In 2002, he started a famous research center called Centre for the AIDS Programme of Research in South Africa (CAPRISA). This center has done groundbreaking work on HIV and tuberculosis (TB).
When the COVID-19 pandemic began, the South African government asked him to lead a team of 45 experts. This team, called the Ministerial Advisory Committee, gave scientific advice to help the country deal with the virus.
He is also the Vice President for Outreach and Engagement of the International Science Council, a global organization for scientists.
Major Scientific Discoveries
Professor Abdool Karim's research has focused on preventing HIV, treating people who have both HIV and TB, and fighting COVID-19.
Preventing HIV
One of his most famous studies was the CAPRISA 004 trial. He led this study with his wife, Quarraisha Abdool Karim. They discovered that a special gel containing a medicine called tenofovir could help protect women from getting HIV. This was a huge breakthrough. The WHO called it one of the most important scientific discoveries in the fight against AIDS. The study also found the gel could protect against the herpes simplex virus.
His team also found that in many cases, young women were getting HIV from men who were about 10 years older. This discovery helped change how health organizations in Africa teach people about preventing HIV.
Fighting COVID-19
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Professor Abdool Karim's research focused on new versions, or variants, of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. His work helped doctors and public health officials understand how these variants spread and how they affected people's health.
Standing Up for Science and Human Rights
As a young man, Professor Abdool Karim was an activist against the unfair apartheid system. He helped create a community newspaper to rally people against the government's unjust rules. He also helped start an organization for doctors and dentists that fought for equal healthcare for all people.
Later in his career, he bravely challenged government leaders in South Africa who were not taking the AIDS crisis seriously. He worked to get life-saving medicines for people with HIV, even when it was against government policy. He has also spoken out against corruption and for human rights.
Awards and Recognition
Professor Abdool Karim is one of the most respected scientists in the world. He has won many major awards for his work.
- The Hideyo Noguchi Africa Prize from Japan for his medical research.
- The John Dirks Canada Gairdner Global Health Award.
- The John Maddox Prize for bravely standing up for science.
- The African Union Kwame Nkrumah Award for Scientific Excellence, which is Africa's top science prize.
He is a member of some of the world's most important science groups, including the Royal Society in the UK and the US National Academy of Medicine. He is also on the editorial board of the New England Journal of Medicine, one of the top medical journals in the world.
Personal Life
Professor Abdool Karim is married to Quarraisha Abdool Karim, who is also a world-renowned scientist. They have worked together on many important research projects and have three children.
