Prof Koleka Mlisana

Professor Koleka Mlisana is the Chief Executive Officer of the NHLS. Before her appointment she previously served as the Executive Manager: Academic Affairs, Research & Quality Assurance at the NHLS, from July 2018 to April 2024. Prior to this she was the HOD Medical Microbiology at UKZN/IALCH; and also served a term as a member of the NHLS Board. Her previous contributions include being a co-investigator and Project Director of the CAPRISA 004 tenofovir gel trial at the eThekwini site and Head of HIV Pathogenesis and Vaccine Research Programme at the Centre for the AIDS Program of Research in South Africa (CAPRISA).

She has undertaken seminal research which has revealed how the body responds during acute HIV infection. She was the Protocol co-Chair and Project Director of the CAPRISA 002 study, a >10 year follow-up study of patients with acute HIV infection. Her current research interests include TB diagnostics, drug resistance as well as Sexually Transmitted Infections and has co-authored more than 130 peer reviewed journal articles. She has been a member of the Board of the South African Medical Research Council and currently serves on the Ministerial Advisory Committee on Antimicrobial Resistance and is a member of the Board of Trustees for the South African National AIDS Council.