Professor Helen Rees recognised in Africa Health 20
20 Leaders Shaping Health Across Africa
Professor Helen Rees, one of South Africa’s most well-known women scientists, studied Medical Sciences at Murray Edwards from 1971 and became an Honorary Fellow in 2015. A visionary in vaccines, HIV, and adolescent health, Helen’s work has shaped policy and advanced equity across Africa and beyond. The 20 Leaders Shaping Health Across Africa list recognises African leaders who are shaping the continent’s health agenda in real time through institutional power, scientific leadership, policy reform, emergency response, manufacturing, regulation, financing, and accountability.
Prof. Helen Rees is included in Africa Health 20 because she represents a form of influence that is both scientific and policy-shaping. As Founder and Executive Director of Wits RHI, she leads one of South Africa’s most important research and implementation institutions, with work spanning HIV, tuberculosis, reproductive health, and vaccines.
Her influence is not simply academic. It lives in policy, public health strategy, and the institutions that translate evidence into action. In 2025 Helen received the prestigious Dr Lee Jong-wook Memorial Prize for Public Health from the World Health Organization, one of the highest global honours in the field of public health. It recognises her ‘exceptional contributions’ to global health, particularly in vaccine research, outbreak response, and health equity. In addition to the WHO accolade, Helen was also recently elected as a Fellow of the African Academy of Sciences (AAS), joining a distinguished network of scholars committed to advancing science and innovation across the African continent.