Why she matters in 2025
Prof. Quarraisha Abdool Karim remains one of Africa’s most influential public health scientists. CAPRISA states that she is its Associate Scientific Director, and in 2025, she was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society and recognized by the Virchow Foundation for the Virchow Prize.
Profile
Prof. Quarraisha Abdool Karim belongs on this list because she represents a level of scientific influence that very few African health leaders can match. Her work has not only appeared in journals or at conferences. It has shaped the way the world understands HIV prevention, especially for women and girls, and it has influenced policy, funding, and the design of interventions far beyond South Africa. That is the difference between a respected researcher and a genuine health leader.
She belongs in the top tier of this list because Africa’s health future will not be shaped only by administrators and ministers. It will also be shaped by scientists whose work changes policy, reframes priorities, and expands what health systems can realistically do. Quarraisha Abdool Karim is one of the clearest examples of that kind of power
Influence Areas
HIV Prevention; Research and Innovation; Women’s Health; Global Health Science
Why Africa Health 20 selected her
She was selected because her research has changed global HIV prevention, and her influence in 2025 remains active, visible, and internationally recognized.
