Prof. Linda-Gail Bekker

Prof Bekker (MBChB, DTMH, DCH, FCP (SA), PhD) is the Director of the Desmond Tutu HIV Centre at the Institute
of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine, UCT and Chief Executive Officer of the Desmond Tutu
Health Foundation. She is a physician, scientist and infectious disease specialist. Her research
interests include programmatic and action research around antiretroviral rollout and TB integration
and prevention of HIV in women, youth and MSM. Bekker was involved in a number of COVID-19 vaccine
trials and co-led the Sisonke Phase 3B study, which has seen the vaccination of 500 000 healthcare
workers in South Africa.
Prof Bekker served as President-Elect (2014- 2016) and then President (2016-2018) of the
International AIDS Society. She co-chaired the 9th IAS Conference on HIV Science in Paris, France,
the 22nd International AIDS Conference 2018 in Amsterdam and the Research 4 Prevention
conference in Cape Town in 2020. She is a A+ rated scientist, has published > 600 peer-reviewed
papers, and has an H rating of 106. In the last five years, since 2018, she has published 241 peer-
reviewed publications and has 23558 citations.