Prof Refilwe Phaswana-Mafuya

Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Research & Innovation
Name: Refilwe Phaswana-Mafuya
Location: 1st Floor West Wing Madibeng, Auckland Park Kingsway Campus
Management Executive Committee, PACER Staff  Staff Members

Contact Details:
Tel: +27 11 559-4991/4815

Personal/Executive Assistant: Ms Ansuya Lalsab

About Prof Refilwe Phaswana-Mafuya

Director

Prof Refilwe Phaswana-Mafuya is the Deputy Vice Chancellor: Research and Innovation Designate at the University of Johannesburg. She is a Professor of Epidemiology and Public Health (PhD, PGD (Epi), MSc (Epi)) trained at University of Limpopo and London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. She is the founding Director of the first ever and the only South African Medical Research Council Extramural Unit at the University of Johannesburg, the Pan African Centre for Epidemics Research, April 2022 – Sep 2024 (PACER). Preceding this, Prof Phaswana-Mafuya was the first Deputy Vice-Chancellor Research and Innovation at the North-West University, Oct 2017 – Oct 2020. She also worked at the Human Sciences Research Council as Executive Director, SAHARA Director, Research Director, and Chief Research Manager, Jan 2005 -Sep 2017. Prof Phaswana-Mafuya is a fellow of the African Academy of Sciences and  the organization for women in science in developing countries respectively; an ASSAF merited scientist; and NRF rated scientist. She received the 2024 HERS-SA Lifetime Achiever and Trailblazer Awards for her outstanding contributions in the HIV field as a qualified epidemiologist and public health scientist. She was coronated as Queen Mother for Research and Development by the Abeadze Kingdom, Central Ghana, August 2022. Further, Prof Phaswana-Mafuya received the prestigious National Science and Technology Forum TW Nkambule Award (2017) in recognition of her outstanding contribution to SET, 15 years after obtaining her PhD. She is member of NRF Board (2nd term), ASSAF Council (2nd term), Higher Health Board (2nd term), the Dira Sengwe AIDS Conferences, African Health Research Institute Scientific Advisory Committee, among others. She serve/d at various international panels including the International Expert Panel on Infectiology; UK’s Medical Research Foundation; African German Research Networks for Health Innovations in SSA; University of Münster “Tropical Programs.