Keertan Dheda
Keertan Dheda MBBCh, FCP, FCCP, PhD, FRCP, born in March 1969, is a Professor of Respiratory Medicine, and Head of the Division of Pulmonology at the University of Cape Town, which provides tertiary respiratory facilities to a population of 3.74 million people including for poverty-related diseases such as tuberculosis, HIV, pneumonia, and other diseases including COPD, asthma and lung cancer. He holds a Professor of Mycobacteriology appointment at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and is a Visiting Professor at University College London. He is a South African National Research Foundation .Research
His research work focuses on the molecular epidemiology, diagnosis, transmission, and treatment of TB, and antimicrobial resistance of pulmonary pathogens including Mycobacterium tuberculosis. He has a keen interest in medical education and interventional pulmonology including bronchial thermoplasty, ultrasound-guided mediastinal biopsy and medical thoracoscopy.Awards & recognition
He has been the recipient of several prestigious international awards including the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease Scientific Award, and the 2018 European Union-funded EDCTP Scientific Leadership Award. Other awards include the Harry Oppenheimer Fellowship Award, the BHP-Billiton Research award, MRC Scientific Achievement Award. He has been profiled in The Lancet, the Business Day newspaper, IOL, News24, and Carte Blanche, a high-profile news programme in South Africa.Leadership
He serves on the editorial board of the journals PLoS One, American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Medicine, Lancet Respiratory Diseases and Scientific Reports, amongst others. He serves on several national and international academic and advisory bodies and holds 5 patents. He is the current President of the , and is the founder and co-director of the charity, , which provides support and healthcare to poor and needy persons afflicted with TB.
