Professor Liesl Zühlke, vice president of the South African Medical Research Council, UCT Fellow and director of the Children’s Heart Disease Research Unit within the Department of Paediatrics and Child Health at UCT, has been elected a member of The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS) for the advancement of science in developing countries. TWAS supports sustainable prosperity through researcher, education policy and diplomacy. 

“It is an absolute honour to be elected as a TWAS fellow. Rheumatic heart disease kills over 360 000 people a year — the majority living in low and middle-income countries —while the prognosis for children born with congenital heart disease is significantly worse for those in the same regions,” she said. “This fellowship recognises the work done in this area and hopefully will bring further attention to the outstanding scientific and social needs to address these important global health threats.” 

Professor Zühlke, a paediatric cardiologist, has dedicated her research career to childhood-onset heart diseases of relevance to Africa including congenital and rheumatic heart disease, heart failure and cardiac disease in women of childbearing age. She is a fierce advocate for global health and cardiovascular health in women, including being on the Lancet commission for cardiovascular disease for women. 

She was awarded UCT’s Alan Pifer Award in 2022 in recognition of outstanding welfare-related research and is designated one of the top three scholars in rheumatic heart disease research worldwide. 

Internationally she serves as the President of Reach (Rheumatic Heart Disease, Evidence, Advocacy, Communication and Hope), she is a board member of the World Heart Federation, and an executive member of SAVAC (Strep A Vaccine Global Consortium) among other roles. 

In her election to TWAS, Zühlke joins some of the world’s most accomplished scientists and engineers, which includes more than 1 400 elected fellows representing 112 countries.