Kelly Chibale elected to the US National Academy of Medicine
The University of Cape Town’s (UCT) Professor Kelly Chibale has been elected as an international member of the esteemed United States National Academy of Medicine (NAM) for pioneering infectious disease drug discovery on the African continent.
Election to the academy is considered one of the highest honours in health and medicine. It recognises individuals who have demonstrated outstanding professional achievement and commitment to service.
The election citation recognises that Professor Chibale, the Neville Isdell Chair in Africancentric Drug Discovery & Development and founder, has led international project teams, including one that discovered the first small molecule clinical candidate for any disease, researched on African soil by an African-led international team. Chibale is also the founder and director of H3D, UCT’s drug discovery and development centre based in the Department of Chemistry and Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine (IDM).
NAM elected 90 regular and 10 international members during its annual meeting on Monday, 21 October 2024.