Professor Emerita Valerie Mizrahi elected to prestigious US academy
Professor Emerita Valerie Mizrahi, world-renowned tuberculosis (TB) researcher and senior academic at the University of Cape Town (UCT), has been elected as an international honorary member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences – one of the most prestigious academic societies in the United States.
The announcement, made on 22 April, recognises Professor Mizrahi’s outstanding contributions to the field of biological sciences. She joins a select group of global scholars who have been honoured for their excellence across disciplines ranging from science and technology, to the arts, humanities and public affairs.
Mizrahi is the director of UCT’s Molecular Mycobacteriology Research Unit and former director of the Institute for Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine. She was elected in the biological sciences category, under the immunology and microbiology subfield.
Founded in 1870, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences brings together exceptional individuals to address critical global challenges and advance the public good. Its members include Nobel and Pulitzer Prize winners, public intellectuals, artists and scientists.
Mizrahi joins other UCT members of the academy, including former Vice-Chancellor interim Emeritus Professor Daya Reddy and former chair and head of the Department of Medicine Emeritus Professor Solomon (Solly) Benatar. Other distinguished South Africans who have also been awarded membership include Professor Quarraisha Abdool-Karim from the Centre for the AIDS Programme of Research in South Africa, and Stellenbosch University’s Professor Jonathan Jansen.