Bongani Mayosi was born in Mthatha on 28 January 1967, moved to the village of Ngqamakhwe when he was one year old, with his father, George, the local district surgeon, and his mother, Nontle, a nurse. One of five children, Mayosi was home-schooled by his mother before he matriculated top of his class at the age of 15 from St John's College in Mthatha. Read more about his path to academia.

Timeline of Achievements

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Infographic courtesy, Medical Chronicle

Amongst Mayosi's many achievements, he was a member of the Academy of Science of South Africa, a former President of the College of Physicians of South Africa, and Immediate Past President of the Pan-African Society of Cardiology and Chairman of the South African National Health Research Committee.

In 2016, Mayosi was recognised as an A-rated National Research Foundation researcher and in 2017 was elected to the National Academy of Medicine in the United States - becoming the only African on the highly prestigious list - considered one of the highest honours in the fields of health and medicine.

Research Contributions

Mayosi’s research and advocacy united researchers, doctors, and policymakers across the continent.
His research focused on three diseases that are rare in high-income countries, but common in Africa:

Rheumatic heart disease (potentially fatal, but treatable with penicillin)

TB Pericarditis (Tuberculosis of the heart)

Heart muscle disease

Some of his most notable contributions in recent years include:

The "heart-attack" gene discovery

Prof Bongani Mayosi at the announcement on 9 March 2017 of the CDH2 gene discovery.

The discovery of the CDH2 gene or "heart-attack" gene was the result of international collaboration that began 20 years ago led by a South African team headed by Mayosi along with researchers of the Italian Auxologico Institute of Milan and the University of Pavia.

Research has shown that cardiac deaths claim more than five lives every day in South Africa. In young South Africans, an inherited form of disease of the heart muscle (cardiomyopathy) appears to have a prominent role in the cause of sudden death that is related to cardiac disease.

Mayosi had followed a South African family that had experienced several cases of juvenile sudden death. The discovery of the CDH2 gene will help clarify the genetic mechanisms underlying ARVC, and will make early detection of the disease possible in otherwise unsuspecting people. Read more about this breakthrough discovery

 
A groundbreaking clinical trial that settled a question on treatment of TB pericarditis

The Investigation of the Management of Pericarditis (IMPI) trial found that the prescription of steroids to patients with TB pericarditis – a dangerous form of TB that can cause fluid build-up and compression of the heart, and kills a quarter of those who contract it – made no difference to their eventual mortality rate. This large-scale African-led study was already halfway through before it found funding. Read more about how this study changed clinical practice and settled a great unanswered question.

First data to track Rheumatic Heart Disease in Africa

In 2014, Mayosi presented to the world’s largest cardiovascular conference the first data ever to track rheumatic heart disease in Africa . The condition, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), is the most common cause of heart disease among schoolchildren in Africa and can be fatal if left untreated.

Top 10 Journals

Citation Graph

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