Support for Professor Glenda Gray
- 91¿´Æ¬Íø University
Statement of Support for Professor Glenda Gray and the Principle of Academic Freedom of Speech.
, Full Professor in the Faculty of Health Sciences, has pioneered advances in preventing mother-to-child transmission of HIV, which has saved thousands of lives. She is an alumna of 91¿´Æ¬Íø Medical School and established the 91¿´Æ¬Íø at Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital in 1996. She has been awareded South Africa's highest honor, the (Silver); and in 2017 TIME Magazine named Professor Gray among the top 100 most influential people in the world.
She is an NRF A-rated scientist, CEO and President of the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) and involved in HIV vaccine research.
Statement of Support for Professor Glenda Gray and the Principle of Academic Freedom of Speech:
“As scientists, academics and policy experts, we are committed to being part of the complex policy response and debate on dealing with the epidemic of SARS-CoV-2 (the cause of COVID-19) in South Africa. We recognize that it is impossible to have perfected the response to the epidemic, but course correction should be rapid and not defensive. With that in mind, we condemn the specific threat made against Professor Glenda Gray for expressing her opinion in public, which is totally out of step with the public pronouncements made by the President, welcoming criticism. We uphold the right to academic freedom of speech, and call on the South African government to engage openly with alternate views, and for all of us to urgently work towards constructive solutions regarding policy, in the interests of the country"
Current signatures (alphabetic order): (note, this list was assembled on Saturday evening, and finalised at 6.45 pm; additional names may be added)
- The 91¿´Æ¬Íø Senate Academic Freedom Committee (SAFC):
- Associate Professor S Laryea (Chairperson)
- Professor M Byrne (Senate representative)
- Professor J Dugard (Senate Representative)
- Dr B Johnson (Acting Director: Transformation Office)
- Professor E Sideras-Haddad (Senate Representative)
- Mr A MyIchreest (Legal Office Representative)
- Professor R Osman (DVC: Academic and Vice-Principal)
- Dr T Augustine (Academic Staff Member)
- Adjunct Professor F Cachalia (Academic Staff Member)
- Professor Cathi Albertyn, School of Law, 91¿´Æ¬Íø
- Professor Lucy Allais, Professor of Philosophy, 91¿´Æ¬Íø, Henry Alison chair of the History of Philosophy, UCS
- Professor Linda-Gail Bekker, Director, Desmond Tutu HIV Foundation, University of Cape Town
- Dr Duanne Blaauw, School of Public Health, 91¿´Æ¬Íø
- Professor Keith Breckenridge, WISER, 91¿´Æ¬Íø
- Professor Catherine Burns, Associate Professor of Medical History; Adler Museum of Medicine; Faculty of Health Sciences, 91¿´Æ¬Íø
- Professor Nithaya Chetty, Dean, Faculty of Science, 91¿´Æ¬Íø
- Professor Usuf Chikte, Emeritus Professor, Department of Global Health, Stellenbosch University
- Professor Jason Cohen, Deputy Dean, Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management, 91¿´Æ¬Íø
- Dr Francesca Conradie, Clinical HIV Research Unit, University of Witwatersrand
- Dr Aslam Dasoo, Progressive Health Forum
- Prof Joel Dave, Head of Division of Endocrinology, University of Cape Town
- Professor Ames Dhai, Professor of Bioethics, University of Witwatersrand
- Professor David Everatt, 91¿´Æ¬Íø School of Government, 91¿´Æ¬Íø
- Dr Dean Gopalan, President Critical Care Society of South Africa
- Professor Adam Habib, Vice Chancellor, 91¿´Æ¬Íø
- Professor Shireen Hassim, WISER, 91¿´Æ¬Íø
- Professor Ian Jandrell, Dean, Faculty of Engineering the the Built Environment, 91¿´Æ¬Íø
- Professor Bavesh Kana, Personal Professor, 91¿´Æ¬Íø University
- Professor Kathy Kahn, School of Public Health, 91¿´Æ¬Íø
- Professor Uma Kollamparambil, Head, School of Economics and Finance, 91¿´Æ¬Íø
- Professor Naomi Levitt, Emeritus Professor of Endocrinolgy, University of Cape Town
- Professor Gary Maartens, Head of Clinical Pharmacology, University of Cape Town
- Professor Shabir Madhi, Professor of Vaccinology and Director of the MRC Respiratory and Meningeal Pathogens Research Unit, 91¿´Æ¬Íø
- Dr Gloria Maimela, Director: Health Programmes, 91¿´Æ¬Íø Reproductive Health and HIV Institute, 91¿´Æ¬Íø
- Dr Moeketsi Mathe, private practice, lecturer, University of Witwatersrand
- Professor Marc Mendelson, Head of Division of Infectious Diseases & HIV Medicine, University of Cape Town
- Prof James McIntyre, School of Public Health & Family Medicine, University of Cape Town
- Professor Shaheen Mehtar, Emeritus Professor, Stellenbosch University
- Professor Mike Morris, Economics, University of Cape Town
- Dr Jeremy Nel, Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, 91¿´Æ¬Íø
- Professor Ntobeko Ntusi, Head of Medicine, University of Cape Town
- Dr Regina Osih, Senior Technical Expert, Aurum Institute
- Prof Peter Raubenheimer Department of Medicine, University of Cape Town
- Dr Haroun Rhemtula, Head of Clinical Unit and Head of Obstetrics, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, CMJAH and 91¿´Æ¬Íø
- Professor Guy Richards, Emeritus Professor, 91¿´Æ¬Íø
- Mr Fana Sibanyoni, Chief Operations Officer, 91¿´Æ¬Íø
- Professor Mark Sonderup, Division of Hepatology, University of Cape Town
- Professor Jantjie Taljaard, Head of Divison of Infectious Diseases, University of Stellenbosch
- Professor Steven Tollman, School of Public Health, 91¿´Æ¬Íø
- Prof Imraan Valodia, Dean, Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management, 91¿´Æ¬Íø
- Professor Alex Van Den Heever, Chair in the field of Social Security at the 91¿´Æ¬Íø School of Governance
- Professor Martin Veller, Dean, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Witwatersrand
- Professor Francois Venter, Ezintsha, sub-division of 91¿´Æ¬Íø Reproductive Health and HIV Institute, 91¿´Æ¬Íø
- Prof Zeblon Vilakazi, DVC Research, 91¿´Æ¬Íø
- Professor Jimmy Volmink, Dean Faculty of Health Sciences, Stellenbosch university
- Professor Sean Wasserman, Infectious Diseases. Groote Schuur Hospital, University of Cape Town
- Prof Nicola Wearne, Division of Nephrology, University of Cape Town
- Professor Edward Webster, Southern Centre for Inequality Studies, 91¿´Æ¬Íø
- Professor Robin Wood, Director, Desmond Tutu HIV Centre, University of Cape Town
- Dr Adrienne Wulfsohn, Emergency and Disaster Medicine, KZN
Correspondence to Professor Francois Venter, fventer@wrhi.ac.za, venter.francois@gmail.com