Hannelie Meyer
Hannelie Meyer is a Professor in the Department of Public Health Pharmacy and Management, School of Pharmacy at Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University (SMU) and Head of the South African Vaccination and Immunisation Centre at SMU in South Africa. She chairs the ministerial advisory National Immunisation Safety Expert Committee, serves on the National Advisory Group on Immunisation, the Board of the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) and the WHO Global Advisory Committee on Vaccine Safety.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, she worked with the National Department of Health and SAHPRA to strengthen vaccine safety surveillance in South Africa, as part of the African Union Smart Safety Solutions (AU-3S) programme to strengthen pharmacovigilance across Africa. She has also been chairing the AU-3S Joint Signal Management Group, aimed at facilitating cross-country signal management in Africa. She specialises in vaccine safety, vaccine hesitancy, vaccination as a pillar of antimicrobial stewardship, and rational medicines use. She is a National Research Foundation rated scientist and her research aims to strengthen healthcare services, improve public health, and contribute towards reaching the sustainable development goal of good health and well-being. She is a core member of the SMU Research Ethics Committee and an active member of various professional societies.