Aurum South Africa CEO Prof Vinodh Edward has been appointed Honorary Associate Professor at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN).
Edward said he was especially proud of this appointment at the College of Health Sciences as he had started his tertiary education there.
“It feels like I have come full circle but at the same time, it’s the start of a new journey. I look forward to working with the team at UKZN to support and strengthen capacity development and contribute towards the development of the next cadre of scientists and entrepreneurs,” he said.
Edward is also the founder and CEO of Global Health Innovations (GHI), which is part of the Aurum Group.
Tireless efforts
Aurum Group CEO Prof Gavin Churchyard said the appointment is testament to Edward’s commitment, passion, scientific excellence and his tireless efforts to improve the lives of those we serve. “I, on behalf of the Aurum Group executive, congratulate Prof Edward on this well-deserved appointment."
"Prof Edward's appointment also reflects Aurum’s commitment to doing policy changing science, supporting the career development of our staff, and establishing partnerships with academic and other implementing partners across Africa,” added Churchyard.
Partnership
The partnership with the University was strengthened in 2020, at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in South Africa. Edward started working closely with the Dean of Research at the College of Health Sciences, Prof Anil Chuturgoon and Senior Lecturer Dr Veron Ramsuran on an initiative to provide COVID-19 tests to indigent communities and students. “In a very short time Aurum, GHI and UKZN were able to mobilise resources to help in the fight against COVID-19. We rapidly established labs and were very successful in supporting efforts to identify and test people for COVID-19. This sparked the idea that Aurum, GHI and UKZN could work together in the longer term to contribute towards better public health outcomes,” said Edward.
Chuturgoon said Edward was key in facilitating the collaboration which resulted in about 6000 COVID-19 tests conducted in informal settlements in Durban and about 12 000 student tests at UKZN.
“It is a privilege to welcome this accomplished academic, researcher and corporate executive and we look to benefit from his vast experience and expertise in innovation and entrepreneurship, and clinical trials. It is our fervent hope that his skills will help generate a much-needed third-stream income for UKZN,” said Chuturgoon.
Highly regarded
Edward said Aurum’s growing partnerships with various academic institutions around the world is testament to the quality of work and outputs and demonstrated that the organisation and its researchers are highly regarded in academia.
Prof Edward’s other affiliations are:
Adjunct Assistant Professor: Environmental Health Sciences, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
Honorary Senior Researcher: School of Pathology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa
Co-Chair: Institutional Biosafety Committee, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa
Board Member: Madibeng Centre for Research, Brits, North-West Province, South Africa
