Peru - We are excited to announce the presentation of the IAS/Aurum Institute Gita Ramjee Prize at the 2024 HIVR4P Conference today!
This prestigious award recognises outstanding female scientists in HIV prevention research who embody the values championed by the late Professor Gita Ramjee—commitment to evidence-based research, support for disadvantaged communities, and a focus on gender transformation. The prize celebrates leading female scientists who demonstrate the principles and practices Prof. Ramjee embodied throughout her remarkable career: generating evidence, uplifting disadvantaged communities, and promoting gender transformation.
Prof. Ramjee, a world-renowned HIV scientist and Chief Scientific Officer at the Aurum Institute, was a longtime member of the International AIDS Society. She dedicated her life to HIV prevention and treatment research, contributing significantly to advancing HIV prevention science among women in South Africa. During her tenure as chief specialist scientist and director of the South African Medical Research Council’s (SAMRC) HIV Prevention Research Unit, Professor Ramjee’s KwaZulu-Natal-based team was at the forefront of developing HIV prevention methods tailored to the needs of South African women.
During the plenary session “New Tools: New Challenges,” the main prize of USD 5,000 is awarded to Elizabeth Irungu from Jhpiego in Kenya for her exceptional abstract: “PrEP Choice for Women in Africa: Uptake of Oral PrEP and PrEP Ring.”
The USD 1,000 prize for the best poster goes to Prof. Maryam Shahmanesh from the Africa Health Research Institute in South Africa for her remarkable work: “Thetha Nami ngithethe nawe: Early Findings of cRCT of Peer-Navigators Mobilisation into Mobile Integrated Sexual Health and HIV Services on Uptake of HIV Oral Pre-exposure Prophylaxis in Rural South Africa.”
Join us in celebrating the achievements of these incredible scientists as they take the stage today!”
