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Professor and Programme Director, SA MRC Centre for Health Economics and Decision Science - PRICELESS SA (Priority Cost Effective Lessons in Systems Strengthening South Africa), University of the Witwatersrand

Professor Karen Hofman is the Director of the South African Medical Research Council Centre for Health Policy and Decision Science - PRICELESS SA (Priority Cost Effective Lessons for Systems Strengthening), a research unit based in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of the Witwatersrand School of Public Health (www.pricelesssa.ac.za).

The PRICELESS / SA MRC Centre for Health Economics and Decision Science mission is to determine how to achieve the best return on investments for health in particular for the most vulnerable. These "best buys" can be found both within the health system and also in sectors other than health.

A medical graduate of the University of the Witwatersrand and qualified as paediatrician, Karen previously served as Director of Policy and Planning at the US NIH, Fogarty International Center, and spent a decade on the faculty at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. She has consulted for WHO/PAHO and is published widely in international journals. Karen is a member ASSAf (Academy of Sciences South Africa) and in 2016 was honoured by the Public Health Association of South Africa with its PHILA award. In 2020, Karen received the Wits Vice-Chancellors award for Research with Social Impact.

Contact: Karen.Hofman@wits.ac.za

Experience

  • –present
    Director: Priority Cost Effective Lessons for Systems Strengthening (PRICELESS SA), University of the Witwatersrand
  • 2019–present
    Program director, SAMRC Centre for Health Economics and Decision Science
  • 2016–present
    Research Professor , University of Witwatersrand

Education

  • 1988 
    American College of Medical Genetics , Board Certified
  • 1988 
    American Academy of Pediatrics, Board Certified
  • 1978 
    Witwatersrand School of Medicine, M.B. B Ch.

Professional Memberships

  • Academy of Sciences South Africa

Honours

PHILA award, Public Health Assn South Africa ( PHASA) 2016, Wits Vice-Chancellors award for Research with Social Impact 2020