Thesla Palanee-Phillips

Dr Palanee-Phillips is Director of Clinical Trials at Wits RHI in Johannesburg. She is a Reader and Associate Prof at the University of the Witwatersrand and holds a Joint appointment as an

Affiliate Assoc Prof at the University of Washington, Department of Epidemiology; School of Public Health, Seattle, USA. She is a HPCSA registered Medical Biological Scientist and is Wits RHI's Laboratory Director. Her academic training includes completion of a Masters in Medical Science (Natal), a PhD (Biochemistry) and a Masters in Clinical trials (LSHTM). She is the Clinical Research Site (CRS) Leader of the Wits RHI Research Centre CRS.. Her research has focused on biomedical HIV prevention with microbicides, vaginal rings, oral and injectable pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) , STI prevention and contraception for the last 20 years. Her skillset includes designing and implementing clinical trials and investigator research driven research studies integrating complex laboratory components as well as qualitative and behavioural questions. She has a particular interest in questions that bridge HIV/STI prevention with sexual/reproductive health, issues impacting adherence to HIV prevention interventions in the context of gender based violence and studies of interventions related to mitigation of risk for adolescent girls and young women (AGYW), men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender women (TGW)