Head of South African Vaccination & Immunisation Centre
Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University, South Africa
Hannelie Meyer is the Head of the South African Vaccination and Immunisation Centre (SAVIC) and Programme Coordinator of the MPharm in Public Health Pharmacy and Management in the School of Pharmacy at Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University. She specialises in vaccine safety, vaccination as an important pillar of antimicrobial stewardship, vaccine hesitancy and rational medicine use within the field of public health pharmacy. 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 chairs the ministerial advisory National Immunisation Safety Expert Committee, and in this capacity, serves on the National Advisory Group on Immunisation. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, she also serves on the National Technical Working Group for COVID-19 Vaccine Introduction and is co-lead for COVID-19 Vaccine Safety Surveillance for the National Department of Health. She also chairs the African Union Smart Safety Solutions (AU-3S) Joint Signal Management Group, aimed at facilitating cross-country signal management for COVID-19 vaccines in Africa, to support action in the interest of public health and safety.