The Order of the Baobab in Bronze

Prof Olive Shisana Awarded for:

For her outstanding contribution to the field of science and community service, particularly her tireless work in researching solutions to the scourges of HIV and AIDS.

Prof Olive Shisana is an exceptional social scientist and public health specialist who has been in Public Service for more than 30 years – both in exile and back home.

She has served as Director-General in the Department of Health, Principal Investigator in several national population-based HIV surveys, President of the International Social Science Council, and Chief Executive Officer of the Human Sciences Research Council. She is a recipient of the South African Academy of Sciences “Science-for-Society” Gold Medal in 2013.

She has also worked at the World Health Organization (Executive Director for Family and Community Health) and chaired the inaugural Council of the Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS) Think Tanks after South Africa joined BRICS.

She is an honorary professor at the University of Cape Town (Psychiatry and Mental Health Department) and was awarded the Doctor of Laws honoris causa degree by Monash University.
 
She always brings  wisdom,  boundless  energy  and  an  eye  for practical solutions to the meeting places of science and community service.

She participated in the liberation struggle, led the  technical team that demarcated South Africa into nine provinces and participated in transforming the civil service. She is best known for her contributions to social sciences research in the areas of HIV and AIDS and National Health Insurance.

Prof Shisana is currently the President and CEO of Evidence Based Solutions (Pty) Ltd, a new company dedicated to providing research and technological support in the areas of public health and information and communications technology for health to African countries.