Salim Abdool Karim


Salim Safurdeen Abdool Karim is a South African epidemiologist and infectious diseases specialist. He was involved in the CAPRISA 004 study. He is a father and is married to Quarraisha Abdool Karim whom he has worked with in research. He is a recipient of the TWAS Prize, the most prestigious scientific award in Africa, the Kwame Nkrumah Continental Scientific Award, as well as the Reebok Human Rights Award, the Olusegun Obasanjo Prize, and other honors. Abdool Karim is a professor at both the University of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa and Columbia University in the United States. In 2020 he received jointly with his wife Quarraisha Abdool Karim the Canada Gairdner Global Health Award.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Karim was chosen to lead a 45-person Ministerial Advisory Committee. The committee was intended to guide the South African government's response to the pandemic, and included several other medical experts.

Organisations