Johanna C. Meyer

Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University, Pretoria, South Africa

Johanna C. Meyer (Hannelie) is a pharmacist by profession with postgraduate qualifications i.e. MSc(Med) and PhD. She is a Professor in the School of Pharmacy, and Head of the South African Vaccination and Immunisation Centre at Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University (SMU). As an advocate for public health pharmacy, her focus is directed towards strengthening the WHO building block of ‘medical products, technologies and vaccines’, to ensure people have sustained access to, and appropriately use essential medical products, vaccines and technologies that are safe, effective, and of assured quality.

Professor Meyer chairs the ministerial advisory National Immunisation Safety Expert Committee, and in this capacity, serves on the National Advisory Group on Immunisation. She is also a Board Member of the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA). In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, she worked with the National Department of Health and SAHPRA to establish the COVID-19 Vaccine Safety Surveillance network for South Africa. This included the introduction of the Med Safety App for the reporting of adverse events following immunisation and suspected adverse drug reactions, as part of the African Union Smart Safety Solutions (AU-3S) 10-year programme to strengthen pharmacovigilance across Africa. She currently chairs the 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. Prof Meyer specialises in vaccine safety, vaccination as an important pillar of antimicrobial stewardship, vaccine hesitancy and rational medicine use. She collaborates with researchers across Africa and internationally, has published widely in international peer-reviewed journals, presented multiple peer-reviewed papers at national/international meetings, and has supervised more than 80 postgraduate students to completion. She has been the recipient of various research/academic presentation awards, received two SMU Vice Chancellor’s Research Excellence Awards in 2018 and the Distinguished Community Scholar Excellence Award in 2021. She is a core member of the SMU Research Ethics Committee and is an active member of various professional societies including the PSSA, SAAHIP, MURIA, SASOCP, ISPE and ISOP.