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Salim Abdool Karim

Infectious disease epidemiologist

By South African Index Editorial Desk · Published · Updated

Portrait of Salim Abdool Karim
Photograph: Nikita Devnarain · Original file · CC BY-SA 4.0. Resized and converted to WebP for this site.

Salim Abdool Karim is a South African infectious disease epidemiologist and director of CAPRISA. His research has addressed HIV prevention and the treatment of people with both tuberculosis and HIV. [2][1]

Biography

CAPRISA identifies Abdool Karim as its director and co-founder. Columbia University lists him as a professor of global health in epidemiology. His work links a South African research institution with an international academic appointment. [1][2]

He was among the investigators of the CAPRISA 004 trial, published in Science in 2010. That randomised trial tested a tenofovir gel as a method of HIV prevention in women. Its findings were a proof of concept in a particular study setting, not a claim that the same formulation became a universally adopted prevention method. [3][4][5]

Columbia also records his work on clinical management of TB-HIV co-infection. The Royal Society describes contributions to HIV prevention, treatment research and vaccine-related work. These are separate strands of a research career rather than a single discovery. [2][6]

Key contributions

Co-led research connected to the CAPRISA 004 HIV prevention trial; the original trial paper identifies its investigators and methods. [3][4]

Conducted research on treatment of TB-HIV co-infection, documented in his Columbia and Royal Society profiles. [2][6]

Career timeline

  1. CAPRISA was established; he is identified as a director and co-founder. [7][1]

  2. The CAPRISA 004 trial results were published in Science. [4]

  3. CAPRISA records his role as chair of South Africa’s ministerial advisory committee on COVID-19. [7]

Sources

  1. CAPRISA, Leadership. Original source. Accessed 2026-09-23. ↩
  2. Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, Salim Abdool Karim, MB, ChB. Original source. Accessed 2026-09-23. ↩
  3. CAPRISA, Leading AIDS scientist elected to the Royal Society. Original source. Accessed 2026-09-23. ↩
  4. CAPRISA 004 Trial Group, Effectiveness and safety of tenofovir gel, an antiretroviral microbicide, for the prevention of HIV infection in women, 2010-09-03. Original source. Accessed 2026-09-23. ↩
  5. CAPRISA, CAPRISA expresses support of Women’s Voices for HIV Prevention Gel march. Original source. Accessed 2026-09-23. ↩
  6. Royal Society, Professor Salim Safurdeen Abdool Karim FRS. Original source. Accessed 2026-09-23. ↩
  7. CAPRISA, Our Story. Original source. Accessed 2026-09-23. ↩