David Lewis - Regional Director IUSTI-Africa

A new series profiling IUSTI people.

David is Head of the Sexually Transmitted Infections Reference Centre at the National Institute of Communicable Diseases in Johannesburg.  Within South Africa, he holds two Honorary Associate Professorships, one in the School of Clinical Medicine at the University of the Witwatersrand and one in the Division of Medical Microbiology at the University of Cape Town, where he is also an Adjunct Member of the Institute of Infectious Diseases and Molecular Medicine.  In addition, he holds an Honorary Senior Lectureship in the Clinical Research Unit at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.  

David has worked in the field of STIs since 1989 from a number of perspectives.  Until his move to South Africa, he held the position of Consultant Physician in Genitourinary and HIV Medicine at Guy's and St. Thomas' Hospital NHS Trust in London.  As a junior doctor, he trained in clinical STIs and HIV at St. Mary's Hospital in London and Birmingham General Hospital.  He also trained for three years in clinical microbiology at the Royal London Hospital, during which time he obtained his MSc with a project involving antimicrobial susceptibility testing and typing of gonococcal isolates.  In 1997, he spent a two month sabbatical at the SAIMR in Johannesburg at Professor Ron Ballard' Unit where he furthered his interest in genital ulcer disease and gonorrhoea.  David’s clinical attachments in South Africa kindled his research interest in chancroid and he subsequently obtained a Wellcome Trust Fellowship to study the pathogenesis of Haemophilus ducreyi infection at Imperial College, London and at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Centre, which culminated in the award of his PhD.   

David was active in the voluntary sector prior to leaving the UK in 2004, working with youth-related projects in South-East London and serving as a Trustee and Board member of the NAZ Project – an NGO which addresses sexual health issues in Asian, South American and Horn of Africa communities in London.  In August 2007, David was elected to the Executive Board of the International Society for STD Research (ISSTDR).  He continues to participate as a member of WHO STI expert consultation groups, is Assistant Editor for the 'Sexually Transmitted Infections' and a joint editor for 'Sexual Health'.

His research interests focus on gonorrhoea, genital ulcer disease, outreach STI services and men’s sexual health.  Outside of work, David is an avid photographer and traveller.  Within Africa, David has so far visited Uganda, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Swaziland, Lesotho and Senegal and hopes to visit many other African countries in the coming years.

Webmaster  December 18th 2007.