Dr Corena de Beer completed her PhD in Immunology and has also gained experience in the Management of a BSL-3 laboratory and virus culture since joining the Division of Medical Virology of the Stellenbosch University in 2004.
She has been Supervising postgraduate students since 2004 and has been the Chairperson of the Division Medical Virology’s Postgraduate Program Committee since 2011. As the Chairperson of the National Authority for Containment for the Africa Region of the WHO Global Action Plan (GAP III) for Polio Eradication, Dr De Beer is one of only two qualified GAP III Auditors in South Africa.
She is the Vice-Chairperson of the Biosafety and Environmental Ethics Committee of Stellenbosch University and Serves on Academic Review Boards and Evaluation Committees on a regular basis. Dr De Beer's postgraduate student Supervision record started in 2006 and she also serves as a Mentor for internships (e.g. National Research Foundation) since 2015.
Her main Research focus is the investigation of sudden and unexpected death in infancy and describing infectious aetiology and immunology in these cases. She has been involved in several Studies in babies and infants, including respiratory infections, antibody responses to routine EPI vaccines over time, as well as the immunological profile of HIV exposed, but uninfected infants in Cape Town.
