Prof Priscilla Reddy is the Strategic Lead within the Human and Social Capabilities division at the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC).
Reddy was the Director of the Health Promotion Research and Development Unit of the South African Medical Research Council (MRC). She founded this research unit in 1995 as a new discipline to South Africa; and has developed it into a very successful and vibrant research Unit, by raising research grants (over R53 million (US$ 7 million) in the past 10 years ); and training 12 doctoral level graduates registered with Maastricht University.
She has been a Visiting Professor at the Nelson R. Mandela School of Medicine at the University of KwaZulu-Natal; and Visiting Associate Professor at the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University, the School of Nursing and Health Studies at Georgetown University; and the School of Public Health at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor and School of Public Health, University of Massachusetts. Reddy is known nationally in South Africa and internationally as making significant contributions to behavioural science in the fight against HIV/AIDS, tobacco control, and adolescent health.
She has held many prestigious professional appointments, including President Bush's PEPFAR Advisory Committee, IOM's Committee on Antiretroviral Drug Use in Resource-Constrained Settings 2003/2004, and the World Health Organization Health Promotion Glossary Reference Group 2003. Reddy has been the PI for the SA YRBS (Youth Risk Behaviour Survey) in 2002, 2008 and 2011; and GYTS (Global Youth Tobacco Survey) studies 1999, 2002, 2008 and 2011. She has been awarded highly prestigious research grants such as NIH R01?s on smoking harm reduction in school learners; the prison population; and a SA Department of Health research study on STD clinics. Reddy was also the PI on a Population Council Grant for the evaluation of school-based HIV/AIDS programs; and a tuberculosis research grant for the International Development and Research Council. She was also the local Co-PI in South Africa of an NIH-funded supplement on HIV prevention/intervention targeting prison populations, and a CIFAR grant targeting HIV negative women (SISTA SA). She was appointed to South Africa's National Health Research Committee by the Minister of Health.
Reddy has served on the boards of several peer-reviewed journals. She was the Associate Editor of the Health Education Research (African Region) Journal and editoral board member on the International Quarterly of Community Health Education: A Journal of Policy and Applied Research; Health Promotion International; Health Education & Behavior and AIDS Bulletin. Reddy was a Reviewer and Writer for the WHO Information Series on Health Promotion; Social Science and Medicine Journal; Health Education Research Journal and the Indian Journal of Community Health. She is also currently the Social Science Representative of the Online Science Advisory board.
She has been appointed as Extraordinary Professor by the University of the Western Cape from 01 June 2015 until 31 May 2018. She is a Member of the Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf).
