Heather Zar is Professor and Chair of the Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, and Director of the Division of Paediatric Pulmonology at the University of Cape Town (UCT). She is Director of the MRC Unit on Child and Adolescent Health at UCT. After specialising in Paediatrics she did 3 years of sub-specialist training in paediatric pulmonology at Babies Hospital, Columbia Presbyterian Medical Centre, New York. She then returned to South Africa, following an academic career (including a PhD) while working at UCT. Her work, encompassing research, clinical care, education, training and advocacy, has focused on child lung health.
She has developed a strong clinical translational research program, establishing several clinical research sites, building a core clinical research facility, attracting substantial funding from international grant agencies and mentoring several postgraduate students. Research has focused on priority areas in child lung health including pneumonia, TB, HIV-associated lung disease and asthma. Key findings have influenced international practice guidelines and changed care globally. As evidence of her research contributions, in 2012 the South African National Research Foundation awarded her an A2 and in 2018 was awarded an A1 rating. She has published more than 400 papers in high impact journals, mentored several masters or doctoral students and has received many research grants from international funding agencies such as the NIH, the Gates Foundation, the Wellcome Trust and the European Developing Country Clinical Trials Partnership. In 2015, she was awarded an MRC Unit on Child & Adolescent Health.
She is Chair of a large department based at Red Cross Children’s Hospital, the largest African hospital dedicated to children. She has led the development of national, African and global education programs for child health including a national paediatric pulmonology training program and an African fellowship training program. Clinical, research and training programs have built much capacity in Africa in child health.
She is the past President of the South African Thoracic Society (SATS), immediate past- President of the Pan African Thoracic Society and serves on the Forum of International Respiratory Societies (FIRS), enabling her to promote a strong advocacy agenda for child lung health. In 2010 she was given a special award at the International Congress of Paediatric Pulmonology for outstanding leadership and distinguished service to children with the greatest need. In 2012 she was awarded the South African National Science and Technology award NSTF-BHP Billiton TW Kambule Award for an Individual for an Outstanding Contribution to Science, Engineering, Technology and Innovation through Research and its Outputs over the last 5 to 10 years. In 2014 she was awarded the World Lung Health award by the American Thoracic society, the first African, and the first child health specialist to receive this. In 2018 she was awarded the Alan Pifer Award by UCT for outstanding Socially Responsive research and the 2018 L’Oréal-UNESCO for Women in Science Laureate for Africa/ Arabia. In 2019, she won the President’s award at International Pediatric Pulmonology congress (CIPP).
