Professor Thesla Palanee-Phillips is the Director of Clinical Trials at Wits RHI and Laboratory Director at the Wits RHI Research Centre Clinical Research Site. She is an Associate Professor at the University of the Witwatersrand and holds a joint appointment as an Affiliate Associate Professor in the Department of Epidemiology at the University of Washington, Seattle, USA. Prof Palanee-Phillips is a South African medical scientist whose research focuses on sexual and reproductive health, with an emphasis on biomedical HIV prevention, HIV treatment, STIs and contraceptives. Her work spans ARV-based microbicides, vaginal rings, oral and injectable PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis), as well as bacterial and viral sexually transmitted infections (STIs).
Through this work, she and her team contribute to increasing uptake of HIV and STI testing among marginalised populations, including adolescent girls and young women (AGYW), men who have sex with men, and transgender and gender non-binary populations. Trained as a medical laboratory scientist, she has expanded her expertise to include the design and implementation of investigator-initiated research and clinical trials. Her work integrates complex laboratory components with qualitative, behavioural, and implementation science approaches, enabling more responsive and contextually relevant clinical research. She has a particular interest in research that bridges HIV prevention and treatment with sexual and reproductive health, as well as in understanding the barriers and facilitators that impact access to healthcare services.
Professor Palanee-Phillips has extensive experience in conducting clinical trials and leading investigator-driven research initiatives. She has overseen and lead multiple Phase I, II, III and OLE clinical trials and has served as a prime, principal investigator and awardee for NIH R01, R34 and R 21 research projects. Her NIH R01 project focuses on improving STI testing among AGYW and pairing it with expedited partner treatment to reduce STI recurrence among a cohort of cisgender adolescent girls and young women in South Africa. Her most recent R34 project explored opportunities for STI self-testing and diagnosis to encourage PrEP restart among AGYW.
Prof Palanee-Phillips continues to strengthen a multidisciplinary research portfolio that advances innovative, patient-centred approaches to HIV and STI prevention, diagnosis and treatment, including differentiated service delivery models and integrated care strategies. Prof Palanee-Phillips and her team recently completed follow-up of a Phase I trial on an oral vaccine against Norovirus involving mother-infant pairs, contributing to broader vaccine research beyond HIV prevention. In addition to her research leadership, she supervises postgraduate students at the University of the Witwatersrand and the University of Washington, contributing to the development of the next generation of Masters and PhD level researchers and strengthening research capacity both locally and internationally.
