UKZN is proud to announce the appointment of Associate Professor Fatima Suleman from the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences as the Prince Claus Chair of Development and Equity for the theme Affordable (Bio)Therapeutics for Public Health at Utrecht University in The Netherlands. She will hold this prestigious position until September 2018.
To formally accept the appointment, Suleman recently delivered a lecture entitled “Affordability and Equitable Access to (Bio)Therapeutics for Public Health” at Utrecht University Hall on May 16. During her tenure, she will engage in research on affordable (bio)therapeutics in collaboration with scholars from Utrecht University, other experts in The Netherlands, and the World Health Organization (WHO).
Suleman’s work will align with the strategic research theme of Life Sciences and her chair will be located within the Faculty of Science, specifically in the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences. Her role as the Prince Claus Chair of Affordable (Bio)Therapeutics for Public Health is closely linked to the ongoing research conducted by the Utrecht Centre of Excellence for Affordable Biotherapeutics and the WHO Collaborating Centre for Pharmaceutical Policy and Regulation, both situated within the same department.
The Utrecht WHO Collaborating Centre for Pharmaceutical Policy and Regulation operates within the Division of Pharmacoepidemiology and Clinical Pharmacology at Utrecht University.
Apart from her affiliation with the University of KwaZulu-Natal, Suleman also maintains ties with Drake University in the United States. Her areas of interest encompass equity and access to medicines, pricing and reimbursement policies, and essential medicines, with a particular focus on chronic conditions that cause significant suffering.
Additionally, Suleman holds the position of Chair of the National Pricing Committee for Medicines in South Africa and has actively participated in various international committees on drug pricing. She is currently a member of an informal panel at the WHO on Fair Pricing and has served as a member of the WHO Expert Committee on the Selection and Use of Essential Medicines, as well as the WHO Expert consultation on improving access to and use of similar biotherapeutic products in May.