The data she collects could change the course of an epidemic

Dr Edith Phalane is using big data and machine learning to identify gaps in the HIV response and train the next generation of scientists

Tracy Lee Stark

Dr Edith Phalane describes herself as a product of intentional mentorship, and she is committed to passing that support on. As Senior Researcher and Manager of the SAMRC/UJ Pan African Centre for Epidemics Research (PACER) at the University of Johannesburg (UJ), she says one of the most meaningful moments in her career came in April 2026, when seven PhD students she had co-supervised graduated.

“Having been a student myself, it was deeply meaningful to stand on the other side as a supervisor and mentor,” she says. “It affirmed for me that I am contributing to something larger than myself.”

That perspective shapes both her leadership and her research. South Africa has the largest antiretroviral treatment programme in the world, but significant gaps remain in HIV data, particularly among marginalised and hard-to-reach populations. Factors such as stigma, discrimination and structural inequality make these populations difficult to study and serve, resulting in incomplete or fragmented datasets. This creates challenges for targeting interventions and allocating resources effectively. Phalane describes this as the data gap in the HIV response.

Her work focuses on addressing this gap through the development of integrated data systems and advanced analytical methods. As co-investigator and project manager of the Boloka Project, funded by the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) Research Capacity Development Programme since 2022, she has helped build a data repository that consolidates HIV and key population datasets from multiple partners, including the Aurum Institute, the Perinatal Health Research Unit, ANOVA, Agape, the National Department of Health (NDoH) and the Ghana AIDS Commission.

The system follows a structured process of stakeholder engagement, dataset identification, quality control, secure cloud-based storage through the Data Intensive Research Initiative of South Africa (DIRISA) infrastructure, and controlled access for approved researchers. The aim is to improve the usability of existing data for research and programme planning.

Boloka is one of several research programmes she contributes to at PACER. As co-investigator on the Lokishang project, she works on the analysis of survey and routine programme data to support adaptive implementation of HIV services for female sex workers and adolescent girls. As Principal Investigator of a women’s health and wellbeing project, she leads research on multimorbidity, sexual and reproductive health, and gender inequality. She has also contributed to COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness studies.

Her academic output reflects sustained research activity. Together with postgraduate students, Phalane has co-authored 42 peer-reviewed journal articles and 20 conference proceedings, and presented at more than 70 national and international conferences.

Her supervision record includes seven completed PhDs and 20 master’s graduates, with additional doctoral and master’s students currently in progress. Many of her students are Black African women. Under her mentorship, students have collectively received more than 40 awards, fellowships and recognitions from organisations including the SAMRC, Black Women in Science (BWIS), the South African Women in Science Awards (SAWISA) and the Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings. More than 20 scholarships have been secured to support postgraduate study. She has also co-mentored international interns through the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health as part of the Boloka project.

Phalane holds an NRF Y2 rating, awarded in 2025. She received the Best Oral Presentation award at the 7th National Big Data Health Sciences Conference in the United States in 2026 for her work applying machine learning to antiretroviral treatment patterns. She serves on technical working groups for the South African National AIDS Council (SANAC) and the NDoH, contributing to HIV estimates and key populations policy.

She is also active in scientific leadership and mentorship networks, including the Organisation for Women in Science in Developing Countries (South African Chapter) and BWIS. For more than eight years, she has mentored and judged at the Eskom Expo for Young Scientists, guiding learners through research development from early concept to presentation at regional and international levels.

She is clear about the current challenges facing HIV research and response systems. Reductions in donor funding risk undermining long-standing gains in HIV prevention and treatment.

“This moment presents an opportunity to reimagine and strengthen HIV responses in ways that are more locally driven, data-informed and impactful,” she says.

Through the Boloka Project, Phalane and her collaborators are also planning a big data and health sciences conference in Africa in 2026, aimed at strengthening interdisciplinary collaboration in data science and public health across the continent.

In public health, she notes, collaboration across disciplines is essential to addressing complex health challenges.

Read the special Mail & Guardian supplement about all the NSTF-South32 Award winners.