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Glenda Gray

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Glenda Gray
Born (1962-12-14) 14 December 1962 (age 61)
Boksburg
NationalitySouth African
Alma materUniversity of the Witwatersrand
Colleges of Medicine of South Africa
Known forHIV research
President of the South African Medical Research Council[1][2]
SpouseJacobus Kloppers
Children3
Scientific career
FieldsMedicine, pediatrics, HIV
InstitutionsUniversity of the Witwatersrand
South African Medical Research Council
Columbia University

Glenda Elisabeth Gray MB BCh, FC Paeds, DSc (hc), OMS is a South African physician, scientist and activist specializing in the care of children and in HIV medicine. In 2012, she was awarded South Africa's highest honour, the Order of Mapungubwe (Silver).[3] She became the first female president of the South African Medical Research Council[2] in 2014, was recognized as one of the "100 Most Influential People" by Time[4][5] in 2017 and was listed amongst "Africa's 50 Most Powerful Women" by Forbes Africa in 2020.[6] Her research expertise involves developing microbicides for sexually transmitted diseases and HIV vaccines.[7]

Early life, education and career

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Gray was the fifth of six children born in the gold mining town Boksburg, South Africa in 1962. Her father was a mechanical engineer at the mines and her mother was a bookkeeper. Under the apartheid government of the time, Boksburg was a low income, racially segregated town. Her family were not typical of the residents of the town in that they had black friends.[8]

Gray decided from the age of 6 that she would become a doctor. Her family valued education greatly: her father was the first in his family to attend college and five of the six children went to university. Three of them, including Gray, continued to higher degrees and pursued academic careers, but their father did not live to see this as he died when Gray was 16.[8]

Anti-apartheid activism

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Gray entered the University of the Witwatersrand in 1980 where she studied at the medical school for six years followed by seven years of specialization in pediatrics.[9] Her siblings were already at the university and one of her brothers was involved with a radical student union that was opposed to apartheid. Gray joined the Health Workers Association, a group intent on desegregating South Africa's hospitals. In 1983 the first HIV/AIDS cases and deaths were confirmed in South Africa and Gray committed to educating South African communities about how to prevent HIV.[8]

HIV research and activism

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By the time that Gray completed her training as a pediatrician in 1993, HIV was prevalent among many children admitted to Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital, the largest hospital in Africa,[10] situated on the outskirts of South Africa's largest black township, Soweto. In 1993 Gray, along with colleague James McIntyre, co-founded a perinatal HIV clinic.

Glenda Gray (right) at the Fogarty NIH 50th symposium, 1 May 2018

In 1996, Gray started the UNAIDS PETRA study, in five urban settings in South Africa, Tanzania and Uganda, to determine the effectiveness of a shorter anti-retroviral regimen.[11][12] In 1999 she was awarded an International Fogarty Fellowship to study Clinical Epidemiology.[12]

She was the executive director of the Perinatal HIV Research Unit (PHRU),[13][14] part of the Medical School of the University of the Witwatersrand, based at Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital prior to her appointment as president of the medical research council in 2014.[2] HIV was generally not recorded as a cause of death during the 1990s and 2000s but its effects could be seen in the infant and child mortality rates.[15]

In early 2020, an efficacy study for an HIV vaccine led by Gray was stopped early. The study, involving 5407 HIV-uninfected participants, was started in 2016 and should have continued until 2022. However, preliminary data viewed in January 2020 to evaluate safety and efficacy showed 129 HIV infections in the vaccinated group and 123 in the placebo control group. Many HIV scientists did not believe the study would succeed, as a previous efficacy study in Thailand had shown an efficacy of only 31%. Gray believed that owing to the severity of the HIV epidemic in South Africa a new trial was worthwhile pursuing. The independent monitoring board that evaluated the interim results concluded that it was futile to continue with the study.[16]

Other activities

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Recognition and membership

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Gray is a member of the Academy of Science of South Africa, a foreign associate of the United States Institute of Medicine, an A-rated National Research Foundation of South Africa scientist,[5] a co-principal investigator for the HIV Vaccine Trials Network[18] and a fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology.[19][20][21]

In addition:

Controversies

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Infant formula

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Gray has not been a stranger to controversy. At her first research presentation in 1996 at an international AIDS conference, she championed the position that HIV positive women in developing countries should feed their babies infant formula rather than breast milk to avoid the transmission of HIV from mother to child. The prevailing opinion at that time was that the risk of infant death by diarrheal diseases, caused by mixing contaminated water with the infant formula, outweighed the chance of contracting HIV.[28] Gray's research in the Soweto communities indicated that infant formula could be safely used,[citation needed] but this put her in direct conflict with the activists who had led boycotts against Nestle, because of their infant formula, since the 1970s.[29] Subsequent research on the topic demonstrated high deaths in formula fed compared to breastfed children of HIV-infected mothers.[30][31]

AZT

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The drug Zidovudine (also known as azidothymidine (AZT)) is an anti-retroviral drug that can be used to prevent the transmission of HIV from mother to child during childbirth. The course of the treatment was 14 weeks, and women in developing countries could not afford this. Despite criticism from an editorial of The New England Journal of Medicine, Gray conducted a trial (replicating a study from Thailand) using a shorter course of treatment against a placebo which proved that the shorter course was effective.[8][32][33] However, the South African government, under president Thabo Mbeki and health minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, refused permission for the drug to be used, as it was considered too expensive. Gray was involved in the clandestine procurement of the drug and treatment of patients, in opposition to the government.[8]

Gray was involved in starting the Treatment Action Campaign (TAC), along with Zackie Achmat and others, as an HIV/AIDS activist organisation.[8] Only after Gray received the 2002 Mandela Award for Health and Human Rights and the legal battles in 2003 involving the TAC, were nevirapine, a drug more effective than AZT in preventing mother to child transmission of HIV,[34] and other anti-retrovirals officially sanctioned by the government for use in South Africa.[35] By then, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma had been replaced as Minister of Health by Manto Tshabalala-Msimang and the argument against anti-retrovirals had changed from one of affordability to the endorsement of traditional African medicine over conventional treatment.[36]

COVID-19

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In 2020, Gray was appointed to the South African government's Medical Advisory Committee owing to the COVID-19 pandemic in South Africa. On 26 March 2020, the South African government imposed an almost total lockdown on all inhabitants. From 1 May 2020, the lockdown was gradually lifted under a five-stage plan. On 15 May 2020, Gray said, "Initially, there was good reason to implement the lockdown to slow down the spread of the virus and buy time to ready the health system, and this was largely achieved". She now felt that "the lockdown should be eradicated completely, and that non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPI), such as handwashing, wearing masks, social distancing and prohibitions on gatherings, should be put in place."[37] In addition she noted that:

  • An increasing number of malnutrition cases were being seen in hospitals, including at Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital. "We have not seen malnutrition for decades and so we are seeing it for the first time in the hospital", she said.[37]
  • The phasing out of the lockdown in a "month-to-month" fashion had no basis in science. Many lockdown regulations seemed to be "thumb-sucks", made up on the spot with little rationale behind them.

She told the media:[37]

This strategy is not based in science and is completely unmeasured. [It's] almost as if someone is sucking regulations out of their thumb and implementing rubbish, quite frankly. In the face of a young population, we refuse to let people out. We make them exercise for three hours a day and then complain that there's congestion in this time. We punish children and kick them out of school and we deny them education. For what? Where is the scientific evidence for that?

Health minister Zweli Mkhize stated that Gray had "made factually incorrect and unfounded statements".[38] He pointed out that the government had appointed a research subcommittee to which Gray belongs to advise them. He said that the thumb-suck comment "undermines the joint work and effort that the National Coronavirus Command Council, Cabinet and government as a whole have been engaged in."[38] With regard to the comment on schooling he said: "The Department of Basic Education has been engaged in various consultations with its stakeholders on the correct approach to take in the process of opening schools."[38]

Subsequent to Mkhize's comments, the acting director general of the Department of Health, Anban Pillay, said that an investigation into Gray's conduct was needed.[39] On 25 May 2020, the South African Medical Research Council apologized for Gray's statements and barred its staff from speaking to the media[40] while more than 250 academics issued statements of support for her.[41][42][43]

On the following day, 26 May 2020, Mkhize said that he "considers the Professor Glenda Gray matter closed", and he mentioned that "there is no basis to suggest any interference with academic freedom".[44]

Selected publications

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Gray has authored or co-authored more than 300 scientific articles, including:[24]

  • MADHI, SHABIR A.; GRAY, GLENDA E.; HUEBNER, ROBIN E.; SHERMAN, GAYLE; MCKINNON, DIANE; PETTIFOR, JOHN M. (1999). "Correlation between CD4+ lymphocyte counts, concurrent antigen skin test and tuberculin skin test reactivity in human immunodeficiency virus type 1-infected and -uninfected children with tuberculosis". The Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal. 18 (9). Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health): 800–805. doi:10.1097/00006454-199909000-00011. ISSN 0891-3668. PMID 10493341.
  • Schramm, Diana B.; Kuhn, Louise; Gray, Glenda E.; Tiemessen, Caroline T. (2006). "In Vivo Effects of HIV-1 Exposure in the Presence and Absence of Single-Dose Nevirapine on Cellular Plasma Activation Markers of Infants Born to HIV-1-Seropositive Mothers". Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes. 42 (5). Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health): 545–553. doi:10.1097/01.qai.0000225009.30698.ce. ISSN 1525-4135. PMC 2367220. PMID 16837862.
  • Mnyani, Coceka N.; Tait, Carol L.; Peters, Remco P.H.; Struthers, Helen; Violari, Avy; Gray, Glenda; Buchmann, Eckhart J.; Chersich, Matthew F.; McIntyre, James A. (23 March 2020). "Implementation of a PMTCT programme in a high HIV prevalence setting in Johannesburg, South Africa: 2002–2015". Southern African Journal of HIV Medicine. 21 (1). AOSIS: 1024. doi:10.4102/sajhivmed.v21i1.1024. ISSN 2078-6751. PMC 7136691. PMID 32284888.
  • Shen, Xiaoying; Laher, Fatima; Moodie, Zoe; McMillan, Arthur S.; Spreng, Rachel L.; Gilbert, Peter B.; Huang, Ying; Yates, Nicole L.; Grunenberg, Nicole; Juliana McElrath, M.; Allen, Mary; Pensiero, Michael; Mehra, Vijay L.; Der Meeren, Olivier Van; Barnett, Susan W.; Phogat, Sanjay; Gray, Glenda E.; Bekker, Linda-Gail; Corey, Lawrence; Tomaras, Georgia D. (7 February 2020). "HIV-1 Vaccine Sequences Impact V1V2 Antibody Responses: A Comparison of Two Poxvirus Prime gp120 Boost Vaccine Regimens". Scientific Reports. 10 (1). Springer Science and Business Media LLC: 2093. Bibcode:2020NatSR..10.2093S. doi:10.1038/s41598-020-57491-z. ISSN 2045-2322. PMC 7005751. PMID 32034163.

Gray has contributed to and been featured in several books including:

References

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  1. ^ "Our President: Professor Glenda E. Gray". SAMRC. South African Medical Research Council. Archived from the original on 30 January 2018. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
  2. ^ a b c Kullinan, Kerry (18 March 2014). "MRC announces first woman president". health-e.org.za. The South African Health News Service. Archived from the original on 21 October 2015. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
  3. ^ "National Orders Booklet 2013". The Presidency. 10 May 2019. Archived from the original on 10 May 2019. Retrieved 27 September 2019.
  4. ^ a b O'Connor, Siobhan (2017). "Glenda Gray". Time. Archived from the original on 3 January 2020. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
  5. ^ a b c "NRF A-Rated Researcher Among Time 100 Most Influential People - National Research Foundation". nrf.ac.za. 16 August 2017. Archived from the original on 16 August 2017. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
  6. ^ a b "Africa's 50 Most Powerful Women". Forbes Africa. 6 March 2020. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
  7. ^ Dugmore, Heather (17 January 2012). "Anatomy of Glenda Gray and the war against HIV". wits.ac.za. University of the Witwatersrand. Archived from the original on 8 November 2014. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
  8. ^ a b c d e f Engel, Mary (12 November 2014). "Glenda Gray: The HIV warrior". Fred Hutch. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
  9. ^ a b The University of the Witwatersrand (2019). "Past student profiles". Wits University. Archived from the original on 27 May 2020. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
  10. ^ Bowie, Shaun (15 June 2018). "Top 10 largest hospitals in the world - Healthcare News, Magazine and Website". Healthcare Global. Archived from the original on 23 July 2019. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
  11. ^ "Mother-To-Child Transmission (MTCT) OF HIV". data.unaids.org. 5 August 1999. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
  12. ^ a b c d e f "A Career Dedicated to HIV Research" (PDF). mrc.co.za. South African Medical Research Council. 2017. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 July 2017. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
  13. ^ "GLENDA GRAY, MBBCH, FCPAED (SA) Executive Director". phru.co.za. Perinatal HIV Research Unit. 2012. Archived from the original on 16 May 2012.
  14. ^ a b c "Dr Glenda Gray and Dr Graeme Meintjes receive the 2013 EDCTP Awards for scientific excellence". EDCTP. 2 December 2017. Archived from the original on 2 December 2017. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
  15. ^ Nannan, N; Dorrington, R; Laubscher, R; Zinyakatira, N; Prinsloo, M; Darikwa, T; Matzopulos, R; Bradshaw, D (April 2012). Under-5 Mortality Statistics in South Africa: Shedding some light on the trend and causes 1997-2007 (PDF). Burden of Disease Research Unit (South African Medical Research Council). ISBN 978-1-920014-85-8. Retrieved 26 May 2020. Interestingly, HIV/AIDS mortality is not particularly apparent in the neonatal period, but there is a definite 'AIDS signature' (a peak between months 2 and 4), which develops over the course of the epidemic. {{cite book}}: |website= ignored (help)
  16. ^ "Another HIV vaccine strategy fails in large-scale study". Science. 3 February 2020. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
  17. ^ New experts appointed to join CEPI Scientific Advisory Committee Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), press release of 6 November 2023.
  18. ^ "Glenda Gray, MBBCH, FCPaed (SA)". HIV Vaccine Trials Network. 13 October 2014. Archived from the original on 13 October 2014. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
  19. ^ Woodward, Kristen (20 March 2014). "Glenda Gray appointed new president of South African Medical Research Council". Fred Hutch. Archived from the original on 22 October 2014. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
  20. ^ "Full list of 2012 American Academy of Microbiology Fellows Announced". Jonathan Eisen's Lab. 1 March 2012. Archived from the original on 26 May 2020. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
  21. ^ "Glenda E Gray". American Society for Microbiology. 2012. Archived from the original on 17 October 2014. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
  22. ^ "Nelson Mandela Presents 2002 Mandela Award for Health and Human Rights". KFF.ORG. Kaiser Family Foundation. 30 December 1979. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
  23. ^ Kritzinger, Lisel (2003). Inspirational women at work : 52 personal and life experiences shared to empower, encourage, uplift and inspire. Pretoria: LAPA. p. 302. ISBN 978-0-7993-3177-6. OCLC 54828454.
  24. ^ a b "Gray Glenda - Search Results". PubMed. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
  25. ^ "SFU congratulates Dr. Glenda Gray". Simon Fraser University, Vancouver. 20 March 2014. Archived from the original on 26 August 2014. Retrieved 26 May 2020.[login required]
  26. ^ "The AAS". Gray Glenda Elisabeth. 27 May 2020. Archived from the original on 27 May 2020. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
  27. ^ "Rhodes University honours five of Africa's best". grocotts.co.za. 7 March 2019. Archived from the original on 7 March 2019. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
  28. ^ "Baby formulas linked to infant deaths overseas". Minneapolis Star. INFACT Clearinghouse. 9 September 1978. Retrieved 26 May 2020.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  29. ^ Krasny, Jill (25 June 2012). "Every Parent Should Know The Scandalous History of Infant Formula". Business Insider. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
  30. ^ Network (ENN), Emergency Nutrition (12 January 2006). "Infant feeding strategies and PMTCT - Mashi trial from Botswana". Field Exchange 29: 25.
  31. ^ "WHO | HIV and infant feeding". WHO. Archived from the original on 27 July 2014. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
  32. ^ "Preventing mother-to-child HIV transmission in South Africa: Q and A with Dr Glenda Gray". Fogarty International Center. 18 May 2020. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
  33. ^ Mbali, M. (2013). South African AIDS Activism and Global Health Politics. Global Ethics. Palgrave Macmillan UK. p. 121. ISBN 978-1-137-31216-7. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
  34. ^ Lallemant, Marc; Jourdain, Gonzague; Le Coeur, Sophie; Mary, Jean Yves; Ngo-Giang-Huong, Nicole; Koetsawang, Suporn; Kanshana, Siripon; McIntosh, Kenneth; Thaineua, Vallop (18 June 2006). "Single-Dose Perinatal Nevirapine plus Standard Zidovudine to Prevent Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV-1 in Thailand". The New England Journal of Medicine. 351 (3): 217–228. doi:10.1056/NEJMoa033500. PMID 15247338.
  35. ^ Butler-Adams, John (July 2017). "Mother-to-child transmission of HIV and South Africa's 'HIV warrior'". South African Journal of Science. 113 (7). Retrieved 26 May 2020.
  36. ^ Lewandowsky, S.; Mann, M.E; Bauld, L.; Hastings, G.; Loftus, E.F. (20 December 2016). "The Subterranean War on Science". Association for Psychological Science. Archived from the original on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
  37. ^ a b c Karrim, Azarrah; Evans, Sarah (16 May 2020). "EXCLUSIVE - Unscientific and nonsensical: Top scientist slams government's lockdown strategy". News24. Archived from the original on 16 May 2020. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
  38. ^ a b c Mkhize, Zwelini (21 May 2020). "READ IN FULL - Zweli Mkhize's statement on Prof Glenda Gray's criticism of lockdown regulations". News24. Archived from the original on 27 May 2020. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
  39. ^ "Adriaan Basson: The truth behind That interview with Prof Glenda Gray". News24. 24 May 2020. Archived from the original on 27 May 2020. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
  40. ^ Herman, Paul (25 May 2020). "SAMRC board apologises for Prof Gray's comments, bars staff from speaking to media". News24. Archived from the original on 27 May 2020. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
  41. ^ Staff Reporter (25 May 2020). "250 senior academics issue statement to support Prof Glenda Gray and 'the Principle of Academic Freedom'". Daily Maverick. South Africa. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
  42. ^ Dasoo, Aslam (23 May 2020). "OPINION - Glenda Gray should be defended and her accusers should be in the dock". City Press. South Africa. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
  43. ^ Malala, Justice (25 May 2020). "Beware, SA: bid to eject Prof Gray is a witch-hunt". TimesLIVE. Archived from the original on 12 June 2020. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
  44. ^ Gerber, Jan (26 May 2020). "Mkhize on Glenda Gray matter: 'Let's leave the issue at that'". News24. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
[edit]
Educational offices
Preceded by President of the South African Medical Research Council
2014 – 2024 		Succeeded by
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