Inaugural Webinar with Prof. Rajiv Erasmus – 9th July 2026

Professor Rajiv Erasmus is an internationally respected chemical pathologist, academic leader, and global health advocate. He currently serves as Emeritus Professor in the Faculty of Health Sciences at Stellenbosch University in Cape Town, South Africa, and holds adjunct professorial appointments at the University of Botswana, Gaborone and the Cape Peninsula University of Technology, Cape Town. With a career spanning over four decades across multiple continents, Professor Erasmus has made profound contributions to clinical chemistry, laboratory medicine, and global health, particularly in resource-limited settings.

Professor Erasmus received his early and subsequent medical education in India, Malaysia, Ghana, and Nigeria, gaining early exposure to diverse healthcare systems and challenges. He specialized in chemical pathology at the University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria and began his academic career at the University of Ilorin in Nigeria, where he contributed to teaching and laboratory development. He later continued his academic work at the University of Papua New Guinea, further expanding his experience in international health systems.

In 1995, he moved to South Africa, where he became the founding Chair and Full Professor of Chemical Pathology at Walter Sisulu University, Umtata. In this role, he established academic programs and laboratory services in an underserved region, contributing significantly to capacity building in healthcare. He later joined Stellenbosch University, Cape Town in 2002 where he served as Head of the Department of Chemical Pathology and subsequently as Executive Head of Pathology. Professor Erasmus spent considerable time as a visiting scientist in the department of Pathology, University of Virginia, USA in 1993 and the department of Periodontology at Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden in 2014.

Professor Erasmus has maintained an extensive research career focused on diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and metabolic disorders, particularly in African populations. He has led or participated in some of the earliest studies examining the prevalence of diabetes in Africa and Papua New Guinea, providing critical insights into disease epidemiology and risk factors.

His research has contributed to important discoveries, including the characterization of low-renin hypertension in African populations and the relationship between diabetes and infectious diseases such as tuberculosis. He has also investigated genetic factors influencing metabolic diseases and helped establish population-specific diagnostic thresholds, including hemoglobin A1c cut-offs.

In 2007, Professor Erasmus established the Bellville South Study, later known as the Vascular and Metabolic Health Study, a large prospective cohort study examining cardiometabolic risk factors in South Africa. This study has generated valuable data informing public health strategies and clinical practice and has led to contributions to the NCD Risk Group study based at Imperial College, London. This collaboration has resulted in several publications in high impact journals some of which have received more than 500 citations

He has also made major contributions to education and training in laboratory medicine. He established one of the first integrated courses in laboratory management in Africa and later developed a fully accredited training program in point-of-care testing. These initiatives have strengthened laboratory capacity and workforce development across the continent.

Professor Erasmus has held numerous leadership roles, including serving as President of the South African Association of Clinical Biochemistry and the African Federation of Clinical Chemistry. He played a key role in organizing the IFCC WorldLab Congress in Durban in 2017, marking a historic milestone as the first such event held in Africa. He continues to organize the Africa Federation of Clinical Chemistry (AFCC) regional conferences. Professor Erasmus has supported the Task Force on Young Scientists (TF-YS) both globally and in Africa. In this regard he has strongly supported the African Young Scientists Forum which has become one of the key pillars of the AFCC. 

He has published more than 300 scientific articles and has an h-index of 50 with nearly 36000 citations reflecting the impact of his work. He is also a rated scientist with the National Research Foundation of South Africa. He currently serves as Editor-in-Chief of the African Journal of Laboratory Medicine, promoting research and knowledge dissemination across Africa.

An internationally recognized speaker, Professor Erasmus has delivered numerous invited lectures worldwide. More recently he has been focusing on Point of Care Testing (POCT) and how it can significantly improve the gap in diagnostics in Africa and promote equity in access to diagnostic tests. He is widely respected for his ability to translate research into practical healthcare solutions.

Throughout his career, Professor Erasmus has demonstrated a deep commitment to advancing laboratory medicine globally, with a particular focus on improving healthcare in underserved regions. His work continues to influence research, education, and clinical practice, promoting equity, innovation, and excellence in laboratory medicine. Professor Erasmus continues to organise multiple conferences and training workshops across the African continent