Dr Pauline Howell is a deputy director at Wits Health Consortium’s Clinical HIV Research Unit (CHRU) and site leader at both the Sizwe Tropical Disease Hospital in Johannesburg and the Isango Lethemba TB Research Unit in Gqeberha. With 12 years’ experience as a clinical trial investigator, Dr Howell has contributed to landmark drug-resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB) trials, including STREAM, Nix, ZeNix and BEAT-Tuberculosis which all led to WHO guideline changes.

Dr Howell is a member of the South African National Clinical Advisory Committee, a ministerial committee that advises the National Department of Health on treatment for DR TB. She is also a member of the IMPAACT TB Scientific Committee, a network specific to mothers and children. Dr Howell is committed to developing shorter, safer, and more effective DR-TB treatments for all patients, including children and pregnant women.