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Third Meeting of the DS-I Africa Consortium
3 November - 9 November 2023

Recorded sessions

  • Dr Houriiyah Tegally - Participant

    Role of Data Streams In Informing Infection Dynamics in Africa- INFORM Africa (DMAC Lead/Member)

    Houriiyah Tegally holds a PhD in Virology & Bioinformatics and is currently Head of Data Science at the Centre for Epidemic Response and Innovation (CERI) at Stellenbosch University in South Africa, focusing on the genomic epidemiology and evolution of viral pathogens South Africa and Africa. Her research interests revolve around the genomic surveillance of infectious diseases and particularly the use of genomics and phylogenetics within epidemiological and population-scale data to reconstruct and track their transmission dynamics and impact. During the COVID-19 pandemic she conducted the assembly and phylodynamic analysis of SARS-CoV-2 genomes from multiple African countries for outbreak response, which was pivotal in the identification of the Beta and Omicron variants of concern by her team. Currently, she co-leads a consortium for Climate Amplified Diseases and Epidemics in Africa (CLIMADE-Africa) where she is reconstructing, responding to, and forecasting the transmission risks, patterns and outbreak potential of vector and water borne pathogens on the continent in the face of climate change and disasters, demographic expansion and increased human mobility.