Karl  le  Roux

Dr. Karl le Roux has worked as Principal Medical Officer at Zithulele Hospital since November 2006 and feels privileged to have been part of an amazing team of healthcare workers who built Zithulele Hospital into a model for improving health care in rural areas.  He has postgraduate diplomas in Anaesthetics and Obstetrics and has a Masters in International Health from Uppsala University. He served as Chairperson of the Rural Doctors’ Association of Southern Africa (RuDASA) from 2008 to 2012 and is also an honourary lecturer at the University of Cape Town Primary Health Care Directorate.  He is passionate about maternal and child health, breastfeeding, HIV/ARV care and rural medicine.

Mark  Tomlinson

Professor Mark Tomlinson is based in the Department of Psychology at Stellenbosch University. He received his PhD in Psychology from the University of Reading, UK. His scholarly work has involved a diverse range of topics that have in common an interest in factors that contribute to infant and child development in contexts of high adversity. He has a particular interest in developing community-based prevention programmes to improve maternal and infant health as well as early childhood development. Professor Tomlinson is one of two Research Directors of Programme for Improving Mental health care (PRIME); he has completed three large randomized controlled trials, and he has received research grants from the Wellcome Trust  and DfID (UK), NIAAA and NIDA (USA), and recently from Grand Challenges Canada.  He has published over 100 papers in peer reviewed journals, edited two books, and sits on the editorial board of several peer-review journals.

Mary  Jane  Rotheram  Borus

Mary Jane Rotheram, Ph.D., is a leader in clinical psychology and disease prevention who designs, develops, and implements groundbreaking programs all over the world. She is a licensed clinical psychologist at UCLA. Dr. Rotheram has worked diligently to get families the tools they need to be stronger, healthier, and more connected by designing and implementing innovative programs that improve outcomes and change lives. Dr. Rotheram directs the Center for HIV Identification, Prevention, and Treatment Services (CHIPTS) at UCLA and leads the work at UCLA’s Global Center for Children and Families. She has worked in many Asian countries, as well as Uganda and South Africa. She has conducted more than 22 randomized controlled trials examining the efficacy of cognitive behavioral interventions.

INGRID  LE  ROUX

Dr. Ingrid le Roux is a Swedish physician who has been working in South Africa since the 1970s. She started her career here promoting the health and welfare of vulnerable women and children in the townships outside of Cape Town, and in 1979 she founded the Philani organization with a mission to make pregnancy safe and ensure that every child grows up healthy and well-nourished to fulfill his or her physical and mental potential. Philani's Mentor Mother program trains accomplished local women to identify and support women and children at risk for malnutrition, with HIV, TB, and other health determinants. Dr. Ingrid le Roux's humanitarian work has earned international recognition, and she is the recipient of many awards including being named  "Swedish Woman of the Year" and earning the Archbishop's Stefans medal for outstanding efforts in the church among others.

Nokwanele (Kwanie) Mbewu

​Nokwanele (Kwanie) Mbewu is the Senior Programme Manager at Philani and oversees all programs. Kwanie is originally from Cala in the Eastern Cape and moved to Cape Town to study teaching at the University of the Western Cape in 1995. She then completed her Masters in Social Work in Albany, New York, USA, and started working for Philani in 1999. She started as an admin assistant and has since been the coordinator for the Mentor Mothers program, before she started her role as the Senior Programme Manager. Kwanie is passionate about maternal and child health and the Community Health Worker programs implemented by Philani.