Cheryl Cohen

Dr. Cheryl Cohen is a prominent South African public health researcher specializing in epidemiology and respiratory diseases. She serves as an Associate Professor at the University of the Witwatersrand and heads the Centre for Respiratory Diseases and Meningitis at the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) in Johannesburg.

Dr. Cohen holds a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBCh) from the University of the Witwatersrand, an MSc in Epidemiology from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and a PhD in Clinical Microbiology from the University of the Witwatersrand.

Her research focuses on key pathogens such as influenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), SARS-CoV-2, and pneumococcus. She leads national surveillance programs for severe acute respiratory infections and invasive bacterial infections causing pneumonia in South Africa. Her work aims to assess the burden of disease, identify risk groups for severe illness, and evaluate the impact and effectiveness of interventions like vaccination.

Dr. Cohen has been instrumental in shaping South Africa's public health response to respiratory diseases and has contributed significantly to global health policy discussions.