Prof Stephen M Tollman

DIRECTOR

Current positions

2004 – current. Director:MRC/Wits Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit (Agincourt), School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand

2014 – current . Research Professor and Head: Health and Population Division, School of Public Health,University Of the Witwatersrand

2009 – current. Guest Professor, Center for Global Health Research, Epidemiology and Global Health, Umeå  University, Sweden

2012 – current. Principal Scientist, INDEPTH Network, Accra, Ghana

Email: Stephen.Tollman@wits.ac.za

Research Interests

Multi-centre research leadership in sub-Saharan Africa

Chronic disease along the life course

Multi-centre studies on  adult health well being and ageing

Interests in the prevention of non communicable disease, especially cardio metabolic disease, in rapidly transitioning African setting, spanning social , biological and genetic/genomic determinants along the life course.

Education
BSc, MBBCh, MMed (Rand), MPH (Harvard), MA (Oxon), PhD (Umeå)
2008 PhD (Epidemiology and Global Health) Umeå University, Sweden. Thesis: Closing the Gap: Applying health and socio-demographic surveillance to complex health transitions in South and sub-Saharan Africa. ISBN 978-91-7264-681-0
1999 MMed (Public Health Medicine) University of the Witwatersrand. Thesis: Life and death without trace: Population dynamics and trends in mortality in rural South Africa.
1988 MPH (Health Services Administration) Harvard School of Public Health, USA
1984 MBBCh University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa
1982 BA (Hons) / MA (Philosophy, Politics, Economics) Oxford University, UK
1979 BSc (Anatomy, Physiology) University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa

Previous Posts
2000–2014 Associate Professor and Head, Health and Population Division, School of Public Health, University of the Witwatersrand (Wits)
2000-2002 Director, Agincourt Health and Population Research Unit, University of the Witwatersrand
1988-1990 Leader, Agincourt Health and Population Research Programme, University of the Witwatersrand
1994-1999 Senior Lecturer (special list since 1997), University of the Witwatersrand
1990-1996 Director, Health Systems Development Unit (HSDU), School of Public Health, University of the Witwatersrand
1994-1996 Senior Research Officer, Health Systems Development Unit (HSDU), University of the Witwatersrand
1988-1990 Research Fellow, Population Sciences and International Health, Harvard School of Public Health
1998-1990 Secretariat member, Commission on Health Research for Development
1986 Senior House Officer, Coronation Hospital (obstets and gynae, paeds)
1985 Intern, Coronation Hospital, Johannesburg (surgery and internal medicine)

Honorary Appointments and Invited Positions
2013–current. Chair, External Advisory Committee, Public Health Foundation of India – UK Consortium Research Capacity Building Programme
2013-current.  Member, International Advisory Board, Wellcome Trust – Cambridge Centre for Global Health Research, UK
2013-2016. Advisory Committee to Editors: Disease Control Priorities in Developing Countries 3rd ed
2012-2015. Chair, Public Health and Tropical Medicine Interview Committee, The Wellcome Trust, UK:  Specialist committee awarding highly competitive fellowships to early and mid-career researchers from low and middle-income countries worldwide
2011–current. Faculty Member, Harvard Centre for Population & Development Studies, Cambridge MA
2010–2013. Panel Member, The Continuing Epidemiological Transition in sub-Saharan Africa Committee on Population, National Academy of Sciences, USA
2010–2016. Panelist, UK MRC Global Health Strategy Group
2010–current. Panelist, UK MRC/DfID African Research Leader scheme
2009–2012 Member, Public Health and Tropical Medicine Interview Committee, Wellcome Trust, UK
2008–current. Head, INDEPTH Satellite Secretariat based in the Health and Population Division, School of Public Health, Wits University
2005-current. Principal Investigator, INDEPTH Programme on Adult Health and Ageing
2005-current. Guest Researcher, Epidemiology and Public Health Sciences, Umeå University, Sweden
2004–2006. Panelist, Policy Research and Data Needs to Meet the Challenge of Aging in Africa Committee on Population, National Academy of Sciences, USA
2002–2006. Elected first Chair, Board of Trustees, INDEPTH Network
1998-2002. Deputy Chair, INDEPTH Coordinating Committee
2001–current. Research Associate, Population Aging Center, University of Colorado, Boulder, USA
1996–2003. Honorary Senior Lecturer, Faculty of Public Health and Policy, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), UK

Awards

2013. INDEPTH Prize for Extraordinary Research in Population and Health

Team award for article: Clark SJ, Kahn K, Houle B, Arteche A, Collinson MA, Tollman SM, Stein A. Young Children’s Risk of Dying Before and After Their Mothers’ Death: A Rural Southern African Population-Based Surveillance Study. PLoS Med 2013; 10(3): e1001409

2010. Vice Chancellor’s Award for Academic Citizenship, University of the Witwatersrand 

Team award to MRC/Wits Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit

2009. INDEPTH Prize for Extraordinary Research in Population and Health

Team award for article: Tollman SM, Kahn K, Sartorius B, Collinson MA, Clark SJ, Garenne ML. Implications of mortality transition for primary health care in rural South Africa: a population-based surveillance study. The Lancet 2008; 372:893-901

2008, 2011. Outstanding Leadership Award, INDEPTH Network
2005. Guest researcher award, Swedish Council for Working Life and Social Research
2000. Vice Chancellor’s Team Teaching Award, Wits University (with H Saloojee)
1996–1997. Wellcome Trust Travelling Research Fellowship
1996–1997. Helen Suzman Leadership / Chevening Award (British Council)
1996. Andrew W Mellon Foundation Travel Award
1996, 1987. Ernest Oppenheimer Memorial Trust: Grants for sabbatical and study abroad
1980. Rhodes Scholarship (South Africa-at-large, Balliol College, Oxford

 


While a medical student at Wits University
1984. Gilbert Cottrill Prize for distinguished service on the Medical Students Council and academic achievement
1979. Graham Wilkinson Medal for the 3rd year student who has excelled academically and made an outstanding contribution to the extra-curricular activities of the University
1977. Sonia Walker Prize for the student who has completed Physiology and Biochemistry I and is deemed by students and staff to be the most outstanding in extra-curricular activities

Editorships
2016-current. Editorial Board, Global Health, Epidemiology and Genomics (GHEG)
2016-current. Editorial Board, Social Science and Medicine (Population Health)
2014-current. Editorial Board, Health Systems and Reform, Publishers: Landes Bioscience, USA
2012-current. Reviewing Editor, eLife
2010-current. Editorial Board, Population Health Metrics, Bio Medical Central, USA
2008-2011. Associate Editor, Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, BMJ group, London UK