Prof. Refiloe Masekela is a pediatric pulmonologist and an NIHR Global Health Research Professor (2022–2027) with over 17 years of experience in lung health research. Her research focuses on pediatric asthma, lung physiological testing, and respiratory disease in children. She holds multiple global leadership roles, including co-chair of the Global Asthma Network, President of the Pan African Thoracic Society, and membership on the GINA Scientific Committee and the European Respiratory Society Global Lung Initiative Clinical Research Collaboration Committee. Nationally, she serves as the President of the South African Thoracic Society.

Prof. Masekela is committed to research capacity strengthening across Africa, co-directs the PATS-MECOR program, leads the African Pediatric Fellowship Training Program, and mentors early-career investigators in pediatric pulmonology. She has supervised 38 PhD and Masters students and published over 100 peer-reviewed articles and eight book chapters on pediatric respiratory diseases.