Degrees Held

• PhD

About

Dr Slack is a clinical psychologist and head of the HIV AIDS Vaccines Ethics Group (HAVEG). (https://www.saavi.org.za.haveg)

Her interests are ethical concerns in clinical trials of HIV prevention modalities – including ‘community’/ stakeholder engagement, ancillary-care, informed consent, and adolescent enrolment. She is especially interested in how empirical data might best inform normative guidance https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Catherine_Slack

She has researched the ethical-legal framework for trials of HIV prevention products. She has developed resources to assist role-players apply ethical-legal norms. She has worked collaboratively with various stakeholders to address complexities, including investigators, RECs (IRBs) and community representatives.

Dr Slack was a member of the National Health Research Ethics Council in South Africa for 9 years (2007-2016). She was part of the WHO/UNAIDS Ethics, Law and Human Rights Collaborating Centre of the African AIDS Vaccine Program. She was part of the expert panel that helped draft the UNAIDS/WHO (2007) guidance document Ethical Considerations in Biomedical HIV Prevention Trials.

HAVEG is currently funded by the Canadian HIV Vaccine Initiative to explore the process aspects of consent communications; and by the United States Agency for International Development to strengthen ‘community’ engagement during ethics review.

Catherine Slack’s contact details are slackca@ukzn.ac.za