Prof. Faadiel Essop is a professor and director of the Centre for Cardio-metabolic Research in Africa at Stellenbosch University’s medical school. He completed his undergraduate and doctoral studies at the University of Cape Town, and thereafter a BA (Hons) degree (Arabic Studies) at the University of the Western Cape. He was awarded the Chevening Fellowship (Leeds, UK) and was a Fulbright Fellow at the University of Texas-Houston Medical School.

Prof. Essop is an NRF-rated internationally acclaimed researcher and is investigating the effects of chronic stress on human health. He was a recipient of the university’s teaching excellence award (twice) and is a Teaching Advancement at University (TAU) fellow. Prof. Essop was former Presidents of the Physiology Society of Southern Africa (PSSA) and the African Association of Physiological Sciences, and previous chairperson of the Research Advisory Committee of the SA Heart and Stroke Foundation. He is currently an elected council member of the International Union of Physiological Sciences. He is also a Fellow of the American Physiological Society and was awarded the PSSA’s prestigious Lifetime Career Achievement Award for research excellence. Prof. Essop was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society of South Africa in 2023 and was recently awarded the prestigious TAU Fellow award for his innovation in curriculum development, inter-disciplinary work, and holistic student training in the medical field.