Jenni Smit

Divisional Head of MatCH (Maternal Adolescent and Child Health Research), Associate Professor Dept. of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of the Witwatersrand, Honorary Professor in the School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Health Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal.

Jennifer Smit has worked in the field of Sexual and Reproductive Health for over 30 years. Her work focuses on reproductive health, with an emphasis on contraception and HIV prevention, including extensive research on barrier methods (female condoms, microbicodes, diaphragms), safer conception for sero-discordant couples, perinatal depression, medical male circumcision, dual protection, long-acting hormonal injectable contraceptives, emergency contraception, new contraceptive technologies, health services delivery, including RH/HIV service integration, and policy development at local, regional, and international levels. Professor Smit is the site principal investigator of several studies and has over 80 publications in peer reviewed journals.

Prof Smit is a qualified Pharmacist, with a Masters in Science.Her PhD focused on injectable contraceptives, in particular the user, social and pharmacological perspectives, which contributed important new information in the fields of reproductive health and pharmacology, addressing the paucity of rigorous community-based research on the widely used injectable hormonal contraceptives.

Click here to see a list of Prof Smit’s publications.

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