It’s not how you start that’s important, but how you finish.

Professor Ncoza Dlova is the first African woman to hold the position of dean and head of the School of Clinical Medicine at UKZN Medical School in the school’s seven-decade history, and is the sole female dean among the 10 members of the South African Committee of Medical Deans.

In her role as chief specialist and head of dermatology at the Nelson R Mandela School of Medicine, Dlova has educated, trained and mentored more than 30 dermatologists, of whom 80% have been women. She explains that she lives by the saying, “It’s not how you start that’s important, but how you finish”, and she pours much of her energy into shaping the field of dermatology and extending its potential to make a far-reaching positive impact.

Working in collaboration with Harvard University, she has established the only dermatology surgery training program in South Africa, and recently mobilised a group of more than 2 000 to protest against the harmful practice of skin-bleaching. As part of this anti-skin bleaching campaign, a group of doctors, students and concerned citizens marched in the streets of Durban to raise awareness about the dangers of this practice. Dlova continues to take an active role in many community outreach projects relating to dermatology.

Her research interests include ethnic skin and hair, pigmentation disorders and HIV. Her research recently resulted in a ground-breaking discovery that identified genetic variants of central centrifugal cicatricial alopecia. In recognition of her teaching and research, Dlova has been inducted into the American Dermatology Association, the International Women’s Dermatology Society, the International Society of Dermatology, and the African Society of Dermatology and Venereology.

In addition to her community leadership and being a trailblazer in the world of science, Dlova’s presence on committees of leading thinkers and decision-makers around the world ensures that the voices of African women are heard by the international scientific community. Her achievements and her unwavering commitment to the people in her field make her a role model for others across the continent.

— Cayleigh Bright

Facebook: @Dr-Ncoza-Dlova-Dermatologist