Aspro. Neelaveni Padayachee

Neelaveni Padayachee is a Southern African pharmacy academic whose work bridges community pharmacy practice, public health, and health professions education. Her scholarship centers on strengthening primary healthcare through expanded pharmacist roles, particularly in cardiovascular disease prevention and control in Lesotho, where she has examined practice scope, barriers, and policy implications. She also contributes to research on vaccine safety practices and professional conduct, reflecting a strong commitment to patient safety and ethical pharmacy practice.

A significant strand of her research explores HIV care and health-related quality of life among people receiving antiretroviral therapy in South Africa, highlighting psychosocial and socioeconomic determinants of treatment outcomes. In parallel, she investigates mental health among medical students, addressing anxiety, depression, and positive mental health to inform institutional support strategies. Additional work on cancer knowledge and community health education demonstrates an interest in empowering populations through evidence-based interventions.

Across her publications, Padayachee employs robust quantitative and qualitative methods to generate contextually relevant evidence for low- and middle-income settings. Her contributions emphasize interprofessional collaboration, community engagement, and policy-informed practice, positioning her as an advocate for accessible, equitable, and patient-centered pharmaceutical care.