Professor Somasundram Pillay, a specialist physician at Victoria Mxenge Hospital and Professor of Internal Medicine at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) Nelson R. Mandela School of Medicine, has been named Outstanding Researcher in Diabetes and Endocrinology at the ninth Venus International Healthcare Awards (VIHA 2026).
The award will be presented at the 9th Annual Healthcare Summit in Chennai, India, on 5 December 2026.
The award marks Pillay’s second consecutive recognition by the Venus International Foundation. In 2025, he received the organisation’s Outstanding Researcher in Internal Medicine Award. His 2026 award recognises his contributions to diabetes and endocrinology, particularly his clinical research and work within the healthcare system in KwaZulu-Natal and nationally.
Pillay’s academic career has focused on addressing diabetes and other non-communicable diseases in resource-constrained healthcare settings. His work spans specialist clinical care, healthcare innovation, epidemiological research, postgraduate education and the application of research findings to health policy.
One of Pillay’s contributions has been advancing point-of-care glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) testing in the public healthcare sector. The testing allows clinicians to assess patients’ average blood glucose levels over the preceding two to three months, potentially enabling more timely treatment decisions.
His research has increasingly examined diabetes at population and healthcare-system levels. This includes studies of blood glucose control and the burden of diabetes within South Africa’s public healthcare system, with particular attention to geographic and population disparities that could inform targeted interventions. Pillay believes research should extend beyond generating evidence to improving patient care.
“Research has its greatest value when it ultimately changes what happens to patients,” Pillay said. “In diabetes, we have an enormous opportunity to use routinely collected health information, appropriate technology and evidence-based clinical care to identify patients at risk earlier and improve outcomes.”
Pillay’s work in diabetes and endocrinology forms part of a broader research programme examining the relationship between non-communicable and infectious diseases in South Africa. His research has included diabetes, HIV, hypertension, kidney disease and other conditions affecting patients in the public healthcare sector.
Pillay has also contributed to national discussions on the management of non-communicable diseases and continues to advocate for diabetes care that is evidence-based and practical within South Africa’s healthcare system.
Alongside his research and clinical responsibilities, Pillay is involved in undergraduate and postgraduate medical education. He supervises postgraduate research, mentors emerging physician-researchers and participates in specialist medical training and assessment.
He believes the 2026 award also reflects the contribution of the clinical and academic environments in which the research has been conducted.
“Although an award is given to an individual, meaningful clinical research is never an individual endeavour,” said Pillay. “It reflects the work of colleagues, students, healthcare professionals, laboratories, institutions and, most importantly, the patients and communities whose experiences continually remind us why this work matters.”
The international recognition comes as diabetes continues to pose a major public health challenge in South Africa and other low- and middle-income countries. Pillay believes universities such as UKZN have an important role in ensuring that locally generated research informs healthcare solutions.
“Some of the most important questions in global diabetes care are being encountered every day in African health systems,” he said. “Our responsibility is not simply to adopt evidence generated elsewhere, but to produce high-quality evidence from our own populations and use it to improve care.”
The Outstanding Researcher in Diabetes and Endocrinology Award recognises Pillay’s contributions to medical research and highlights the work being undertaken in diabetes and endocrinology at UKZN and in KwaZulu-Natal.
Words: Lunga Memela
Photograph: Supplied