Professor Ncoza Dlova is Dean and Head of School of the University of KwaZulu-Natal’s (UKZN) School of Clinical Medicine and a local and internationally renowned dermatologist.

More recently, through her global collaborative work with a number of scientists; she played an instrumental role in discovering a new gene that is a major cause of permanent hair loss amongst women of African descent. This ground-breaking study, titled: ‘Variant PAD13 in Central Centrifugal Cicatricial Alopecia’ was published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Dlova’s area of interest and the subject of her PhD is “Ethnic Skin and Hair Diseases.” Her research has gained her international recognition as evidenced by the number of committees, editorial boards and invitations she receives annually to national and international dermatology meetings. Dlova’s phenomenal contribution to the global growth of African Dermatology cannot be overemphasized and has earned her membership to the prestigious American Dermatology Association (ADA) as the first African honouree. She has excelled in all aspects of her career; research, outreach programmes as well as teaching and administrative roles. She is intuitive and a natural leader, an inclusive visionary and someone who leads by example.

Dlova is a dermatologist by profession registered with the Health Professions Council of South Africa, an editorial board member for Global Images, International Advisory board member for “Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology” and International Editorial Advisory Board member for “Pigment International Journal”. She is an honourable member representing Africa in the prestigious American Dermatology Association and founding executive member of the African Society of Dermatology and Venereology (ASDV) and inaugural President of the African Women’s Dermatology Society (AWDS) and the only female Medical Dean in the nine member South African Society of Medical Deans (SACOMD).