Biography

Prof. Samanta Tresha Lalla-Edward is a Director of Research at Ezintsha, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa. A mixed methods public health researcher and monitoring and evaluation specialist, she possesses extensive expertise in HIV prevention and treatment research, implementation science, and integrated care for HIV and non-communicable diseases.​

She is involved in major initiatives such as iHEART-SA, Healthy Jozi and PPrEPP-SA, advancing health systems strengthening, primary healthcare models, and research in areas including cardiovascular disease, digital health, diagnostics, and high-risk populations. Her contributions span grant writing, over 70 peer-reviewed publications, editing for international journals, postgraduate examination, and mentoring 20 Master's students while supervising five PhD candidates.​

Prof. Lalla-Edward chaired the NHLBI’s SiMPLE Alliance capacity-building sub-committee until close-out in August 2025 and is an Associate Scientist and Assistant Professor in Global Health at the Julius Center, University Medical Center Utrecht, Netherlands. She drives collaborative implementation and healthcare research across Africa and globally.