Prof. Kemel A. Ghotme, MD, PhD, is a pediatric neurosurgeon at Fundación Santa Fe de Bogotá and an Associate Professor and researcher at Universidad de La Sabana. He serves as Chair of the Advocacy Committee of the International Society for Pediatric Neurosurgery (ISPN) and is a founding member of ASOLANPED. His work bridges clinical neurosurgery, academic leadership, and evidence-to-policy translation. Internationally recognized for advancing large-scale food fortification policies, knowledge brokering, and evidence-based advocacy to prevent micronutrient deficiencies and neural tube defects, he has a proven record of implementation, dissemination, and stakeholder engagement to drive sustainable health impact.
Professor and Head of Department: Neurosurgery, University of Pretoria, Chief Specialist and Pediatric Neurosurgeon at the Steve Biko Academic Hospital and Director: Brain TUmour and Translational Neuroscience Centre (BTC@UP), Pretoria, South Africa.
Professor Padayachy is an expert in minimally invasive surgical techniques and intra-operative monitoring modalities in pediatric brain tumour and hydrocephalus surgery. He has also pioneered techniques for non-invasive diagnoses of raised intracranial pressure (ICP) in children and has published extensively on these topics. He is the recipient of several prestigious scientific awards, is frequently an invited speaker at national and international neurosurgery conferences and serves in executive roles on various international neurosurgery societies.