Wendy Spearman

Biography

Wendy Spearman is Head of the Division of Hepatology, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town and Groote Schuur Hospital, Cape Town, South Africa. She is Head of the Liver and Liver Transplant clinics at Groote Schuur Hospital. She completed her 2-year Hepatology Fellowship under Professors Ralph Kirsch and Simon Robson at the UCT/MRC Liver Research Centre in 1991 and obtained her PhD in 2008 from the University of Cape Town on “The effect of two novel C-type lectins, Ba100 and Ba25, isolated from the venom of the puff adder, Bitis arietans on T lymphocyte proliferative response”. She is actively involved in outreach Liver education programmes and was appointed by the International Association of Providers of AIDS Care to develop Training modules on the management of Hepatitis B for sub-Saharan Africa. She is the co-lead of the ‘Viral Hepatitis in sub-Saharan Africa” Project ECHO Clinic programmes promoting delivery of care for patients with viral hepatitis in under-resourced regions and was appointed by WHO Africa as the Lead consultant to develop the National Guidelines on the management and prevention of viral hepatitis in South Africa. She was appointed as co-chair of the WHO 2023 Hepatitis B Guidelines Development Group. Her research interests include viral hepatitis, MASLD, drug-induced liver injuries and liver transplantation.