Professor Mercilene Machisa is Senior Specialist Scientist at the SAMRC Gender and Health Research Unit, Honorary Associate Professor at the University of the Witwatersrand, Senior Lecturer at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, and Co-Director of the Global Campus Violence Prevention Network.  She has over 15 years’ experience researching the intersections of mental health, violence against women and children in Southern Africa. She led multi-country studies in six Southern African Countries, evaluated systemic responses to rape, and intervention research on campus violence prevention and mental health promotion in South African higher education. She serves as Associate Editor for Child Abuse Review, Editorial Board Member for BMC Women’s Health, BMC Global Public Health, and is Co-Editor of the South African Child Gauge 2025.