Professor Coovadia is the Director of MatCH Health Systems (Maternal, Adolescent and Child Health), an Emeritus Professor of Paediatrics and Child Health and Emeritus Victor Daitz Professor of HIV/AIDS researcher at UKZN, Commissioner for the National Planning Commissioner for Presidency of the Republic of South Africa and Director for the Health System Strengthening division at MatCH, a division of the University of the Witswatersrand.

He was the former chairperson of the Mandela government’s first Commissioner on Maternal and Child Health to design appropriate policies for a new government. He has published over 327 papers on maternal child health in mostly international journals.

Professor Coovadia is an honorary member of the DRILL advisory committee.