Prof. Katijah Khoza-Shangase, PhD, is a well-recognised scientist who is currently ranked 3rd in South Africa, 3rd in Africa, 3rd in BRICS, and 69th in the world in her field by the 2025 World Scientist and University Rankings - and is among the Top 3% Scientists in Speech Pathology and Audiology among the scientists in South Africa and Africa. She is in the TOP 30 WITS publishers according to the Web of Science for the 15-year period 2008 to 2023, and her co-edited book “Black Academic Voices: A South African Experience” is WINNER of the 2020 Humanities and Social Sciences Award (Non-fiction category), with another one of her books “Preventive Audiology: An African Perspective” making the 2023 Long List. She has demonstrable experience in research management, supervision, and leadership, with her leadership of the Wits Preventive Audiology Research Cluster and her Chairing of the School of Human and Community Development Research Committee at the University of the Witwatersrand. She completed her undergraduate and postgraduate studies at Wits, attaining her PhD in 2008 as the first Black African graduate to receive a PhD in Audiology from an African University. As the first Black African graduate to receive a PhD in her field from a South African University, and first and to date only Black African Female Full Professor in her field in Africa, she has been a trailblazer throughout her career. She is internationally recognised for her work, with over 200 publications to her name, including peer-reviewed journal articles, book chapters, Special Issues, and co-edited books, with a research focus on preventive audiology and the decolonization of knowledge in the field to be Afrocentric. She has served on editorial boards of numerous journals including the Journal of Psychology in Africa as well as AOSIS Scholarly Books. Because of her being in the TOP 30 WITS publishers, she was recently nominated to be an African Academy of Sciences Fellow, as well as Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf) fellow. She was recently awarded the prestigious SASLHA Fellowship Award. This award serves as a resounding tribute to the extraordinary achievements of professionals in audiology. The award, which bestows upon Prof. Khoza-Shangase a lifelong SASLHA membership, with full voting privileges, is a testament to her dedication, expertise, and the profound influence she has in the field of audiology. She has served on numerous research institutes’ review panels including the National Research Foundation (NRF), The Consortium for Advanced Research Training in Africa (CARTA), NIHSS Catalytic Research Programme, and the Research Council of Norway. Prof. Khoza-Shangase has played a pivotal leadership role in various organizations and initiatives, including the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA), where she has been instrumental in shaping policies, regulations, and standards for the speech-language and hearing professions.