Sandeep Vasaikar was born in Vasai, India on 11th May 1965. He is married with two children. Prof Vasaikar holds MBBS (1992) and MD (1996) in Medical Microbiology from University of Mumbai. His MD thesis was on “Bacteriological Studies of Acute Gastroenteritis with Special Reference to Aeromonas Species”. After his specialization in Medical Microbiology, he has worked as a lecturer in Sion Hospital in Mumbai and Gaborone, Botswana. He is currently working as an associate professor of Medical Microbiology and pathologist in NHLS Mthatha. He registered for PhD in Health Sciences, Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology in the division of Medical Microbiology, FHS, WSU, South Africa. He joined Faculty of Health Sciences in the University of Transkei in October 2000. He has supervised BSc Honours, MSc Medical Microbiology, PhD students and has taught MBChB3. For his PhD research he has developed a Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) laboratory, now used in research by postgraduate students. Prof Vasaikar has published Fifteen (15) papers in peer review journal articles and has 19 national and international conference abstracts since 2001 to date.  He is registered as a specialist of Medical Microbiology with HPCSA and a member of National Medical Microbiology Expert Committee and other committees.

Abraham Niehaus is a medical doctor with specialist training in clinical microbiology. After completing a MBChB degree at the University of the Free State (South Africa) in 2003, he worked for three years as a medical doctor in Bethlehem (South Africa). He then moved to Durban in KwaZulu-Natal, where he was trained as a clinical microbiologist at Inkosi Albert Luthuli Central Hospital and King Edward VIII Hospital. He completed his Master of Medicine (Medical Microbiology) degree at the University of KwaZulu-Natal and was jointly appointed as a full-time pathologist (microbiology) and lecturer by the National Health Laboratory Services and UKZN. He is currently part of a team of pathologists responsible for the medical microbiology laboratory services as well as the teaching and training of medical doctors and clinical microbiologists in KwaZulu-Natal province. Since 2011 he has been responsible for the medical microbiology services at King Dinuzulu Hospital in Durban. His functions include clinical consultations (diagnosis and treatment of infections), hospital infection prevention and control, antimicrobial stewardship, laboratory management and laboratory quality assurance. He also is currently enrolled in a PhD program at UKZN in the field of anti-mycobacterial drug discovery. His research has attracted Thuthuka funding through the NRF.

Dr Apalata obtained his Ph.D. degree (2014) and Masters degree of Medicine (M.Med.) (2009) with specialization in Clinical Microbiology from the Nelson R Mandela School of Medicine, KwaZulu-Natal University in South Africa. He has 15 years combined experience in teaching, research and professional services (5 years of Registrar training and 10 years as Consultant). Prior to that, Dr Apalata practiced as a Medical Officer for 3 years in Internal Medicine and also 1 year as a Medical Intern. His medical qualification (MD) was obtained from the Faculty of Medicine, University of Kinshasa in DR Congo. 
Dr Apalata is a former Fogarty International Research Fellow in Global Health with the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, USA. He also worked as an International Consultant and a Technical Advisor in Global Health Security Agenda, TB/HIV infection control and biosafety, STIs/HIV, Early Infant Diagnosis (EID) for HIV, strengthening MDR/XDR-TB laboratories and antimicrobial stewardship projects for Ministries of Health in South Africa, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Mali, DR Congo and Côte d’Ivoire.