[Profile] Ruanne Barnabas—promoting evidence-based equity

Ruanne Barnabas grew up in Durban, South Africa, during a time of “deep inequity in health, opportunity, and justice”. Motivated by her parents and teachers, she decided to study medicine because it “felt like the perfect balance between reason and compassion”. In medical school, Barnabas was inspired by clinicians and researchers working on the frontlines of the HIV epidemic, “especially those who combined rigorous science with a deep commitment to human dignity”. However, Barnabas soon realised that exceptional individual care was not enough to bring about macro-level changes for disadvantaged communities.