Jacintha Toohey University of KwaZulu-NatalSouth Africa

Jacintha Toohey is a legal scholar with a strong foundation in law, ethics, and human rights and a background in project management and international research collaborations. She holds a PhD in Law, a Master's in Medical Law, an LLB degree, a Diploma in Project Management and a Diploma in Information Systems. Jacintha has collectively over 18 years of experience in international and national research project collaborations, including research ethics reviews, law, ethics and policy research, financial oversight, and multi-stakeholder engagement. She has and continues to support research ethics capacity-building initiatives across Africa, particularly in South Africa. She participates in international ethics and integrity communities of practice, ensuring national and institutional alignment with local and global developments for improving innovation and research-informed practices. She is committed to equitable collaborative developments, ethical leadership, and capacity building in multi-stakeholder environments. She also ensures effective compliance mechanisms to improve research institution, researcher and funder deliverables that promote responsible research conduct with integrity and academic excellence.