THE TECHNICAL JUDGES
Technical Experts for 2026
Our Technical Judges bring deep expertise in diagnostics, medical device manufacturing, assistive technology, and biomedical engineering. Their role is to independently assess the technical merit, innovation, feasibility, and potential impact of each submission.
Ms Sarah Cohen
Sarah Cohen is the Executive Officer of SALDA, the association representing laboratory medicine and the In Vitro Diagnostics (IVD) supplier and manufacturing sector across Southern Africa. She brings sector-wide insight into diagnostics, regulatory pathways and industry collaboration, having led SALDA’s engagement with regulators, health-sector bodies — public and private — and both local and multinational diagnostics companies. Sarah has over 30 years’ experience in laboratory testing and research, specialising in IVDs and clinical trials. She is a SteerCo member of the MedTech Master Plan, focusing on support for local manufacturing of MedTech.
Ms Shona McDonald
Shona McDonald is the founder and Executive Director of ShonaquipSE, Africa's leading ISO 13485-certified designer and manufacturer of paediatric assistive technology. Since 1992 she has built ShonaquipSE into a multi-award-winning enterprise serving under-resourced settings across Southern Africa.
Ms Simone Rudolph-Shortt
Simone Rudolph-Shortt is an accomplished industrial pharmacist with extensive experience across production, R&D, regulatory affairs, quality management, validation, intellectual property and operational excellence. She is Chairperson of the Manufacturing of Medical Devices Association of South Africa (MDMSA); a prior Chair and Vice-Chairperson of the Medical Device Professional Group (MDPG); a member of SAFHE and SAAPI; and was active in SAMED for over 20 years. She contributes to SABS Technical Committees and serves as a SANAS Technical Expert for medical devices, and advises industry on regulatory affairs, GMP and quality management systems through her own consultancy practice.
Prof. Sudesh Sivarasu
Professor Sudesh Sivarasu is the DSTI/NRF South African Research Chair (SARChI) in Biomedical Engineering & Innovation and is a Director of UCT’s Biomedical Engineering Research Centre, and head of UCT MedTech. A prolific inventor and internationally recognised leader in medical-device innovation, he conceived the award-winning FrugalBiodesign™ methodology for accessible, affordable medical devices and contributed to the South African National Ventilation Project during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ms Grace Baloyi
Ms. Baloyi has over 23 years of experience in project sourcing, funding, deal structuring, and innovation management. She has supported companies, including Citrogold (producer of Clemengold©), to unlock value from their IP and gained finance experience at Quartile Capital (now Tysys Capital Group). At TIA she led initiatives in Medtech, the FACTS Clinical Trial, and the Technology Stations Programme. She is currently a Senior Programme Manager at the SAMRC, leading the Medical Diagnostics and Devices Innovation Cluster Programme (MeDDIC). Ms. Baloyi holds an MBA from GIBS, a BSc Hons. from Wits and is a 2017 Mandela Washington Fellow.