Dr. Judy Pretorius, a biomedical scientist and entrepreneur from South Africa, is working to transform the care for children with burns, turning scientific developments into compassionate medical solutions.
During a recent visit to the Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital Pediatric Burn Unit in Soweto, Johannesburg, she listened closely to healthcare workers treating children with severe burns. This visit, organized by the U Matter Foundation, allowed the founder of Biomedical Emporium to explore opportunities for collaboration between scientists, clinicians, non-profit organizations, and business to improve outcomes for vulnerable patients.
Dr. Judy noted that while she is a scientist by training, she is also an entrepreneur and researcher convinced that knowledge must yield tangible results. She holds a Master's degree in Genetics and Molecular Biology and a Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Chemistry from the University of the Northwest, specializing in wound healing, regenerative medicine, and cell therapy.
She emphasized that scientific achievements only make sense when they solve real problems. In her view, healthcare innovations should be aimed at solving significant problems for patients and doctors, rather than simply developing something new.
Dr. Pretorius' philosophy was evident during her time at the Baragwanath burn unit. She spent time discussing with doctors and healthcare workers the complexities of treating children with severe burns. She was struck by the difficulty of this work, stating that 'burn care is not just about treating a wound.'
While interacting with young patients at Baragwanath Hospital, she explored joint solutions to improve pediatric burn care. Children recovering from severe burns can face pain, infection risks, scarring, mobility issues, and psychological consequences long after the injury. Dr. Judy believes that many perceive a burn as an injury that ends with wound closure, whereas recovery is often just the beginning of a much longer journey.
She insists that pediatric burn care requires more attention from policymakers, researchers, the private sector, and the public, as children are particularly vulnerable, and the consequences of severe burns can affect them for years.
The visit also reinforced her conviction in the importance of bridging scientists and clinicians. Research, in her opinion, should be based on the challenges faced by frontline healthcare workers, not developed in isolation. She stressed that innovations must be designed with reality in mind: it is not enough to create a scientifically sound technology; solutions must be developed that can function within the healthcare system, considering accessibility, affordability, ease of use, and scalability from the outset.
This principle is reflected in Biomedical Emporium, the biotech firm Dr. Judy founded 11 years ago. The business grew from a research-focused startup into an integrated medical company with B2B and D2C divisions, as well as a recently opened pharmacy. The company has laboratories in Mauritius and Dubai.
For Dr. Judy, commercial growth comes with the responsibility of using scientific and business knowledge to solve real healthcare problems. She believes that while donations can provide immediate aid, sustainable support requires a long-term commitment to capacity building, supporting research, and developing solutions for recurring issues.
She sees non-profit organizations like the U Matter Foundation as vital for establishing these connections, bringing together communities, healthcare workers, businesses, and researchers in dialogues that go beyond a single intervention. Her goal is to make this visit the start of a meaningful conversation, not its conclusion.
Biomedical Emporium's broader goal is to demonstrate how African science and biotechnology can contribute to solving African health challenges by strengthening the links between research, business, and society. However, during her visit to Baragwanath, it was the children behind the science who left an impression on her, and the realization that a child is not just a clinical case, but a person with a future.