Academy of Community Engagement Scholarship (ACES)

Mark Tomlinson

Inducted in
2026

Stellenbosch University

Co-Director, Institute for Life Course Health Research, Department of Global Health
Professor of Maternal and Child Health

Photo of Mark Tomlinson

Biographical Abstracts

Mark Tomlinson is a clinical psychologist by training, and his scholarly work has involved a diverse range of topics such as improving early childhood development, mental health, adolescent health, maternal and child health, and life course approaches to understanding child and adolescent development. He has established two long-term intervention cohorts within Cape Town communities—18-year and 16-year follow-ups. Tomlinson has been instrumental in establishing a Community Advisory Board; an Adolescent Advisory Board; and a Lived Experience Advisory Group within Cape Town communities. He has been a consultant for the World Health Organization, USAID, UNICEF, World Bank, and Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, and has worked across the African and South Asian continents. 

In 2015 Tomlinson was awarded the Chancellor Award for Research by Stellenbosch University; in 2017 he was elected as a member of the Academy of Science in South Africa. In 2024 he received a Gold Scientific Achievement Award from the South African Medical Research Council, awarded to established senior scientists who have made seminal scientific contributions that have impacted the health of people. He has published over 400 papers in peer-reviewed journals, edited four books, and published numerous chapters.

Areas of Expertise

  • Parenting
  • Home visiting
  • Infant mental health
  • Responsive caregiving