Prof. Ben J. Marais is a paediatrician and paediatric infectious diseases specialist with an interest in global health. He is internationally renowned for his work on childhood and multi drug-resistant (MDR)-tuberculosis (TB). He serves on the executive committee of the NHMRC Centre for Research Excellence in Tuberculosis Control and is a founding member of the Australasian Tuberculosis Forum. He strongly advocates for Australia to take a leadership role in coordinating enhanced TB and MDR-TB control efforts in the Asia–Pacific region. As Co-Director of Sydney ID, he works toward creating a dynamic multi-disciplinary research community in infection, immunity and biosecurity. He described the natural history of childhood TB from the pre-chemotherapy literature and conducted a large, prospective cohort study to document TB incidence and disease diversity among children in Cape Town. As Acting Director of the Ukwanda centre for Rural Health at Stellenbosch University, South Africa, his interest in the health of underserved populations inspired a comprehensive review of health care delivery in rural and remote areas. He was one of three lead authors of the Lancet TB series (2010), which assessed key challenges in global TB control, highlighted the neglected burden of childhood TB, and emphasised the need for more holistic and integrated approaches. The final ‘Call to Action’ manuscript that he led informed the WHO's post-2015 global TB control targets and action plan.