Durban born Professor Bobat began research into paediatric HIV in 1989. She is credited with starting the first paediatric HIV clinic at King Edward VIII hospital in Durban in 1990 and completed a Doctoral thesis in natural history of vertically transmitted HIV infection – the only study of its kind in  Africa.

Professor Bobat has been the recipient of several large research grants for paediatric HIV infection and is a founding member of South African Society for Paediatric Infectious Diseases and  currently serves as President of South African Paediatric Association.