Rispel has served consecutively as the head of the
Gauteng Department of Health (from 2001),
Human Sciences Research Council of South Africa HIV/AIDS research program (from 2006) and the University of the Witwatersrand School of Public Health (from 2012). From 2008 - 2014 she was the president of the
Public Health Association of South Africa. She holds the
National Research Foundation of South Africa Research Chair on Health Workforce for Equity, and Quality and in 2016 she was elected as vice-president/president elect of the
World Federation of Public Health Associations. She is a member of the
Academy of Science of South Africa. ==Awards and honors==