This week’s SMART graduation will be a proud moment for the Department of Biomedical Sciences who will celebrate two of its academics receiving their doctorates.
Lecturers Yvonne Prince and Wendy Solomon will both be receiving the degree Doctor of Philosophy in Biomedical Science.
Solomon has been working at CPUT for 14 years, after starting at the institution as a junior lecturer in 2007.
“Growing up, I always had an interest in biological sciences. After job shadowing various careers within the medical field, I realised that although I wanted to help people, I did not want to be in the front lines and in direct contact with patients. This made medical laboratory science the ideal career choice as I could work behind the scenes but still play an important role in the diagnosis and treatment of patients,” said Solomon, who is also the Departmental Teaching and Learning Coordinator and coordinates the BHSc Medical Laboratory Science Articulation
Her thesis is titled: Genome-wide DNA methylation profiling in mixed ancestry South Africans with diabetes or prediabetes.
Solomon said it was challenging to find the balance between work, personal life and studies.
“There was never an equal distribution across these aspects of my life. It is through the support of my family that I persevered. My husband and children were often neglected over weekends while I was studying but everyone knew that there was an end date to this sacrifice. Although there is a lot of guilt involved in missing family time, I am comforted by the fact that my children will learn from the example of persevering even when times are tough. I now enjoy spending quality time with my family and making up for the lost time. “
Solomon’s main supervisor was Prof Tandi Matsha and her co-supervisor was Dr Stanton Hector.
Prince who started at CPUT in 2012, said she has always loved biology “how the human body works and the science behind it”.
Her thesis is titled: The oral microbiome and its association with chronic and systemic disease in a South African population.
Prince was supervised by Prof Tandi Matsha-Erasmus and Assoc Prof Glenda Davison.
“It was very challenging being a full-time employee, mother, and student. But through motivation from family and supervisors and my colleagues, I pushed through. Time management and planning and sabbatical leave granted through CPUT helped a lot. “
Written by Ilse Fredericks
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