Researchers from CPUT’s Obesity and Chronic Disease of Lifestyle Research Unit are participating in a landmark medical study.

The study will explore reference ranges, which are sets of values used by healthcare professionals to interpret medical test results from blood samples.

Head of the unit, Prof Tandi Matsha says current reference ranges have been derived from non-local populations, whose characteristics are very different from those living on the African continent.

Matsha says the study, which is the first of its kind, will aim to establish reference ranges or normal values that are based on the local population.

“Reference ranges are the most widely used medical decision-making tool. However, the lack of reference values impacts on patient management,” she says.

The reference ranges currently used in the medical sector are those that are based on the American and European communities.

Matsha says this is a global initiative and will see researchers in other countries, such as Japan, participate in the study. However, the Bellville bases unit will focus on South Africa and also work closely with partners in Kenya and Nigeria.

Closer-to-home collaborators include the University of Stellenbosch and Pathcare. A CPUT student, Francious Smit will also complete his doctoral study based on this project.

Matsha says the unit is currently recruiting individuals who would like to participate in the study, which kicks off this week.

To be part of this landmark study, participants should be older than 18 and meet various other criteria. For more click here.

By Candes Keating

Written by CPUT News
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Over 5000 Bellville South residents are in line to benefit from a multi-million rand diabetes study tracking the development of the disease.

The community was selected for its proximity to CPUT’s Bellville campus where a clinic specially developed for the study is.

The three-year-long project will monitor the development of diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.

Participants are eager to be involved because they are given regular health screen checks which include a dental exam and weight and blood checks. Head of the programme Prof Tandi Matsha says she hopes the participants will be available to be tracked for the rest of their lives.

“For many of the people attending they may not know that they have diabetes and this type of service alerts them to possible problems,” she says.

“Diabetes is increasing all over the world but 80% of that increase is happening in low to middle-income countries like South Africa.”

Valerie Daniels, 44, says she is privileged to be part of the study because she will now be eligible for other benefits like having a new set of dentures made.

“Those kinds of things take very long at the government hospitals and you need to sit for a very long time at the clinic for a simple check-up,” she says.

“I will definitely keep coming back.”

All participants are ferried to and from the clinic by a dedicated shuttle and are assisted by qualified staff members.

The diabetes and cardiovascular study is a R8.25 million rand research project that was awarded by the Medical Research Council.

Anyone interested in participating in the study can contact Dr Gloudina Hon at 021 959 6015.

Written by Lauren Kansley
Tel: +27 21 953 8646
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Liaises with the media and writes press releases about interesting developments at CPUT.

CPUT is home to leading academics s who are making huge contributions to research.

One such academic is Prof Tandi Matsha, who is the founder and lead researcher at the Cardiometabolic Health Research Unit, which is based at the Bellville Campus.

Matsha, who is also the head of the Department of Biomedical Sciences in the Faculty of Health and Wellness Sciences, is renowned for her work in the field of genetic and environmental risk factors in obesity related diseases. 

CPUT news caught up with her as part of our Extraordinary Women series in honor of Women’s Month.

What do you enjoy most about your job?

I enjoy facilitating and being part of the process of empowering others to succeed.

I also enjoy encouraging others to push themselves to do things that they thought were impossible for them to achieve… and the smile that comes with that is the cherry on top.

Can you point out a career highlight?

In my line of work the obvious highlights, to name a few, would be publications, award of research grants, NRF rating, recognition by my peers in the form of either being invited to review manuscripts or invited to give a plenary session, as well seeing my students to graduation.

However, the major highlights of my career are seeing those that I have guided become successful in their own right. Just recently, my doctoral candidate, who was also my undergrad and master’s student, was selected for a post-doctoral fellowship at Cambridge, London.

What do you attribute your success to?

Success was never my goal. The reason I am here today is because I realised my potential and I did not want it to just remain a potential. I wanted my potential to be made into something tangible. I wanted to take that potential and make it kinetic.

The ability to overcome diversity, the determination to stand for my beliefs coupled with instilled values of Ubuntu have made it possible for me to focus and achieve my objectives.  I am also inspired by my children to succeed and I believe that through my example, they too will find their own success.

Most importantly, I attribute my achievements to the strong belief that whatever stage I am in my life, that is where God wants me to be. Sometimes it’s not what I desire, but that makes it easy to accept.

Do you have any words of advice for the generation of women behind you?

Do not let go of the qualities that make you a woman when you enter the workplace. Those qualities are what make you unique and are needed for your progression in society.

Written by Candes Keating
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Provides coverage for the Engineering and Applied Sciences Faculties; the Bellville and Wellington Campuses, and research and innovation news.

CPUT’s objective of providing students with hands-on training and practical skills has been bolstered through a partnership programme with a Norwegian institution.

The project would also seek to establish research collaborations between CPUT’s Biomedical Sciences Department and the Western Norway University of Applied Sciences, says Prof Tandi Matsha, Head of the Biomedical Sciences Department

She recently visited Norway with Microbiology lecturer and third-year co-ordinator, Yvonne Prince, while a team from Norway are scheduled to visit CPUT later in the year.

The project is aimed at developing best practice for training in biomedical laboratory sciences through educational and research collaboration between the institutions.

Matsha said a two-year grant was received from the UTFORSK partnership programme and this would enable three CPUT students to travel to Norway later this year as part of their Work Integrated Learning experience.

The UTFORSK Partnership Programme supports project cooperation between higher education institutions in Norway and higher education institutions in Brazil, China, India, Japan, Russia and South Africa.

The three students are on the BHSc: Medical Laboratory Sciences Programme.

Prince said the students would spent three months in Norway.

A further two students would be given the opportunity to go to Norway next year for Work Integrated Learning.

“An important part of the visit was to discuss areas for research collaboration and looking for funding for this jointly,” says Matsha.

While the students’ accommodation and flights would be covered, funding toward other expenses was still required.

Anyone who would like to assist can send an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Written by Ilse Fredericks
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The landmark Vascular Metabolic Health study, which started in 2014, continues to bear fruit with the data and specimens collected being used in various studies currently underway.

The study has already had numerous successes including several publications in high-impact journals including: Nature and The Lancet and resulted in global collaborations with regards to diabetes, obesity and cardiovascular disease. 

About 2 000 residents of Belhar and Bellville South participated in the first phase of participant recruitment between 2014 and 2016.

Saarah Davids from the South African Medical Research Council/CPUT Cardiometabolic Health Research Unit, said diabetes and hypertension are on the rise in South Africa across all ethnic groups and contribute to the non-communicable diseases growing burden, which is expected to overtake infectious diseases, such as HIV and TB.

Prof Tandi Matsha, Dean of the Faculty and Health and Wellness Sciences, is the Chair and Director of the unit.

“In cognisance of this and the urban transition that is taking place, the unit has studied and is identifying the risk factors and long-term complications associated with developing these conditions in the mixed-ancestry population that resides in the Bellville South and Belhar communities, adjacent to the university campus,” said Davids.

The research study sought to quantify the extent of the problem by identifying people with diabetes and hypertension as well as those at high risk of developing these conditions.

“Each of these conditions is associated with the metabolic syndrome, which our research has shown to be considerably high in the mixed-ancestry population. In this regard, we are pursuing the identification and assessment of novel biomarkers, which may help identify those subjects who otherwise might be missed when using the traditional biomarkers,” Davids added.

“As both diabetes and hypertension are associated with medium and long-term complications, such as chronic kidney disease and severe and debilitating eye complications, which can lead to end-stage renal failure and the latter to blindness, we have subsequently put in place measures to screen subjects and institute prevention strategies.”

The study not only examines the traditional risk factors associated with the development of diabetes and hypertension but is also identifying non-traditional ones. These risk factors include examining environmental and genetic risk factors that predispose some individuals to the development of diabetes and associated cardiovascular diseases such as stroke and ischemic heart disease.

“The study established that the mixed-ancestry population has a very high prevalence of diabetes and the metabolic syndrome and a high risk of developing cardiovascular complications

“In addition, the diagnostic cut-offs for screening for diabetes are considerably different in our community from the recommended international cut-offs. Similarly, waist circumference cut-offs, a simple tool for the identification of metabolic syndrome, are different from the recommended international cut-offs and emphasise the need to validate international recommendations before adopting them in South Africa.”

Although the first phase of the study is completed, the unit is currently working on various studies, including genetic and epigenetics research from the data and specimens collected. These studies aim to answer questions regarding the increasing problem of diabetes and cardiovascular diseases in the mixed ancestry community in South Africa and identify environmental and genetic risk factors that predispose some individuals to the development of these diseases.

 Although the initial study recruited approximately 2000 people, the reach is far greater.

“Residents of the Bellville South and Belhar areas were able to understand their current health status and impart the knowledge they received from the study to their family and friends in their communities.”

Written by Ilse Fredericks
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It was a big moment when a group of CPUT frontline health workers became the first from the institution to be vaccinated against Covid-19.

A total of 20 CPUT frontline health workers received their vaccinations at Groote Schuur Hospital on Thursday.

“Western Cape Government Health (WCGH) created a sequencing system for frontline health workers, [in] faculties of health sciences. This is similar to the EVDS (Electronic Vaccination Data System) used nationally for healthcare workers and indeed both systems are being used for the vaccination of healthcare workers,” said Prof Tandi Matsha, Dean of the Faculty of Health and Wellness Sciences and chairperson of the CPUT vaccination rollout.

She said vaccination is based on voluntary participation and health workers had to volunteer to participate.

“From CPUT Faculty of Health and Wellness Sciences (FHWS), including CPUT health clinics, over 80% of our staff and students volunteered to participate. However, due to the limited number of vaccines at the moment, only those staff members that had been trained to administer vaccines to the CPUT community have been vaccinated today (Thursday)."

Prof Karien Jooste, Head of the Department of Nursing Science added that 18 lecturers in the Department of Nursing Science and two professional nurses from the Health clinic and HIV/Aids Unit had been selected.

Matsha said participants are observed at the vaccination site for some time (15 minutes) after vaccination for adverse reaction, given information on what they may experience later in the day and a contact number should they experience adverse reactions.

“As chair of the vaccination rollout at CPUT, I am extremely happy, and would also like to take this opportunity to ensure the CPUT community that the process will be fair and prioritised, based on needs. I would like to especially thank Prof Mellet Moll, Chair of Health cluster, Prof Karien Jooste (Head of Department, Nursing), Benjamin De Waal and John Meyer (FHWS) who were of extreme help to assist us to meet the requirements of the WCGH sequencing requirements.

“This is greatly appreciated as all would know from the news, Covid-19 vaccination is a developing story with many disruptions along the way and we must, as CPUT, quickly adapt in order to ensure that we receive vaccines.”

Melanie Marais, Head of the HIV/Aids unit, who was among the first group to receive their vaccines, said her experience was very positive and that she received friendly and efficient services from the vaccination site at Groote Schuur Hospital.

“It was comforting to know that the vaccinator was vaccinated about three weeks ago and she could share her experience with me. I did not experience any discomfort so far and was advised that I might experience some side effects and can take two Panados should I have any side effects. I am thankful for all the role players who made this possible. Today made me think of the many healthcare workers and members of the public who lost their lives due to this pandemic. “

Written by Ilse Fredericks
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The Faculty of Health and Wellness Sciences recently welcomed a team from the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) to the Bellville campus as part of the Clinical Training Grant (CTG) visit.

The purpose of the visit was to evaluate the impact of the CTG that is allocated annually to fund clinical training in four of the seven departments in the Faculty, namely the Departments of Emergency Medical Sciences (EMS), Biomedical Sciences, Nursing Sciences and Medical Imaging and Therapeutic Sciences (MITS), said Lloyd Christopher, Head of the EMS Department.

The DHET representatives were welcomed by Prof Tandi Matsha, Dean of the Faculty, who presented an overview of the Faculty before the Faculty’s CTG presentation by Christopher.

They were then taken on a tour of the departments’ state of the art facilities, including the Biomedical Sciences lab, the MITS Department’s computer-simulated learning environment, known as VERT, the EMS Department’s skills labs, including the immersive clinical simulation centre which can replicate emergency scenarios and the Nursing Department’s skills lab, where they got to interact with a life-like manikin named Jonathan.

The Faculty is investigating ways in which the CTG can improve the students' experience of clinical training and welcomed the DHET representative support for these initiatives.   

Meanwhile, the Medical Imaging and Therapeutic Sciences Department recently accompanied representatives of the Health Professions Council of SA (HSPCA) on a clinical site visit.

Dr Merlisa Kemp, Head of the MITS Department, said that in order for a radiology practice or clinical site to accept students for training, they have to be accredited by the HPCSA.

“Members of the Radiography and Clinical Technology board (HPCSA) inspect the clinical site to determine if the practice is adhering to the HPCSA accreditations guidelines which allow the practice to accept students for training,” said Kemp.

“Accreditation refers to the approval and recognition of professional programmes of study by the accrediting body. It is the recognition of academic and clinical quality by an impartial body, in this instance, the HPCSA.”

 The four BSc programmes offered by the Department of MITS includes a theoretical and clinical component. Work-Integrated Learning is part of the programme where the student would be allocated to various clinical sites to gain experience in clinical training. The clinical training involves students conducting radiographic and sonographic examinations under the supervision of a qualified sonographer and/or radiographer.

“Accreditation of clinical sites allows for students to be clinically trained and fulfil the learning outcomes for the specific programme/s and be deemed clinically competent for the specific level of study.”

Written by Ilse Fredericks

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Two outstanding CPUT researchers have been selected as finalists in the NSTF-South32 Awards, known as the ‘Science Oscars’ of South Africa.

The awards celebrate the top South African minds in science, engineering and technology and winners will be announced at a gala dinner at Emperors Palace tonight (June 28).

The two finalists are Prof Tandi Matsha, who was recently awarded the National Research Foundation’s SARChI Research Chair in Cardiometabolic Health and Prof Jeanine Marnewick, who was recently appointed as Research Chair of the Institute of Biomedical and Microbial Biotechnology.

Matsha is the founder and lead researcher of CPUT’s Cardiometabolic Health Research Unit in the Faculty of Health and Wellness Sciences and was nominated in the category: TW Kambule-NSTF Awards: Researcher (contribution to research and its outputs over a period of up to 15 years as a researcher, predominantly in South Africa).

Her current research focuses on diabetes and cardiovascular risk in the coloured community of Bellville South.

Marnewick has made a concerted effort to get the word out about the research she is doing into how rooibos is useful as a way to reduce and protect against the impact of non-communicable diseases because of the tea’s antioxidant activity.

EXCELLENT: Prof Jeanine Marnewick

She heads up the Oxidative Stress Research Centre and was nominated in the category Communication for outreach and creating awareness of SET and innovation award.

Written by Ilse Fredericks
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PhD graduate Cecil Weale’s hope is that his late parents are looking down on him from heaven, proud of his achievements.

Born in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, he was only eight when his mother passed away.

“I was raised by a single father, during the height of the economic plight in the country.”

His father, Rodney Weale motivated him to excel.

“After work every day, he would sit down with me and help me complete my homework for the day. He maintained this kind of encouragement throughout my tertiary-level studies.”

Weale’s academic prowess earned him a bursary which enabled his retiree father to carry him through high school.

“By the grace of God, I was awarded the Zimbabwean Presidential Scholarship, through which my undergraduate studies at CPUT were fully funded. Following the successful completion of my BHSc in Medical Laboratory Sciences, I enrolled for a Master’s in Biomedical Technology, which I completed with cum laude, in one and a half years.”

He then enrolled for the PhD in Biomedical Sciences.

“Unfortunately, my father was not able to witness the completion of my PhD, having passed on a year before I submitted my thesis.”

Weale’s thesis is titled: MicroRNA profiling and validation in mixed ancestry individuals in South Africa.

He was supervised by Prof Tandi Matsha and Prof Glenda Davison.

“I was fortunate in that both my postgraduate degrees were fully sponsored through NRF (National Research Foundation) grant-holder bursaries from my supervisor, Prof Tandi E. Matsha.”

He said the lecturers in the Department of Biomedical Sciences always had time for their undergraduate students and groomed them to be thorough and competent medical laboratory scientists.

“My supervisor, Prof Tandi Matsha, has always been very supportive…always pushing me to be the best version of myself, and giving me the platform to put myself out there, as a biomedical researcher, sending me to international conferences to showcase our research. If it was not for her, I would not be where I am today, as I had no means to fund my postgraduate studies, and I probably would have been forced to move back to Zimbabwe.”

Weale is currently a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the SA Medical Research Council/CPUT Cardiometabolic Health Research Unit.

He has the following message to young people who may be in a similar situation as he was growing up: “If you have passion and drive, the only forces that will prevent your success are your own doubts. Believe in yourself and be relentless in your pursuits because one day you will excel.”

Written by Ilse Fredericks
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The Head of the Biomedical Sciences Department has been awarded a prestigious accolade - the National Research Foundation’s SARChI Research Chair in Cardiometabolic Health.

Prof Tandi Matsha, the founder and lead researcher of CPUT’s Cardiometabolic Health Research Unit, is the first recipient of a SARChI Research Chair in the Faculty of Health and Wellness Sciences.
Matsha said she felt privileged to have been recognised.
Her current research focuses on diabetes and cardiovascular risk in the coloured community of Bellville South and she said this was being expanded to include other population groups.

Matsha said the highlight of her career was when she was awarded a R8.3 million research grant in 2013 from the Medical Research Council’s (MRC) Flagship Project followed by a grant of more than R6 million in 2016 from the MRC’s Strategic Initiatives.
“This was important as it allowed our unit to be able to do the research we’re doing.”
The Acting Dean of the Faculty and Health and Wellness Sciences, Prof Penelope Engel-Hills, said Prof Matsha had worked tirelessly over a number of years to develop a research unit.

“The research area aligns with the United Nations, Sustainable Development Goal Number 3: Good Health and Well-being. Through this award, Prof Matsha and her team have been acknowledged for their potential to make a significant contribution to the production of new knowledge in a field that is of great importance to the well-being of individuals and that will impact on the public health agenda internationally.”
She said Matsha had created a research environment where postgraduate students from a number of disciplines could be successful.
“We look forward to a growing number of masters and doctoral students and post-docs being exposed to good research practice in her research unit,” said Engel-Hills.

Over the past five years, the Cardiometabolic Research unit has maintained a publication average of 10.5 per year, and the faculty anticipates that the award offers the opportunity to maintain and escalate this average, as the number of publications and scholarly research outputs will increase.

• The South African Research Chairs Initiative (SARChI) was established in 2006 by the Department of Science and Technology (DST) and the National Research Foundation. The main goal of the Research Chairs initiative is to strengthen and improve research and innovation capacity of public universities for producing high-quality postgraduate students and research and innovation outputs.

Written by Ilse Fredericks
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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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Senior Researcher in the department of Biomedical Sciences, Dr Shanel Raghubeer’s passion for research has earned her a Y2 rating from the National Research Foundation (NRF).

Raghubeer joined the South African Medical Research Council /CPUT Cardiometabolic Health Research Unit as a postdoctoral research fellow in July 2019 before taking up her current position in October last year.

“This fellowship was very fruitful; I learned a lot from Prof Tandi Matsha and Prof Glenda Davison and was very fortunate to be involved in several projects at the unit resulting in many publications.

Her research background focuses on molecular biology, genetics, and toxicology.

“During my time at CPUT, I have extended my field of expertise to include diabetes, metabolic syndromes, genetics and epigenetics. I am currently involved in studying the use of natural, easily accessible compounds for the treatment of several illnesses, including metabolic dysregulation, inflammation and glucose metabolism. I am also involved in genetic and epigenetic research with regards to cardiometabolic disorders.”

Raghubeer has always been interested in medical research and became drawn to the mechanisms underlying disease pathogenesis and metabolism.

She holds a master’s degree in medical science and a PhD in medical biochemistry, both from the University of KwaZulu-Natal.

Her career highlights include meeting Prof Tandi Matsha, former Dean of the Faculty of Health and Wellness Sciences, “and being recruited by her to conduct important community research at her SAMRC extracurricular research unit”.

“The work being done at this unit is invaluable and is changing the landscape of research being conducted in Sub-Saharan Africa. I am also thrilled to have established a cell culture laboratory in the Department of Biomedical Sciences, which will provide valuable skills for many students to come. Additionally, my first PhD student will be completing her studies this year and is set to graduate in April 2024.”

Raghubeer said she was very happy to receive the news of her rating by the NRF “because I knew this would open many doors for me in the research landscape of South Africa”.

“I am excited to be included in the group of esteemed rated researchers across South Africa. This rating represents a cumulative effort as I have worked with incredible, inspiring researchers who have lifted me to this level and continue to inspire me every day. I look forward to training the next generation of scientists at CPUT and improving research uptake at our institution.”

Outside of work, she loves to spend time outdoors, hiking or enjoying a good book and a picnic.

“I enjoy going to the gym and exploring the Cape Winelands. In Cape Town, we are blessed with amazing beaches and mountains, and there is never a moment of boredom!”

Written by Ilse Fredericks

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In a bid to delve into the intricate intersection of health and technology, the SAMRC/CPUT Cardiometabolic Health Research Unit recently held a symposium under the theme: Cardiometabolic Disease in the Technological Era.

Guests and scholars convened at the Cape Town Hotel School to explore the symposium's focal point. The keynote address was delivered by Prof Faadiel Essop, Director of the Centre for Cardiometabolic Research in Africa (CARMA) at the Biomedical Research Institute (BMRI), based at the Faculty of Medicine and Health Science, Stellenbosch University. Essop's talk, which was titled: Enhancing Cardiometabolic Research Care: Innovations for a Healthier Tomorrow, set the tone for an intellectually stimulating day.

The symposium unfolded through four distinct sessions, each delving into critical facets of the field, namely: artificial intelligence, point of care and medical devices, e-health, and personalised medicine. Distinguished national experts and academics, among them Dr. Ashlin Rampul, a representative of the International Federation of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (IFCC) young scientist task team; Prof Annalise Zemlin, Head of Division: Chemical Pathology at Stellenbosch University; Prof Kotsedi Monyeki from the Department of Physiology and Environmental Health at the University of Limpopo; and James Ross, Co-Founder and CEO of BixBio, a biotech company that is disrupting global healthcare by unlocking the power of African genomes for drug development, generously shared ground-breaking scientific advancements and practical experiences. Their collective insights not only expanded the horizons of knowledge but also fostered a deeper understanding of cardiometabolic health within the dynamic landscape of rapid technological evolution.

What set the symposium apart was the active participation of young emerging researchers in pivotal organisational roles. The organising committee, consisting of Dr Saarah Davids, Dr Shanel Raghubeer, Dr Cecil Weale, Dr Dipuo Motshwari and Dr Don Matshazi, who played a central role in the event. All members of the organizing committee are affiliated with the South African Association for Clinical Biochemistry and Laboratory Medicine (SAACB), falling under the auspices of the African Federation of Clinical Chemistry (AFCC) and the International Federation of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (IFCC). Guiding this dynamic team of emerging researchers are esteemed figures in the field : Prof Tandi Matsha, Prof Glenda Davison and Prof Rajiv Erasmus. These seasoned scientists have provided mentorship, fostering an environment conducive to innovative research in the realm of non-communicable diseases.

This dynamic blend of established expertise and emerging talent underscored the commitment to advancing cardiometabolic research and heralded a promising trajectory for the future of healthcare in the technological age.

Davison, who is the Head of CPUT’s Department of Biomedical Sciences and co-director of the SAMRC/CPUT Cardiometabolic Health research unit, said:

"For me two current themes were highlighted across all the sessions. These were the power of collaboration and the move to toward interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary partnerships. If we are able to work together, I believe the future is bright for South Africa and Africa."

Written by CPUT News
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