Biomedical Research Institution 

GPS Coordinates (33º54’29.1″S      18º36’43.6″E)

Biomedical Research Institution, Opposite P5 parking area on the Tygerberg Medical School Campus.

FREE PARKING

AGENDA

Biomedical Research Institute Tygerberg Medical School Campus, SUN

Please watch your mass emails for full details.

NB: This Agenda is subject to amendment without notice

SPEAKERS

Topic :

How can we improve genetic diagnostic testing for Leukemia in South-Africa?

Jo-Ann Kotze is an accomplished and highly experienced professional in the field of Cytogenetic with almost 15years of experience. She currently serves as an Executive board member of A Plus Clinical Laboratories and holds the position of practice Cytogenetics. Hr, experience in the field is widely recognized.
Jo-Ann’s career in Cytogenetics began in 2009 when she joined Unistel Medical Laboratories as a Medical Technologist in Cytogenetics. In 2020 Jo-Ann ventured into opening her own practice. During her tenure at the A Plus Clinical Laboratories, Jo-Ann played a pivotal role in the development and implementation of new testing methodologies, including the use of optical genome mapping as a clinical tool to solve rare genetic disorders and haematological malignancies.
Jo-Ann is highly regarded for her exceptional leader skills , strategic thinking and ability to execute complex projects with precision. Her dedication to quality and patient care has earned her the trust and respect of her peers, colleagues, and clients.
In addition to her work t A Plus Clinical Laboratories, Jo-Ann is also the current National Board Examiner for Cytogenetics, a position that allows her to share her expertise and knowledge with others in the field. She is passionate about training and mentoring young professionals and is committed to advancing the field o Cytogenetics through research and innovation.
Jo-Ann hols a Bachelor of Science in Medical Laboratory Science from Nelson Mandela University. She is also a registered Medical Technologist with Health Professional Council South-Africa and an active member of the Society of Medical Laboratory Technology of South Africa, National Education Committee (NEC), and the Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC’s) representing the field of Cytogenetics.
Overall, Jo-Ann is a highly accomplished and respected professional in the field of Cytogenetics with a wealth of experience and expertise.

Topic :

When is clomid safe for ovulation induction?

Dr Christian Kalwiba is an experienced Obstetrician and Gynaecologist.
Dr Kalwiba obtained his medical degree in the Democratic Republic of the Congo before relocating to South Africa in 2011. He completed his internship at Pietermaritzburg Complex Hospital in KwaZulu-Natal and worked as a medical officer in Obstetrics and Gynaecology for four years at the Ladysmith Hospital. In 2022, he completed his specialist training at the University of Cape Town followed by a fellowship in minimal access surgery at World Laparoscopy Hospital in India.
Dr Kalwiba is a diligent, compassionate and seasoned clinician – an advocate of evidence-based medicine who strongly believes that it is what the patient deserves.
He strives to treat patients in the best way possible and to equip them with insight and a good understanding of their medical condition(s).
Furthermore, he has a special interest in gynaecology and promotes natural vaginal birth.
Dr Kalwiba is married with three children. Outside his practice, he enjoys quality time with his family, sport and reading.

Topic :

Pneumonia : Aspects of importance for the Family Physician

Dr Jacqui Venturas graduated from the University of Cape Town in 1998. She then went to Johannesburg to complete her Internship and community service, at Helen Joseph and Thelle Mogoerane hospitals respectively. Early on in her medical training she developed a keen passion for Internal medicine, especially Pulmonology, Infectious Diseases and Critical Care, and in 2002-2005 continued her training as a Specialist Physician on the University of the Witwatersrand circuit, and then between 2006-2009 further training in Pulmonology and Critical Care medicine.
Jacqui spent 15 years at Charlotte Maxeke Academic hospital in Johannesburg as a consultant in the department of Internal Medicine, honing her skills in the aforementioned specialities. During this time she was actively involved in all aspects of departmental life, including patient care and the training of medical students and registrars. She was also involved in the initial COVID response at Charlotte Maxeke in 2020, assisting in drawing up protocols relating to clinical care.
Jacqui and her family have recently returned to Cape Town after two years in New Zealand. During her time there, spent in the Respiratory department at the Waikato District Health Board, she was the clinical lead for lung infections (including Tuberculosis, non tuberculous mycobacteria and COVID) and Pleural disease. “My experiences in New Zealand and the patient profile there, afforded me the ability to upskill in aspects of Pulmonology particular to the New Zealand environment, and grow in both a professional and personal capacity.”
Her latest two publications are HIV and COVID-19 disease published in Seminars in Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine and Multi-inflammatory syndrome in a 16-year-old male following first dose of m-RNA COVID vaccination published in Clinical Infection in Practice.
At home, Jacqui enjoys running and yoga and spending time outdoors with her family. Jacqui has two children and two step children. She looks forward to being of service to her new community and making a valuable contribution.

Topic :

Viral Hepatitis B: Primary Healthcare essentials

MMed (Virol Path) cum laude, University of Stellenbosch, 2013
FC Path (SA) Viro, Colleges of Medicine of South Africa, 2012
MSc(Med) cum laude, University of Cape Town, 2009
MB,ChB, University of Stellenbosch, 2005
• Member of the WHO Technical Consultation Group for HIV diagnostics
• Invited by the American National Institutes of Health (NIH) to present guidance on the implementation of birth HIV PCRs at the ‘HIV Birth Testing and Linkage to Care for HIV Infected Infants Workshop’ hosted by the NIH in Rockville, Maryland (2016)
• Awarded Stellenbosch University’s Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences medal for best structured Master’s degree (2013)
• Awarded NHLS Top Award for Excellence (2013)

Topic :

Viral Hepatitis C : A new breakthrough

CWN SPEARMAN MBChB, FCP(SA), FRCP, MMed, PhD
Wendy Spearman is Head of the Division of Hepatology, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences at the Universi-ty of Cape Town. She is Head of the Liver and Liver Transplant Clinics at Groote Schuur Hospital.
She is actively involved in outreach Liver education programmes and was appointed by the International Association of Pro-viders of AIDS Care to develop Training modules on the management of Hepatitis B for sub-Saharan Africa. She is a co-lead of the ‘Viral Hepatitis in sub-Saharan Africa” Project ECHO Clinic programme promoting delivery of care for patients with viral hepatitis in under-resourced regions. She was appointed by WHO Africa as the Lead consultant to develop the National Guidelines on the management and prevention of viral hepatitis in South Africa. Her research interests include viral hepatitis, NAFLD, drug-induced liver injuries, liver transplantation, and novel immunosuppressants.

Topic :

Tobacco Harm Reduction: What we know, What we ignore and What we hope for

Prof Praneet Valodia obtained his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in pharmacy from the University of the Western Cape and a PhD in pharmacology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town. He is currently a healthcare consultant and an adjunct professor at the University of the Western Cape.
He has worked as an executive in Innovation and Development, Director of Medicines Management, Clinical Executive, Head of Product Development, Chairman of Drugs and Therapeutics Committees, and business consultant.
In 2015, Praneet started his own consultancy business as a healthcare consultant offering advisory services in market access solutions for medicines, pharmacoeconomics, digital health innovation, medicine and disease risk management, research and health outcomes measurement.
In 2015 and 2016 he was the recipient of 4 healthcare awards including the Titanium Lifetime Achievement Award bestowed by the Board of Healthcare Funders of Southern Africa and the University of the Western Cape Chancellor’s Award for Outstanding Alumnus in Health Sciences.

Topic :

Ethics Medical Professionalism Part 1

Degrees/Fellowships
• M.B.Ch B. (1970 to 1975) UNIVERSITY OF CAPE TOWN.
• DIPLOMA in OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH (1995 to 1997) U.C.T.
• FOUNDATION FELLOW of the Faculty of FORENSIC and LEGAL MEDICINE (Royal College of Physicians) UK 2005 (FFLFM)
• Accredited DISAC Mediator UCT Law @ work, Legal Faculty UCT 2014.
Current Positions held:
• Chief Executive Officer of CAPE PRIMARY CARE / QUALICARE IPA, WESTERN CAPE 1990 to date comprising 600 Family Practitioner members.
• Director of the IPA Foundation of RSA
• Director of the SAMCC
• Business and Medicolegal Consultant to Medical Protection Society 1998 to 2012 and again 2018 to date
Personal:
• Married, with 2 children and 4 grandchildren
• Cyclist
• Recreational Pianist and Guitarist

Topic :

Ethics Medical Professionalism Part 2

Topic :

Ethics Medical Professionalism Part 3

Topic :

Management of Asthma from start to finish

Professor van Zyl Smit – is a Professor of pulmonology at UCT and Groote Schuur Hospital. He is the current President of the South African Thoracic Society and an active researcher with over 100 peer review publications. He is an exec member of the South African National Asthma Education Programme and represents the Global initiative for Asthma as a Global ambassador.

Topic :

Paediatric Asthma and Correct Inhaler Technique

• Pieter qualified as a Paediatrician in 2009 at the University of the Free State.
• In 2017, he obtained the South African Certificate in Asthma Care (NAEP).
• In 2018, he obtained his Diploma in Allergology from the College of Family Physicians of South Africa.
• In 2018 he qualified as a Certified Allergologist at the University of Cape Town.
• In 2019 he obtained his M.Phil. degree in Allergology
• He currently works as a full-time Paediatrician and subspecialist in Allergology at MediClinic, Panorama in Cape Town.
• Pieter is also part of the South African National Asthma Education Programme (NAEP) and Allergy Society of South Africa (ALLSA) executive committees.

Topic :

Why is Hypertension still causing so many deaths in 2023?

Private practice as Specialist Physician in Durbanville Mediclinic for 28 years.
I have a passion for Metabolic illnesses as this, in my opinion, has a huge effect on the mechanism of ageing.
Together with the faculty of Medicine, University of Stellenbosch, I was the initiator of the program to teach medical students doing their mid-clinical rotation in Internal medicine in their 4th or 5th in private hospitals. This has been running since 2014 and after a break during Covid, in which we did online teaching, the program is now set to start again in the next 2 months.

Topic :

Post Prandial Matters: The Need to Intensify Early

Topic :

Harmonising the management of cardiovascular disease

Topic :

Managing the silent thread connecting Dyslipidaemia and Hypertension

Associate Professor Dirk Blom is the Head of Division of Lipidology at the University of Cape Town and heads the Lipid Clinic at Groote Schuur Hospital. Professor Blom’s personal research interests include genetic disorders of lipoprotein metabolism with a particular emphasis on dysbetalipoproteinaemia and familial hypercholesterolaemia Professor Blom is a member of multiple international societies and currently serves on the executive committee of the Lipid and Atherosclerosis Society of Southern Africa. He has published in multiple peer-reviewed journals.

Topic :

Understanding the lower leg ulcer and vascular physiology – new developments. Case Studies

MBCHB – University of Stellenbosch (1981)
General Practitioner, Rawsonville 1985-1987/Porterville 1987-1997
Completes MFam Med – University of Stellenbosch (1992)
MBA –University of Stellenbosch (1999)
Chairman Western Cape Wound Healing Association 2003-2004
Founder member Wound healing Association of SA circa 2004
Founder member of Lymphoedema Association of SA 2012
Becomes the first African member of the ICC 2015

Topic :

Management of Pulmonary Embolism (PE).

Brian Allwood is a Professor in the Division of Pulmonology at the Stellenbosch University and Tygerberg Hospital, where he runs the interstitial lung disease and pulmonary vascular services. He received his medical degree from the University of the Witwatersrand and completed his training as a specialist physician and pulmonologist at the University of Cape Town (UCT). He has a Master’s Degree in Public Health (Clinical Research), and completed a PhD at UCT and a Clinical Fellowship in Pul-monary Hypertension at Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston USA.

Topic :

Structured Self-Monitoring Blood Glucose, effect on Glycaemic Management and HbA1c

Dr Julien Trokis is a diabetologist, in practice at the Diabetes Care Centre, Cape Gate. He has a multidisciplinary CDE clinic, and also runs a large clinical trial centre.
He has been an investigator in over 80 clinical trials, and has been principal investigator in about 40 clinical trials.
He has a special interest in diabetic kidney disease, and is currently national principal investigator for South Africa in a large international clinical trial in diabetic kidney disease. He currently serves as a member of the independent data monitoring committee on a multinational clinical trial.
He has been published in peer-reviewed journals, and has given talks both nationally, as well as internationally. He has also taught part time in the Department of Medicine, Victoria Hospital/ University of Cape Town.

Topic :

Diabetes – Trial, Tried and Tested: The Empagliflozin Cardiovascular Outcomes Journey

Topic :

Diagnosis to Treatment of CKD in Type 2 Diabetes

“Dr Nel qualified from Stellenbosch University in 1992, and subsequently spent 5 years in General Practice in the North-ern suburbs before returning to specialise in Internal Medicine, and then Nephrology. He qualified in 2005 and has been a senior consultant nephrologist at Stellenbosch University and Tygerberg Hospital for the last 10 years. He is clinical lead on the transplant program , a member of the ministerial advisory committee on transplantation and has a special interest in ICU nephrology as well as diabetes.”

Topic :

Diabetes Navigating T2DM with insulin injectables: Cost vs Value

Tienie is a medical doctor and Managing Director of VI Research, based in Dubai. He has more than 30 years’ experience in the health care ecosystem of which almost 20 years were spent in health economics and outcomes research. He is an international speaker, well published and has a particular interest in the digital transformation of healthcare and its impact on research methods and outcomes.
He is a member of ISPOR International, International Aids Society and Health Financial Management Association. He collaborates extensively with international academic organisations such as Harvard Medical School and British Columbia University. International experience includes consulting work in the SADC, Mauritius, Ghana, Libya, Egypt, Sudan, India, Thailand, UAE, Oman and China related to policy, health systems and health economics and outcomes research.

Topic :

Managed care initiatives in general practice

Dr Odwa Mazwai currently serves as the Managing Director of Universal Care (Pty) Ltd. As a qualified medical doctor with experience in managed care, he has a keen understanding of the pressing need for equitable and sustainable healthcare in South Africa.
His career spans the spectrum of medical care from clinical work to policy development at the National Department of Health. While he still holds a keen interest in clinical medicine, his passion lies in the realisation of access to quality health care for the citizens of Africa.
Odwa remains excited about the changes that are on the horizon for healthcare in South Africa and believes the ripples of these changes will permeate through the continent for the better.

Topic :

Hypertension: TREATING BEYOND THE BP NUMBERS

Dr Gary Hudson is a specialist in Pringlebaai, Bettty’s Bay, Western Cape.
He has a special interest in immune and metabolic diseases. He initiated the rheumatology clinics as well as immune clinics
at Helen Joseph Hospital.
Dr Hudson is the founding member of the HIV clinician society and a senior lecturer at the Foundation of Professional Development. He is the author of the Metabolic Syndrome textbook as well as the author of Metabolic Immune Diseases for medical chronicle.