07 May 2024
Volume: 12
Issue: 7
Dr Angezwa Siboto who graduated with a PhD in Human Physiology.

PhD for Pre-diabetes Researcher

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Dr Angezwa Siboto, a Laboratory Technician at Nelson Mandela University (NMU), said she was elated to graduate with her PhD in Human Physiology from her alma mater, UKZN.

Dr Thembelihle Angel Maziya graduates summa cum laude.

Defying Dire Straits to Graduate as a Medical Doctor Summa Cum Laude

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The 6th of May 2024 was not a normal day for Dr Thembelihle Angel Maziya who graduated as the only Black female out of 14 students who completed UKZN’s difficult Medical programme summa cum laude.

Dr Thando Maseko bags a PhD in Virology.

Award-Winning TB/HIV Virologist Obtains PhD

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A PhD is in the bag for TB/HIV virologist, Dr Thando Maseko (30), who is now a Mucosal Immunology Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Centre for the AIDS Programme of Research in South Africa (CAPRISA).

Virology graduate, Dr Ntombikhona Maphumulo.

Virology PhD for HIV Scientific Innovation

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‘It is important to understand the pathways leading to drug resistance and ultimately therapy failure in African patients, especially in people living with HIV - the prevalence of which is still at its most rife in South Africa and in KwaZulu-Natal where we live.’

PhD in Medicine graduate, Dr Deshanta Naicker.

Novel Study Raises Hope for the Eradication of Gonorrhoea

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Dr Deshanta Naicker (29) said she was thrilled to obtain her PhD in Medicine, resulting from new South African research that she undertook at UKZN towards combating the bacterial sexually transmitted infection (STI), gonorrhoea.

Dr Munira Wadiwalla (left) and Professor Bonga Chiliza.

Investigation of Mental Health Challenges Faced by Medical Doctors During COVID-19 Culminates in PhD

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Dr Munira Wadiwalla graduated with a PhD in Medicine on 6 May from UKZN after exploring the psychological wellbeing of Medical graduates who were serving their internships at five state hospitals in eThekwini during the devastating outbreak of COVID-19.

Dr Maseeha Ismael Bhorat, UKZN’s top Medical graduate.

Clear Skies for UKZN’s Top Medical Student, Dr Maseeha Ismael Bhorat

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‘I am fully certain that the only reason I am where I am today, is because of the thousand-thread-count support system I have in my family and friends,’ said ecstatic Crawford College La Lucia’s 2017 top matriculant and UKZN’s class of 2023 top Medical student, Dr Maseeha Ismael Bhorat.

Ms Simone Varatharajalu.

Meet our Human Anatomy Honours Top Student

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Ms Simone Varatharajalu, 22, graduated summa cum laude, topping her Bachelor of Medical Science Honours class in Human Anatomy through hard work, passion, and commitment to understanding the anatomy and overall functioning of the human body.

Drs Ziphozonke and Velenkosini Lamula.

Cheers All Around as Twins Graduate as Medical Doctors

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Pietermaritzburg twins, Drs Ziphozonke and Velenkosini Lamula made their families and the Westgate community proud as they graduated as Medical doctors from UKZN on 6 May.

Dr Santhuri Rambaran.

Trailblazing TB Research Earns Medical Scientist a PhD

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‘All my degrees were obtained at UKZN,’ said the ever-beaming Dr Santhuri Rambaran, a Medical Scientist at the National Institute for Communicable Diseases’ (NICD) Centre for Tuberculosis, whose PhD in Medical Microbiology, supervised by world-class TB Scientists, Dr Aida Sivro and Professor Kogie Naidoo, was conferred on 6 May.

Orthopaedic surgeon, Dr Piet Mare graduated with a PhD.

Novel PhD on Surgical Management of Blount’s Disease in Children

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Blount’s disease is a complex, progressive condition found in children that affects the growth plates around the knee - considered a “proximal tibial deformity” by orthopaedic surgeons.

HPP graduates with their supervisors, Dr Paradise Madlala (second from left), and Dr Nompumelelo P Mkhwanazi (far right).

HIV Pathogenesis Programme Salutes its Graduates

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One of the major goals of the HIV Pathogenesis Programme (HPP) is to be a training programme that will invest in South Africans, enabling them to develop the expertise to be world leaders in the fields of basic and translational research.

Dr Nomusa Zondo graduated with a PhD in Virology.

PhD Study Delves Deeper into Efficacy of PrEP in African Women

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Dr Nomusa Zondo, a postdoctoral researcher at the Centre for the AIDS Programme of Research in South Africa’s (CAPRISA) Mucosal Immunology Department, was conferred a PhD in Virology for her novel research investigating three biological factors impacting the efficacy of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) in African women from an HIV endemic area in KwaZulu-Natal over a prolonged time.

Meet the class of 2023’s top Medical students.

14 Class of 2023 Medical Students Graduate Summa Cum Laude

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The class of 2023’s top Medical student is Dr Maseeha Ismael Bhorat, who was born in Polokwane but moved to Durban at the age of six.

Dr Grace Nduku Wambua (left) and Professor Bonga Chiliza.

Kenyan Researcher Obtains PhD Investigating Psychosis Among Victims of Childhood Trauma

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According to Dr Grace Nduku Wambua, a Kenyan Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Africa Health Research Institute who graduated with a PhD in Psychiatry from UKZN on 6 May, levels of resilience might explain why although there is a high incidence of psychosis among victims of childhood trauma, not all individuals exposed to it develop mental health problems when they become adults.