UKZN Biokineticist Receives International Recognition for PhD Study

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UKZN Biokineticist Dr Takshita Sookan received an early career researcher award for her poster presentation at the 2017 International Symposium on Exercise and Immunology (ISEI) in Coimbra, Portugal.

The poster was based on one of her PhD manuscripts titled: Resistance Training Reduces T Helper-2 Cytokine Level but not Cardiometabolic Risk Factors in HIV-Infected Individuals Receiving Antiretroviral Therapy.

‘The goal of this research is to advocate for exercise as medicine and to provide sustainable interventions to decrease the burden on health care systems,’ said Sookan. ‘Scientifically based lifestyle interventions can improve the health of all South Africans, including those with HIV.’

The oral and poster awards for young investigators were an opportunity for young scientists to have their work recognised by their peers and established senior researchers in the field.

Themed: Training Your Immune System for Health and Performance, the ISEI biannual symposium brings together experts in all fields of exercise and immunology to present and discuss state-of-the-art research and emerging conceptual and technological advances.

Said Sookan: ‘It was a privilege to be able to attend and present at the symposium, I had the opportunity to interact with researchers who are pioneers in this field. It was an honour to receive acknowledgement of my work from these researchers. None of this would have been possible without the support of my collaborators and supervisor.’

Sookan plans to present other findings from her PhD study at the College of Health Sciences symposium as well as at the South African Sports Medicine Association Conference later this year.

Academic Leader in the Discipline of Biokinetics, Exercise and Leisure Sciences (BELS), Dr Rowena Naidoo, congratulated Sookan, ‘The Discipline encourages and supports staff to present their research at local and international conferences.’

Sookan is a lecturer and research co-ordinator in the BELS Discipline. Her future research will look at other cardiometabolic diseases using exercise as medicine.

Words by: Nombuso Dlamini