School of Health Sciences

‘Tuberculosis (TB) is a public health crisis despite being curable, and claims approximately 4 000 lives globally every day,’ noted Dr Nirupa Misra who graduated with a PhD in Pharmacy. Supervised by Professors Panjasaram Naidoo and Nesri Padayatchi, Misra conducted a two-phase study focusing on access and evaluating dose-weight interactions on outcomes. She found that the

Dr Okenwa-Vincent Emmanuel was awarded a PhD in Optometry for his study on Health-related quality of life and utility for uncorrected refractive errors (URE) amongst school going adolescents of Kakamega County in Kenya. Supervised by Professor Peter Clarke-Farr and Dr Jyotikumarie Naidoo, the cross-sectional study involved secondary school adolescents aged from 13 to 25. Trained teachers screened students from

This accomplishment was not expected, but I am honoured because I worked hard and tried to improve each year,’ said Mrs Casey Lee van den Berg after she graduated with a Bachelor of Sport Science Honours (Biokinetics). She also received her Discipline’s two awards, the Academic and Clinical Trophies. ‘I decided to study Biokinetics because

Ms Jaynitha Gangiah, an academic in the Discipline of Dentistry, graduated with a Master’s degree in Dentistry for her study that was motivated by the fact that in South Africa prescribing antimicrobials for dental use by dental practitioners (including dental therapists) is not standardised. Gangiah’s study was titled: Perceptions and Attitudes of Antimicrobial Prescription for

Dr Othman Al Musaimi’s PhD in Pharmaceutical Chemistry presents various new strategies to synthesise solid-phase peptides (SPPs) through greener, more carbon-friendly methods. It was supervised by Professors Beatriz G de la Torre and Fernando Albericio. ‘I identified several eco-friendly alternatives. In addition, in collaboration with a company in the United Kingdom that specialises in developing

Dr Getachew Basha’s research study on Physical Activity Participation among People with Disability in Ethiopia revealed poor understanding and participation in adapted physical activity among Ethiopians with limb and vision impairment. Supervised by Professor Johan van Heerden, the study concluded that, while social engagement was a strong motivator, inaccessible built environments, time constraints and a

At the age of 14, Dr Stacy Maddocks-Lawler decided to pursue a career in Physiotherapy after being inspired by her late mum the night before she passed away, to consider this health profession. Many years later, the mother of three who lectures Physiotherapy at UKZN, has graduated with a doctoral degree for her study on