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UCT drug discovery pioneer named one of Africa’s top 25 public health leaders
The University of Cape Town’s (UCT) Professor Kelly Chibale has been named among Harvard Public Health Magazine’s top 25 public health leaders in Africa. These “ standout voices ” include scientists, public health advocates and policy experts. Professor Chibale holds the Neville Isdell Chair in African-centric Drug Discovery and Development and is the director of H3D , UCT’s drug discovery and development centre.
30 Jun 2022
Young researchers crowned in science communication competition
The University of Cape Town’s (UCT) Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine (IDM) Education Working Group, in partnership with Jive Media Africa, recently hosted a hybrid FameLab heat. The two-part session was presented online and at the IDM’s Wolfson Pavilion Lecture Theatre.
27 Jun 2022
UCT’s urine researcher takes up prestigious three-year guest researchership with Swedish university
Associate Professor Dyllon Randall of the University of Cape Town’s (UCT) Future Water Institute will take up a prestigious August T Larsson Guest Researchership at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) in Uppsala, Sweden. This will strengthen the institutions’ collaborative research on circular sanitation technologies, specifically using human urine to make fertilisers.
24 Jun 2022
Young UCT scientist chosen to attend Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting in Germany
When the University of Cape Town’s (UCT) Dr Shepherd Siangwata arrives at the 71st Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting in Germany, he’ll be aware of the possibilities for young African researchers like himself – making their mark at this highest international level.
24 Jun 2022
App empowers communities to take control of their health
A venting session in a cardiovascular research lab on the state of healthcare in South Africa and the challenges it poses for patients, especially those in marginalised communities, was exactly what a group of final-year medical students and a PhD candidate at the University of Cape Town (UCT) needed to jump into action and exercise their civic duty.
15 Jun 2022
Teachers need to control their classes without using corporal punishment
The University of Cape Town’s (UCT) Children’s Institute, represented by the Equal Education Law Centre (EELC), today, 14 June 2022 made submissions as a friend of the court ( amicus curiae ) in the matter between the Centre for Child Law and Others, and South African Council of Educators (SACE) and Others. SACE is the professional council for teachers and also has a duty to protect children.
14 Jun 2022
Young UCT scientist selected as one of esteemed global Schmidt Science Fellows
Geomagnetic currents fundi and University of Cape Town’s (UCT) National Astrophysics and Space Science Programme (NASSP) graduate, Dr Michael Heyns, has been announced as one of the esteemed 2022 Schmidt Science Fellows by philanthropists Eric and Wendy Schmidt.
14 Jun 2022
Launch of the South African Child Gauge 2021/2022: Children’s mental health: A catalyst for development
Child and adolescent mental health is the foundation of a strong, vibrant and healthy society. Yet, children and adolescents in South Africa continue to face multiple adversities that erode their mental health. Investing early to promote children’s optimal wellbeing is one of the best investments we can make in our future prosperity, as it offers an opportunity to break the cycle of poverty, violence and mental ill health.
13 Jun 2022
Cooperation between people and wild animals poses unique conservation challenges
While pet dogs are often said to be “man's best friend”, less is known about the remarkable cooperative partnerships that exist between people and wild animals. In some African communities, people cooperate with wax-eating birds called greater honeyguides to find wild honey. In parts of Brazil and Myanmar, artisanal fishers cooperate with wild dolphins to catch fish. Unfortunately, these unique practices are under threat: people once cooperated with orcas to hunt whales, and with wolves to bring down large prey, but these partnerships have already gone extinct.
10 Jun 2022
Study finds triple excess natural deaths than COVID-19 deaths tally in SA
New findings led by researchers at the University of Cape Town (UCT) and the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) show that there were about three times the number of excess deaths from natural causes during 2020 and 2021 than reported COVID-19 deaths.
09 Jun 2022
UCT Vice-Chancellor dedicates honorary doctorate to African women who paved the path
University of Cape Town Vice-Chancellor Professor Mamokgethi Phakeng has dedicated her honorary doctorate granted by the University of Ottawa to “three of the many African women who chose to challenge the status quo and fight for a world where women are equal”.
08 Jun 2022
Community interventions needed to prevent violence in schools
Estimates show that annually more than a billion children experience some form of violence and a significant proportion of that happens at schools in the Global South, according to a report co-authored by Professor Shanaaz Mathews, the director of the Children’s Institute (CI) at the University of Cape Town (UCT). Whole community interventions are essential to sustainable prevention strategies, she said.
07 Jun 2022