Division of Medical Ethics and Law
ARESA
Postgraduate Diploma in Health Research Ethics: Trainees 2012
Dr. Beyene Ademe
Dr Beyene Ademe is a medical practitioner and microbiologist by profession. He is currently working for Jimma University, Health Colleges, Ethiopia as a lecturer and coordinator of the Health Sciences Research and Postgraduate School. He is specifically interested in ethics, bioethics and human rights in clinical and health research. He would like to contribute towards the strengthening of research ethics undertakings in his country (Ethiopia) as a whole and Jimma University in particular.
Margaret Ellis
Ms Margaret Ellis lives in Pretoria and works as an SMO manager and SSC at Scion Clinical Research, an organisation that is involved in phase 1-4 clinical trials. She has a background in Nursing Science and is interested in Health Research Ethics in general. She has a specific interest in the guidance and standards for GCP in South Africa, as well as in the design, conduct, recording and reporting of clinical trials. Ms Margaret Ellis would like to pursue a doctoral degree in Research Ethics after completing the ARESA Postgraduate Diploma in Health Research Ethics.
Dr. Prem Govender
Dr Prem Govender is the Deputy Director of Research (Faculty of Health Sciences) at the Medunsa Campus of the University of Limpopo in Ga-rankuwa, South Africa. He has a PhD in Entomology and has worked at several South African universities (Kwazulu-Natal, Pretoria and Limpopo) and research institutions since 1980. He has been involved in undergraduate and postgraduate teaching and international research initiatives, with interests in Applied Entomology and the development of integrated Pest and Diseases Management Programmes. Dr Govender has been tasked with providing strategic management and leadership in terms of cutting edge research and associated activities, facilitating and enhancing the quality of research and implementing research strategy within the different Schools of the Faculty of Health Sciences. This also includes the management of the Medunsa Research Ethics Committee (MREC).
Dr Ronell Leech
Dr Ronell Leech joined the Department of Nursing Science, University of Pretoria in 2007 as a senior lecturer. She teaches research methodology (post registration undergraduate level and postgraduate level), community nursing science(postgraduate level) and nursing management (post registration undergraduate level). While teaching research methodology she realised that ethical research is essential for the nursing profession as it allows for the generation of sound evidence-based practice for nursing. She consequently volunteered to serve on the research ethics committee to assist students in her department to become competent in observing sound standards of ethics and to act in their participants' best interests. Dr Leech was accepted as a member of the student research ethics committee, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Pretoria in January 2011.
Sabina Mubanga Luputa
Mrs Sabina Mubanga Luputa has over 10 years work experience in administrative management in NGOs. She has worked extensively with NGOs dealing with vulnerable women and children and became involved with caring for the vulnerable. She is furthermore fully conversant in all areas of Marketing, Strategic Operations, Project and Business Development. Mrs Luputa has been working as Director - Business Management at ERES Converge (privately owned IRB in Zambia) for the past three years, and has been actively involved in reviewing research protocols. She holds a Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration and is currently finalising a Master of Science Degree in Project Management at Cavendish University Zambia.
Adv Jamwell Maswanganyi
Adv Jamwell Maswanganyi holds the following qualifications: B.Proc, LLB, LLM and a Higher Diploma in Company Law. He is currently teaching law at the Tshwane University of Technology, where he is also the head of the Department of Law. Within the University, he serves on both the Faculty Research Ethics Committee (Humanities), and the Research Ethics Committee (Institutional) as their legal representative.
Thabo Molebatsi
Mr Thabo Molebatsi obtained a Master of Public Health (MPH) degree from the University of Limpopo Medunsa Campus in 2010. He also holds a Bachelor of Social Sciences Population Studies and a Bachelor of Administration& Economics from the University of Northwest. His MPH thesis dealt with the regulation of health research ethics systems in South Africa. Mr Molebatsi joined the Department of Health as Deputy Director for Health Research in 2007. His duties include providing secretariat and technical support to the National Health Research Ethics Council (NHREC), Health Data Advisory Coordination Committee (HDACC) and sometimes the National Health Research Committees (NHRC). He also provides technical support as a member of the Steering Committee for the South African National TB Prevalence Survey 2010 - 2012. His other responsibilities involve coordination of health research in the Department and other stakeholders such as academic institutions, research councils and non-government organisations. He also participates in the development of research policies and guidelines, coordinates research projects commissioned to stakeholders such as Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC), Medical Research Council (MRC) and Health Systems Trust (HST).
Jane Nabbuto
Ms Jane Nabbuto is currently employed as the Research Compliance expert at Uganda National Council for Science and Technology (UNCST), an organisation in charge of research coordination and oversight in Uganda. She is a graduate of Biomedical Laboratory Technology from Makerere University. She has studied Population and Reproductive Health at Makerere University and her current research focuses on "Factors influencing male participation in family planning and antenatal care in Uganda". For the past seven years, Ms Nabbuto completed courses in research ethics and has been instrumental in building a coherent national framework for human and animal research protection in Uganda, especially through her contribution to the establishment and accreditation of research ethics committees, assisting in the development of research ethics curricula for training of IRB members and scientists in research ethics and coordinating activities of the Network of IRB Chairs in Uganda. Over the past few years, Ms Nabbuto has greatly contributed to monitoring of research projects to ensure compliance with the National Guidelines for Research Involving Humans as Research Participants. She is also a member of the Uganda Society for Health Scientists' Bioethics Working Group an umbrella body which brings together all ethicists in Uganda.
Dr. Blanche Pretorius
Dr Blanche Pretorius holds the position of Director in the Department of Research Capacity Development at the NelsonMandela Metropolitan University (NMMU). She graduated with the degree Bachelor of Social Science (Social Work) from the former University of Natal, Durban. She later pursued Honours, Master's (Clinical Social Work) and Doctoral studies at the former University of Port Elizabeth (now NMMU). She has practised as a registered social worker in a variety of non-governmental organisations from 1979 to 1998. She then joined the former University of Port Elizabeth (UPE) in 1998. Positions held at UPE were as lecturer and student counsellor, later as senior lecturer and Head of Department and Programme Leader for Social Work until she joined the Department of Research Capacity Development (RCD) in 2009. Her current involvement in the area of research ethics is on a number of levels: as chairperson of the NMMU's Research Ethics Committee (Human) since 2008, as RCD responsible for the administrative oversight of research ethics at NMMU and research supervision of doctoral candidates in Social Work and Nursing Science.
Dr. Geremew T Tsegaye
Dr Geremew T Tsegaye is from Ethiopia and he is a medical doctor with a masters' degree in public health and bioethics. He graduated from the Ethiopia Medical School with an MD and obtained an MPH at the Free University of Brussels, Belgium. He also attended the European Masters of Bioethics in the Erasmus Mundus Program. He has worked as a medical practitioner and a medical director in public hospitals, and as a lecturer in the public health department at Mekelle University in Ethiopia. He is currently employed as a Project manager of HIV/AIDS Training Center of Excellence in All Africa Leprosy, TB & Rehabilitation Training Center (ALERT). The centre has 3 main divisions: Research (Armauer Hansen Research Institute-AHRI), Hospital Services and Training divisions involved in an infectious disease programs including Leprosy, TB, HIV and tropical dermatology. He coordinates the training division in particular and is responsible for the design, coordination and implementation of national and international training activities. He is also responsible for health research ethics training in his country.
Adri Labuschagne
Adri is the Ethics Officer at the Medical Research Council in Cape Town. She has been involved with the administration of the MRC Ethics Committee since 1994. Her functions include all aspects from compiling the agenda to logistics. She received a Certificate of Competence from the Wits Faculty of Health Sciences in Research Ethics: Conducting Research Responsibly, after a week-long intensive course in 2011, which whetted her appetite for more training. She has therefore joined the ARESA diploma course to extend and formalise her ethics training. She also has an interest in research integrity issues.
Dr Tina Malan
Tina Malan is a medical practitioner working as a Clinical Trial Physician for GVI Oncology since 2008. She manages the Rondebosch Clinical Oncology Research Unit in Cape Town and her functions include amongst others, feasibility assessments of new clinical trials, negotiating clinical trial agreements and budgets, recruitment of participants, managing participants medically while participating in a clinical trial, data and safety management as well as overseeing and training clinical research staff. Throughout the clinical trial process Good Clinical Practice and ethical research is her main priority. She therefore enrolled in the ARESA Postgraduate course to enhance her knowledge in the ethical conduct of clinical research and to present research ethics training to others in and outside GVI Oncology.