Post-doctoral Fellow
Dr Eman Teer
Email: emanteer@sun.ac.za
Qualifications: MBChB and PhD
Research Focus: HIV-mediated CVD (cardiac fibrosis), HIV immunology, immune cells response and immune dysregulation, and flow cytometry
Host: Prof. Faadiel Essop
Dr Taahirah Boltman
Email: 27780171@sun.ac.za
Qualifications: BSc Medical Biosciences (UWC); BSc Medical Biosciences (Hons); MSc Nanosciences (Cum Laude (UWC); PhD Medical Biosciences (UWC)
Research Focus: Altered mitochondrial function and HIV-associated
cardiometabolic disease in populations from South Africa and
Kenya (MITO-SAKen).
Host: Prof Hans Strijdom
Dr Jeffery Adoga
Email: adogaj@sun.ac.za
Qualifications: BSc (Medical Physiology); Msc (Physiology) and PhD Health Sciences (Physiology)
Research Focus: Altered mitochondrial function and HIV-associated
cardiometabolic disease in populations from South Africa and
Kenya (MITO-SAKen).
Host: Prof Hans Strijdom
Dr Olakunle Sanni
Email: Kunlesola2810@gmail.com
Qualifications: BSc (Biochemistry), Msc (Medical Biochemistry), PhD (Biochemistry).
Research Focus: Pulmonary Artery Pressures in Pulmonary Tuberculosis Study (Investigating the inflammatory, endothelial, and mitochondrial pathways that underpin the development of pulmonary arterial hypertension post-tuberculosis).
Host: Dr Gerald Maarman
PhD
Danelle Botha
Email: 19198639@sun.ac.za
Qualifications: BSc (Human Life Sciences; cum laude), BSc Hons (Medical Physiology, cum laude) and MSc (Medical Physiology; cum laude).
Project: Investigating a potential role for ATM protein kinase in the ER stress response in cardiovascular pathology.
Supervisor: Prof Barbara Huisamen and co-supervisors: Dr Marguerite Blignaut and Dr Derick Van Vuuren
Megan Cairns
Email: 20212224@sun.ac.za
Qualifications: BSc (Biology) in Human Life Sciences; BSc Hons in Physiological Sciences and MSc in Physiological Sciences (SU, cum laude).
Research Project: Investigating the effects of chronic stress on cardiovascular function.
Supervisors: Prof. Faadiel Essop and co-supervisors: Dr Derick Joseph and Dr. M Vlok
Charnay Cunningham
Email: 17184207@sun.ac.za
Qualifications: Bsc Medical Bioscience, BSc (Hons) Medical Bioscience (Cum Laude) and MSc Nanoscience (Cum Laude).
Research Project: The effect of particle therapy on tumour angiogenesis.
Supervisors: Prof. Hans Strjidom and co-supervisors Dr Amanda Genis, Dr Charlot Vandevoorde and Dr Julie Bolcaen
Ilze Verona Willemse
Email: 15171701@sun.ac.za
Qualifications: BSc (Humanlife sciences with Physiology Genetics and Microbiology), BSc Hons (Medical Physiology) and PGCE
Project: Asphalathus linearis as a possible SGLT2-inhibitor: Investigating the anti-hypertensive effects of Green Rooibos extracts.
Supervisors: Prof Barbara Huisamen and co-supervisors Dr Erna Marais and Dr Shantal Windvogel
Joshua Matthee
Email: 19382650@sun.ac.za
Qualifications: BSc (Human Life Science); BSc (Hons) (Medical Physiology) and MSc(Medical Physiology) and MSc (Medical Pysiology)
Project: Characterising the effects and underlying mechanisms of mitochondrial-targeted, orientin enriched nanoparicles (NPs) in MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells.
Supervisor: Dr Gerald Maarman and co-supervisor Dr Admire Dube
Hannah Fokkens
Email: 21992649@sun.ac.za
Qualifications: BMedSci (Physiology-Cum Laude); BSc Hons (Medical Physiology-Cum Laude) and MSc(Medical Physiology-Cum Laude)
Project: Genome-wide analysis of DNA methylation signitures and the risk of developing hypertension in a South African population
Supervisor: Prof. Rabia Johnson and co-superviso Dr Jyoti Sharma and Prof. Hans Strijdom
Thato Kgatla
Email: 20442807@sun.ac.za
Qualifications: BSc (Human Life Science) and BSc Hons (Molecular and Life Sciences)
Project: Investigating the novel roles of metallothioneins in rooibos-induced cardioprotection using a cardiomyoblast model of angiotensin II-induced hypertrophy and apoptosis
Supervisor: Dr Gerald Maarman and co-supervisor Dr Erna Marais
MSc
Sara Shaboodien
Email: 21304637@sun.ac.za
Qualification: BSc (Human Life Science), BSc Hons. (Medical Physiology - Cum Laude)
Project: The novel effect of Aspalathus Linearis (Rooibos) on platelet derived growth factor-induced proliferation of rat pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells (RPASMC)
Supervisor: Dr G Maarman and Dr E Marais
Chrisstoffel Jumaar
Email: 27421309@sun.ac.za
Qualifications: BHSc. Medical Laboratory Science (Distinction) (CPUT)
Project Title: Investigating the usefulness of a novel plasma 5-marker host biosignature to identify pulmonary arterial hypertension in a post-tuberculosis context in a South African cohort.
Supervisors: Dr G Maarman
Jasmine Andrews
E-mail: 26746328@sun.ac.za
Qualifications: BSc Medical Bioscience (UWC), BSc (Hons) Med Phys (SU)
Project Title: Investigating the links between chronic stress and autophagy in hepatic and cardiac tissue from female Wistar rats.
Supervisor: Prof MF Essop; Co-supervisor: Ms Megan Cairns
Anique Wolmarans
E-mail: 21785716@sun.ac.za
Qualifications: BSc Bioschemistry and Physiology, BSc (Hons) Medical Physiology
Project Title: The effect of Cannabis and Psilocybin on the brain.
Supervisor: Prof B Huisamen; Co-supervisor: Dr Lihle Qulu
Garth Wentley
E-mail: 21670951@sun.ac.za
Qualifications: BSc Human Life Sciences, BSc (Hons) Medical Physiology
Project Title: Delineating the novel effects of melatonin in differentiated C2C12 myotubes in the presence and absence of pathology
Supervisor: Dr G Maarman
Stephen Southway
E-mail: 21214328@sun.ac.za
Qualifications: BSc Human Life Science, BSc (Hons) Medical Physiology
Project Title: Evaluating the biphasic effect of metformin in a 3D cardiomyoblast model of insulin resistance.
Supervisor: Dr M Blignaut
Amy Pretorius
E-mail: 22201831@sun.ac.za
Qualifications: BSc Medical Bioscience (UWC), BSc Hons Medical Physiology
Project Title: Comparing the effectiveness of Imatinib and Melatonin against Endothelin-1-induced proliferation of human umbilical vein endothelial cells.
Supervisor: Dr G Maarman
Sesethu Ketse
E-mail: sketse@sun.ac.za
Qualifications: BSc (Microbiology and Physiology) and BSc Hons (Molecular Biology)
Project Title: DNA methylation profiling for breast cancer diagnosis in South African womens.
Supervisor: Dr Tarryn Willmer and co-supervisors Dr Lawrence Mabasa (SAMRC) and Prof. Hans Strijdomn
Nokulunga Mlaba
E-mail: 2454241@sun.ac.za
Qualifications: BSc (Microbiology and Biochemistry) and BSc Hons (Medical Microbiology)
Project Title: Establishing and characterization of novel AC16 human ventricular spheroid model
Supervisor: Dr Marguerite Blignaut
Kheya Mokoena
E-mail: 23149108@sun.ac.za
Qualifications: BSc Human Life Science, BSc Hons Biochemistry
Project Title: Is mitochondrial dysfunction a putative marker for cardiometabolic disease in people living with HIV?
Supervisor: Prof H Strijdom; Co-supervisor: Dr Ingrid Webster
