Staff
Prof Eric H Decloedt
Head of Division / Clinical Pharmacologist
021 938 9331
021 938 9860
ericdecloedt@sun.ac.za
Clinical Pharmacology Laboratory
Ms Nkhahliseng Makashane
Assistant director
021 938 9333 / 6168
nmakashane@sun.ac.za
Mrs Victoria Mathane - Van der Heever
Medical Technologist
021 938 6168
victoriamathane@sun.ac.za
Mrs Alma van der MerweMedical Technologist / QC Manager
021 938 6168
awm@sun.ac.za
Dr Mohammed AlghamdiClinical Pharmacology Registrar
021 938 9335
021 938 9860
25798286@sun.ac.za
Dr Veshni Pillay-Fuentes Lorente
Clinical Pharmacologist
021 938 9340
021 938 9860
14847795@sun.ac.za
Dr Roland van Rensburg
Clinical Pharmacologist
021 938 9340
021 938 9860
22428585@sun.ac.za
Medicine Research Laboratories
Zebrafish Research Unit
Prof Carine Smith
Research focus: Chronic inflammatory conditions; neuroscience
Specific expertise: Disease modelling in rodents and zebrafish
Prof Carine Smith has a background in Physiological Sciences and obtained her PhD (Physiological Sciences) from Stellenbosch University in 2004. She holds a NRF C2 rating and has published >70 peer-reviewed papers. She has delivered a number of keynote and plenary addresses at international conferences in the US and Europe. Her research niche is identification of therapeutic targets to treat maladaptation of regulatory systems (nervous, endocrine, inflammatory immune and gut microbiome), by disease modelling in rodent and zebrafish models. She currently serves as editorial member for Frontiers in Pharmacology and as section editor for Inflammopharmacology - both Q1 journals - and serve as specialist advisor to several significant role players in the preventative medicine pharmaceutical industry. She joined the division as founding director of the Zebrafish research unit and head of the Medicine Research Laboratories in 2021.
Research Analytical Pharmacology Laboratory
Dr Tracy Kellermann
Research focus: Pharmacokinetics, tuberculosis, toxicology
Specific expertise: Analytical pharmacology techniques
Dr Tracy Kellermann obtained a BSc (Hons) in Medical Biochemistry from Stellenbosch University, an MSc in Pharmacology from WITS and a PhD in Pharmacology from UCT. She completed her MSc part-time while working for a biotechnology company involved in developing novel tuberculosis diagnostic tests. She worked at the Division of Pharmacology at UCT as a Principal Scientist in the PK Unit before being appointed at Stellenbosch University from February 2019 as Senior Lecturer with overall responsibility for the Analytical Pharmacology Laboratories, and course convenor of the BSc Honours in Pharmacology. Her research focus areas include toxicology and she is actively involved in various clinical trials involving PK studies within and outside of the Faculty of Medicine and Health Science at Stellenbosch University.
Tissue Culture laboratory
Dr Mari van de Vyver
Senior Researcher
021 938 9257
Research focus: Regenerative medicine in diabetes
Specific expertise: Advanced tissue culture; stem cell research
Mari van de Vyver is a Senior Researcher in the Division of Clinical Pharmacology. She completed her PhD degree in Physiological Sciences in 2013 at Stellenbosch University. Thereafter she completed a 3-year postdoctoral research fellowship within the Department of Medicine and established a new research niche in 2016. She is an established researcher with expertise in physiology, endocrinology, stem cells and regenerative medicine. She has also served in numerous leadership positions which include being part of the Executive committee of the Society of Endocrinology, Metabolism and Diabetes in South Africa (SEMDSA) from 2016-2020. She is rated by the National Research Foundation as a Young researcher (Y-rating).
Assoc Prof William Ferris
Associate Professor
021 938 9448
wferris@sun.ac.za
Research focus: Bone marrow adiposity
Specific expertise: Molecular biology
William Ferris is a cell biologist and biochemist in the Division of Clinical Pharmacology, Department of Medicine, Stellenbosch University. He graduated with a BSc (Hons) in biochemistry and chemistry from the University of East Anglia, UK in 1987 and then worked as a research Scientist in Haematology in the South African Institute for Medical Research, Johannesburg before completing his PhD in protein engineering at Southampton University, UK in 1992. He was subsequently a post-doctoral fellow studying liver fibrosis at Southampton General Hospital and then T-cell signalling at Stellenbosch University, after which he conducted diabetes research, looking at pancreatic islet regeneration at the SA Medical Research Council. In 2003 he moved back to Stellenbosch University and is currently an Associate Professor examining adipocytic differentiation of stem cells in both adipose tissue and bone. He was on the executive committee of the Society for endocrinology, metabolism and diabetes of South African (SEMDSA) for nine years, three as vice-president and is currently on the scientific board of the International Bone Marrow Adiposity Society. He is also a reviewer for 34 accredited international journals and two national journals.
Poison Information Centre
Mrs Carine MarksPoison Information Director
Pharmacist
021 938 9334
021 938 9860
carinem@sun.ac.za
Mr Gonwayne VoigtPoison Information pharmacist
021 938 9611
021 938 9860
gonwaynev@sun.ac.za
Prof Johann van Zyl
Emeritus Professor
021 938 9612
021 938 9860
jmvzyl@sun.ac.za
Administrative Staff
Ms Lejandra Hanekom
Secretary
021 938 9045
021 938 9860
lejandra@sun.ac.za
Mrs Mandy HarckPostgraduate coordinator
021 938 9296
021 938 9860
mji@sun.ac.za

Ms Puseletso Motsomane Laboratory administrative officer
021 938 9344

Mr Gerald Fortuin
Assistant
021 938 9860
geraldf@sun.ac.za