Cape Heart Institute researchers win Alan Pifer Award

The Alan Pifer Award was jointly awarded to CHI's Professors Karen Sliwa and Liesl Zühlke at the 2022 UCT Staff Annual Awards dinner, hosted by the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Mamokgethi Phakeng on Wednesday, 30 November.

The Alan Pifer Award is the VC’s annual prize in recognition of outstanding social responsive research that has demonstrated relevance to the advancement and welfare of South Africa disadvantaged people. Professor Karen Sliwa-Hahnle, has been honoured for her contributions to science related to improving our understanding of peripartum cardiomyopathy, heart failure and maternal health in Africa and globally. Professor Sliwa-Hahnle has trained more than 30 postgraduate students, including 16 PhD students. Her 16 PhD students included 5 females and 11 males and 9 were black African, thus contributing to gender equality and diversity.

Professor Liesl Zühlke in the Department of Paediatrics and Child Health has been honoured for her excellent research in Congenital and Rheumatic Heart Disease, HIV in adolescents, Grown-up Congenital Heart Disease and Cardiac Disease in women of childbearing age. Professor Zühlke was the only commissioner from Africa included in the Lancet Commission for Cardiovascular Disease in women and has published over 160 scientific papers, reports and book chapters with over 40 000 citations.

Also honoured at the event was Professor Mark Engel, a group leader at the Cape Heart Institute, who has been promoted to Full Professor at the University of Cape Town.