Dr Nadia Ikumi to attend the World Economic Forum
The World Economic Forum (WEF) 13th Annual Meeting of the New Champions 2019, 30th June – 3rd July, is an event that gathers more than 2,000 industry leaders, chief executives of top ranked multinationals, heads of state/government and ministers as well as leaders from media, academia and civil society to explore the influence of technological changes on global economic, political, societal and environmental challenges.
Nadia, Professor Elmi Muller and Dr Sheetal Silal were selected from UCT to attend the WEF and as there are three presenters from UCT, the university is regarded as “hosting” this year’s IdeasLab at the WEF.
The talks given by the UCT researchers will be Pecha Kucha storytelling: Each presenter has just six minutes to go through 15 slides, with a maximum of 20 seconds spent on each slide.
We congratulate Nadia on this being selected for such a large and prestigious event and thank her for representing the DOI and UCT.
An interview with Nadia about her attendance at the WEF
What does the WEF mean for immunology?
The IdeasLab at the World Economic Forum presents a unique opportunity for us as the Division to showcase some of our most innovative research. This is a fantastic platform to invite delegates from business backgrounds, high-level country representatives from managing boards, public figures, ministers, civil society, NGOs and media leaders to discuss our research. The session I will be participating in begins with a 6-minute Pecha Kucha followed by longer-form discussions.
How where you selected to attend the WEF?
The University of Cape Town was invited by the World Economic Forum to present at the next IdeasLab event at the Annual Meeting of the New Champions in Dalian, China, 1-3 July 2019. The aim was to showcase some of our most innovative research on the theme ‘Innovative Approaches to Infectious Diseases’. I was contacted by Carolyn Newton a Specialist: Global Strategy & Visibility and Aide to the Vice Chancellor, UCT. Further selection was done by a team at the World Economic Forum. I was eventually selected along with Professor Elmi Muller and Dr Sheetal Silal.
What will you present at the WEF?
I will be giving a fast-paced 6 minute PechaKucha followed by longer-form discussions. The focus of my talk will be based on the human placenta, and on how we can study this unique organ to understand the link between HIV infection and risk of adverse birth outcomes including preterm birth.
Are there any prizes from the WEF?
There are no prizes, but the international recognition for the Division of Immunology and UCT at large is fantastic and I am very proud to have been selected to attend the forum.
Interview by Bonamy Holtak