Dr Chanel Heeralall

With interests in the fields of anatomy, neuroscience and maternal health, Dr. Chanel Heeralall is an enthusiastic medical scientist. Her aspiration to contribute to the scientific community, whilst having a significant impact on the clinical setting lead to her Ph.D. focusing on COVID-19 during pregnancy. This study elucidated “The effect of COVID-19 on the cytokine profile, placental function and morphology during pregnancy”, which was submitted in March 2025 at the University of Kwazulu-Natal. She was the primary investigator of the aforementioned study and co-supervisor for COVID-19 research in her postgraduate group.
Dr. Heeralall forms part of the Top 100 women in STEM at the University of KwaZulu-Natal as a result of her contribution towards autism research, where she replicated a VPA model in rat pups to investigate how VPA alters the major neurotransmitter system pathways, for the fulfilment of her Masters in Medical Science. She further possesses a Bachelors and Honours Degree in Medical Science (Anatomy). Chanel’s multifaceted background enabled her to gain expertise in neuroanatomy, animal models, nucleic acids, immunohistochemistry and extracellular vesicles. Her passion for pregnancy related research has led to her joining the HAMLET group, where she will collaborate with RareCyte Inc. (Seattle) to conduct innovative research on fetal growth restriction.