12th Annual School of Public Health Research Day

The School’s Research Day is one of the annual events both students and faculty look forward to. This is a space dedicated to showcasing some of the research work being done by students in the various School of Public Health (SPH) divisions and research centres. This is also a platform that gives the students a taste of what it entails to present a paper and research at a conference.

Despite the wet start to the day, the Institute of Infectious Disease & Molecular Medicine (IDM) foyer was a hive of activity during the poster presentation session. Along with PhD and Masters in Public Health students, we also had posters presented by students in MMed Occupational Medicine, BSc Honours, 3^rd year MBChB and 4^th year MBChB. All students stood proudly next to their posters which were displayed on the exhibition boards and walls and engaged with delegates. This also gave the delegates a chance to read the room, so to speak, ahead of casting their votes for the most popular and visually appealing posters.

Following the poster presentation session, the buzzing crowd made its way to the Wolfson Lecture Theatre for the Research Symposium.

The Chair of the SPH Departmental Research Committee (DRC), Dr Tammy Phillips warmly welcomed all the delegates and reflected on the breadth and diversity of the School’s research. She emphasized the importance of generating knowledge for health services and communities.

Professor Susan Cleary, Head and Director of the School of Public Health, commended the school on the spectacular research outputs which contribute to the school’s high rankings internationally. In line with the Research Day’s theme, Prof Cleary concluded that the school’s success was due to engaged research which brought together heart and mind resulting in the school giving its best.

This was followed by the PhD student and Postdoctoral fellow research presentation session. This session was co-chaired by PhD students Buhle Ndweni and Mpho Tlali.

The student presentations included:

1. Ms Kathleen Kehoe (PhD – CIDER)

• Topic: Burden and causes of ongoing paediatric infectious disease morbidity and mortality in the Western Cape Province of South Africa

2. Ms Phepho Mogoba (PhD – EpiBios)

• Topic: Evaluating the implementation process of a multicomponent intervention to improve HIV outcomes among youth living with HIV in Nampula, Mozambique

3. Dr Shehani Perera (PhD - DSBS)

• Topic: Assisted partner notification for HIV - Perspectives and experiences of providers and patients in Cape Town, South Africa

4.  Dr Akim Tafadzwa Lukwa (PhD - Health Economics)

• Topic: An assessment of the utilisation of stokvels or rotating savings and credit associations to influence healthy eating in South Africa

5.  Mr Denis Okova (PhD – Health Economics)

• Topic: Household economic burden and Health-related Quality of Life (HRQoL) for patients on cervical cancer treatment at a tertiary hospital in Cape Town, South Africa

6.  Dr Tshepiso Mbangiwa (VACFA - postdoc)

• Topic: Implementation of Tetanus, Diptheria & Tetanus (Tdap) vaccination rollout in pregnant women, 6 and 12-year-olds in the Western Cape, South Africa

DRC member Dr Jennifer Githaiga introduced the plenary lecture which was delivered by Professor Leslie London, Head of the Division of Public Health Medicine. Prof London’s lecture focused on the right to enjoy the benefits of scientific progress, emphasizing its relevance during the COVID-19 pandemic. He spoke about some of the challenges in accessing scientific benefits and the role of patents and intellectual property. He also gave some scenarios of vested interests in science, the role researchers have in promoting health equity as well as balancing research funding and ethical considerations.

This was followed by a panel discussion that further expanded on key points addressed in the plenary lecture composed of Deputy Dean: Social Accountability and Health Systems, Assoc Prof Tracey Naledi, Director of Research for Health Sciences Dr Yolande Harley, Prof Cleary and Prof London.

The plenary concluded with panellists providing invaluable advice to early-career researchers seeking to chart a successful path in academia.

The Research Symposium closed with poster presentation awards, as presented below:

• Top PhD posters
  • Imen Ayouni Ep Labidi (VACFA): Acceptance of COVID-19 and influenza vaccines during pregnancy: a prospective cross-sectional study among pregnant women attending antenatal care in Cape Town
• Runner-up
  • Nisha Jacob (CIDER, Public Health Medicine): Can routine antenatal data be used to assess HIV antiretroviral therapy coverage among pregnant women? Evaluating the validity of different data sources in the Western Cape, South Africa

Tied top Masters posters:

• • Elizabeth Lubinda (Epidemiology & Biostatistics): The association between maternal HIV and stillbirths in an era of universal ART in pregnancy in the Western Cape, South Africa
  • Siphesihle Sithole (Epidemiology & Biostatistics): Food intake patterns and associations with gestational weight gain and postpartum weight retention in women living with and without HIV in Cape Town, South Africa
• Runner-up Masters:
  • Catharina Conradie (Epidemiology & Biostatistics): The 8-year incidence of obesity and type 2 diabetes in five African-origin populations

Popular votes

Most visually appealing poster:

• Phinias Mfume (Occupational Medicine): Determinants of fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) among workers at risk of developing occupational respiratory allergy and asthma in different occupational settings
• Runner -up:
  • Courteney Collins (Epidemiology & Biostatistics, VACFA):  Hepatitis B virus infection and vaccine coverage among children living with HIV, HIV-exposed uninfected, and HIV-unexposed uninfected children in the Western Cape, South Africa

Most engaging poster presenter

• Kalisha Bheemraj (Epidemiology & Biostatistics): The relationship between physical activity and metabolic syndrome in five diverse African-origin populations across the epidemiologic transition
• Phinias Mfume (Occupational Medicine): Determinants of fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) among workers at risk of developing occupational respiratory allergy and asthma in different occupational settings

Some of the poster prize winners:

The Research Fair was a vibrant display of the research and the energy of the School. VACFA took home the prize for the best stall.

Write up: Buhle Ndweni for the SPH DRC