On the 27th of August 2012, the Division hosted 163 Grade 11 learners from schools across the Peninsula. The Open Day included interactive workshops about forensic genetics and genetic counselling, a laboratory experiment, discussions about genetics in the news, as well as guidance regarding various careers in the field of genetics. Shareefa Dalvie, a PhD student in the Division, was the co-ordinator of these days and a great team effort from everyone in the Division (staff and students alike) ensured the learners had an enjoyable and informative experience!  

Grade 11's getting their hands wet in the lab

Shareefa welcoming the schools

 Mandela Day

The Division of Human Genetics

Stephanie Dias and Laura Heathfield delivering sandwiches to the school

A very warm congratulations to Aisha Pandor, who graduated with both a PhD in Human Genetics and a diploma for the Associate in Management (AIM) programme (from the UCT Graduate School of Business).

Aisha's PhD thesis was entitled "An investigation into the molecular mechanisms underlying the retinitis pigmentosa 17 phenotype, with the view to developing novel gene based therapies"

Aisha Pandor (picture from the Monday paper)

A very warm congratulations to Aisha Pandor, who received a Doctoral Fellowship from the DST, and Shareefa Dalvie who was awarded the UCT Research Associateship. Aisha Pandor's research focuses on Inherited Retinal Degenerative Disorders, and the Fellowship recognises her academic achievements and social responsiveness. Shareefa Dalvie's research interest is the genetic basis of complex behavioural and psychiatric disorders. Shareefa's academic achievements and mentorship are recognised with the Research Associateship. 

Aisha Pandor

Shareefa Dalvie

The Joint International Conference of the African and Southern African Societies of Human Genetics was held at the Cape Town International Convention Centre from 6- 9 March 2011. There were several satellite meetings to the congress, including the Young Researcher's forum, which was an inaugural event of it's kind for the societies. 

Fiona Baine, a PhD student in the Division of Human Genetics, was awarded the prize for best Oral presentation at the Young researcher's forum, for her presentation entitled "Allele-specific silencing of the disease-causing gene in SCA1 patients in South Africa using a SNP linked to the trinucleotide expansion". 

Maureen Akinyi, an MSc student in the Division, was awarded the prize for best Oral presentation at the joint conference for her presentation entitled "Appreciating untranslated variants in human disease: functional analysis of a modifying variant in Rhodopsin". 

March was an exciting month for Genetics in Africa, as the Human Heredity and Health in Africa (H3 Africa) initiative met in Cape Town on 4^th and 5^th March, promoting discussions of genomics research in Africa. Dr Francis Collins (Director of the National Institutes of Health in the US) and Sir Mark Walport (Director of the Wellcome Trust), both in Cape Town for the H3 Africa meeting, jointly delivered the first Vice-Chancellor's Open Lecture of 2011 at UCT on 3^rd March. 

Fiona Baine

Maureen Akinyi

Dr Collins (left) and Sir Walport (right) (picture from the Monday Paper).