Celebrating our emerging global leaders in health sciences

Three UCT Faculty of Health Sciences (FHS) researchers have been awarded the prestigious United States National Institutes of Health (NIH) Fogarty Emerging Global Leader Award.  The purpose of this award is to advance the career of a junior research scientist in a low- or middle-income country (LMIC) through the provision of research support and protected time. 

This intensive, mentored research career development experience is expected to lead to an independently funded research career.  

“This grant is such an important one for LMIC investigators because it provides both the funding and mentorship to lift their careers to the next level,” said Dr Rob Huddy, proposal development project manager. Dr Huddy is part of the FHS Research Development team who host proposal development seminars to support researchers through their grant writing process. 

“The success of the three UCT researchers in being awarded this prestigious career development grant is testament to their excellent research, as they were competing against researchers from LMICs for this funding,” said Huddy. 
 

Anna-Ursula Happel: improving health outcomes in babies who are HIV-exposed 

Dr Anna-Ursula Happel from the Division of Immunology at the Department of Pathology and Associate Member of the Institute of Infectious Disease & Molecular Medicine (IDM) was awarded the NIH K43 grant to investigate the impact of a probiotic supplement, Bifidobacterium infantis, on the neurodevelopment of babies who are exposed to HIV (in utero and during breastfeeding) but remain uninfected. This population still has a higher risk of adverse impacts, including an increased risk of neurodevelopmental delays during infancy, likely from both exposure to HIV and to anti-retroviral treatments.  

At the same time these babies are found to have altered gut microbiome composition, with lower levels of Bifidobacteria.  Recent studies found that low abundance of gut Bifidobacteria during early life is associated with an increased risk of neurodevelopmental delay during early childhood in at-risk infants. Dr Happel will leverage an ongoing randomized, double-blinded trial to evaluate whether giving a B. infantis probiotic supplement during the first month of life to babies who are HIV exposed is an avenue to improve neurodevelopment in this population.  

The training activities conducted during this award will draw on the strengths of three leading research institutions, namely UCT in South Africa, Seattle Children’s Research Institute (SCRI) and the Institute of Systems Biology (ISB) in the United States. 

“Women and infants affected by HIV make up a substantial proportion of the population on the African continent. Identifying strategies to improve maternal and infant health in this region will contribute to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all ages,” said Happel. 

Hlengiwe Madlala: early identification of future obesity risk for pregnant women living with HIV 
 

Dr Hlengiwe Madlala of the Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics in the School of Public Health was awarded the NIH K43 grant to support her work towards finding early markers of excess weight gain during pregnancy and after delivery among women living with HIV (WLHIV).  

In her recent publication in the Journal of the International AIDS Society, Madlala and co-authors found that over one-third of WLHIV gain too much weight during pregnancy. This poses a serious health risk as these women are already at risk of diabetes or heart disease linked to HIV infection, and unhealthy gestational weight gain exacerbates this risk. 

The K43 award is nested within the ORCHID birth cohort, where Madlala is co-investigator. This cohort follows 1900 women and children from early pregnancy until two years after delivery. Through this award, Madlala is mentored by scientists at UCT and the South African Medical Research Council in South Africa and Northwestern University  and the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the United States.
 

“There is scarce expertise on the intersection of HIV, weight gain and life-long diseases in South Africa,” said Madlala. “And this award will enable me to build a unique research program and local capacity. The training and mentorship I will receive through this K43 award is a pivotal moment in my career.” 

Stephan Rabie: addressing suicide risk in people living with HIV 
 

Dr Stephan Rabie, of the HIV Mental Health Research Unit in the Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health, was awarded the NIH K43 grant to investigate primary healthcare-level suicide treatment practices, gaps, and needs among people living with HIV (PWH) in South Africa and, informed by these findings, to develop a brief behavioural intervention to address suicide and HIV care engagement.  

People living with HIV (PWH) are at a higher risk for suicide. The societal and situational stressors that make suicide a high risk can also negatively impact other elements of HIV care, including delayed initiation of antiretroviral therapy, not adhering to the treatment regime, and lower life expectancy. But, despite the very high rates of HIV in South Africa, there is only a small body of research on suicidal behaviour among PWH and no evidence-led interventions. Dr Rabie’s intervention will be the first pilot intervention in the country to address the dual burdens of HIV and suicide. 

“On a personal level, the potential impact of this funding is massive,” said Dr Rabie.  

“I have a great mentorship team spread across UCT in South African and Columbia University and the University of Michigan in the United States who are experts in their respective fields. Through their guidance and mentorship, I have opportunities for training to develop my own expertise and skills to contribute to HIV mental health and suicide research on a local and international level.”