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Health Sciences
Contact Details
Division of Medical Biochemistry
Dept. of Clinical Laboratory Sciences
Level 6, Room 6.07, Falmouth Building
UCT Medical School
Anzio Rd
Observatory, 7925
Cape Town, SOUTH AFRICA
Tel: 021 404 7712 (Secretary)
021 406 6206 (Head)
Fax: 021 4066061
E-mail (Head): Peter.Meissner@uct.ac.za
Clinical Laboratory Sciences
Division Of Medical Microbiology
Head of Division: Professor Mark Nicol
Divisional Profile
The Division of Medical Microbiology (www.medmicro.
uct.ac.za) encompasses a tertiary diagnostic microbiology
service, provided by the National Health Laboratory
Service, Groote Schuur Hospital and an active research
programme based at the Health Sciences Campus.
We aim to conduct research that is relevant to the needs of
diagnostic microbiology services and focused on important
infectious diseases in South Africa. This includes work on
the development and assessment of novel diagnostics for
tuberculosis as well as on the transmission and molecular
epidemiology of drug resistant pathogens within our
hospitals. The latter work is conducted under the ambit
of the Centre for Hospital, Tropical and Opportunistic
Infections of the National Institute for Communicable
Diseases. More recently, together with the Department of
Paediatrics and Child Health, the Division has developed
a programme of research focusing on the evolution of
the microbiome in early childhood and the association
between the microbiome and respiratory illness in young
children.
The Division is the academic home of the highly regarded
Molecular Microbiology Research Unit (www.mrc.ac.za/
mycobacteriology/mycobacteriology) headed by Professor
Valerie Mizrahi and Dr Digby Warner which aims to develop
and apply genetic tools for the identification, validation
and characterisation of novel drug targets and vaccine
candidates for tuberculosis. The Division is also the home
of Professor Gregory Hussey and Dr Charles Wiysonge
who lead the ‘Vaccines for Africa’ Initiative (www.vacfa.
com) which is a partnership of concerned individuals and
organisations who have come together with the expressed
purpose of increasing awareness of and promoting uptake
of vaccines on the African continent.
The Division has been successful in attracting substantial
research funding from the Wellcome Trust, EDCTP, National
Institutes of Health, Carnegie Foundation, Howard Hughes
Medical Institute and Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
in recent years.
The composition of the Division is complex with staff
drawn from the University of Cape Town, Groote Schuur
Hospital and Red Cross Children’s Hospital and the
National Health Laboratory Service and National Institute
for Communicable Diseases. This mix of pathologists,
scientists and students offers the opportunity for creative,
cross-disciplinary research.
Divisional Statistics
Permanent and Long-term Contract Staff
Professors
3
Senior Lecturers
3
Lecturers
3
Clinical Research Officer
1
Research Assistant
1
Senior Research Officer
1
Administrative and Clerical Staff
1
Project Manager
1
Lab Manager
1
Data Management staff
1
Technical Support Staff
1
Total
16
Honorary Staff
Honorary Lecturers
2
Students
Postdoctoral
4
Registrars
3
Doctoral
7
Master’s
11
Honours
1
Undergraduates
407
Total
433