A Stellenbosch University (SU) student from the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences (FMHS) will be the first graduate at SU to undertake a PhD in neuromuscular diseases.
This is a neglected discipline in South Africa, said dr Franco Henning, PhD supervisor and consultant neurologist.
Dr Kireshnee Naidu will register for the PhD this semester, which was made possible due to a R2.2 million grant from Guarantors of Brain, said the FMHS in an announcement on 3 August.
According to Henning, who is also a lecturer at SU’s Division of Neurology, the country is lagging behind with regards to expertise in highly specialised fields like neuromuscular medicine.
“[Dr Naidu] is a dedicated and skilled clinician, and will be a valuable addition to the Division of Neurology’s research capacity,” said Henning.
According to Naidu, this research will focus on inherited neuromuscular disorders, as South Africa is very limited in diagnostic testing available to neuromuscular patients.
“I found this field of neurology to be the most intriguing and enjoyed seeing patients from the clinical consult applying the appropriate investigations, which often included electrophysiological tests and sometimes procedures such as muscle or nerve biopsies,” Naidu said.
“Most European and North American countries have formal training programs for sub-specialization in neurology, but partially because we train so few neurologists in SA, we don’t have such programs, and SA qualified neurologists generally have to go abroad for this kind of training.” said Henning.
What is learnt from the research will potentially be very informative, as there is currently no understanding of the spectrum of inherited neuromuscular disorders in our diverse South African population, Henning said.
This Phd in neuromuscular diseases will contribute to research in the neuromuscular field, which will be especially valuable within a South African context. PHOTO: Unsplash: Camilo Jimenez
Prof Nico Gey van Pittius, vice dean at the FMHS, said that the faculty is honoured to be part of the collaboration and are grateful for the grant.
“This development will not only attract new skills and opportunities to the faculty but will also provide valuable insight into the important issue of neuromuscular disease in populations from the African continent,” said Gey van Pittius.