Alexia Michaelides is a registered nurse who qualified in Intensive Nursing Science in 1985 in Johannesburg. Began her transplant career in 1998 and in 2000 completed University of Barcelona’s Diploma in Transplant Procurement Management (TPM).  Currently works as regional manager at Netcare Transplant Division, Western and Eastern Cape and Free State. 

Alexia has published both locally and internationally and presented both in South Africa and overseas with oral presentations in Warsaw, Cardiff, Prague and San Diego. She is also a member of the European Transplant Coordinator’s organisation and serves as the National Key Member for South Africa.  Winner of Best Poster Presentation SATS 2019.

Alexia was recognised as a Fellow of the Academy of Nursing of South Africa in 2023 based on her contribution to nursing practice.  She continues to work actively in organ procurement and is the flight co-ordinator for the Organ Donor Foundation in a voluntary capacity.

Anja Meyer has dedicated her professional life to the field of transplantation a place where science, ethics, and humanity meet. With over a decade of experience in transplant co-ordination and management, she has walked alongside families, clinicians, and patients, guided by her belief that every life deserves dignity, compassion, and hope.

Anja qualified as a Registered Nurse through the Netcare Training Academy in 2007 and went on to complete advanced qualifications in Critical Care and Occupational Health Nursing. In 2015, she obtained a Bachelor of Nursing Science (Education and Management) degree and later achieved her Master’s in Nursing Science in 2022.

She is currently pursuing her PhD at Wits University, focusing on sustainable and ethical healthcare systems that truly serve both patients and communities.

Her dedication to professional growth and international collaboration led her to complete the Transplant Procurement Management (TPM) Course in Barcelona in 2015, which deepened her expertise in ethical donor management and system development.

As Chairperson of the South African Transplant Co-ordinators Society (SATCS), Executive Committee Member of the South African Transplantation Society (SATS), and a representative on the Allied Health Committee of The Transplantation Society (TTS), Anja continues to champion education, collaboration, and integrity across the transplant landscape.

She is also a Director of the Little Liver Champions Coalition (LLCC), where she advocates for early detection, equitable access, and long-term support for children with liver disease.

Grounded in the spirit of Ubuntu — I am because we are — Anja’s work reflects her lifelong mission to build a legacy of life, healing, and hope through connection and compassion.

Anaesthesiologist in private practice in Johannesburg since 1992. Transplant anaesthesiologist at WDGMC since 2006. Special interest in our little recipients.

Dr Cecil Levy studied medicine at the University of Witwatersrand (Wits) and then specialised in Paediatrics on the Wits circuit. After serving as a registrar, Dr Levy worked as a general paediatrician at Rahima Moosa Mother and Child Hospital before moving to Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital to work in nephrology. Dr Levy took over as the head of paediatric nephrology at CMJAH in 2010 and then, in 2017, moved to NMCH to head the unit here soon after the hospital admitted its first patients.

Dr Levy enjoys teaching and interacting with his patients and has a key interest in critical care nephrology. His research interests revolve mainly around the social aspects of paediatric kidney disease in South Africa and the inequities that prevent access to tertiary renal care in the country.

Dr Chima Ofoegbu is a consultant cardiothoracic surgeon and senior lecturer at the Groote Schuur Hospital (GSH) and the University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa respectively. Dr Ofoegbu’s clinical interests include thoracic transplantation. He is a published author and has presented papers in national and international conferences in cardiothoracic surgery and trauma.

Clarissaa Lawrence is a professional Social Worker, graduated from the University of the Western Cape, and currently serving as the first Renal Youth Worker in Africa. Based at Groote Schuur Hospital and Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital, she provides psychosocial support to adolescents and young adults living with chronic kidney disease. Clarissa’s focus is on bridging the gap between paediatric and adult nephrology services, ensuring smoother transitions and continuity of care. Although only a few months into this pioneering role, she has a strong interest in addressing the educational and developmental barriers faced by renal patients. Many young people struggle to complete school due to frequent hospitalisation and treatment demands, creating a domino effect that limits future opportunities and often leaves them dependent on grants. This challenge has inspired her to explore ways of helping renal youth remain connected to learning and be equipped for greater independence.

Equally she is passionate about promoting resilience and independence, equipping young people to manage life stressors alongside chronic illness. Through life-skills interventions, adherence support, and peer engagement, she empowers them to take responsibility for their health and build the confidence needed to thrive.

Clarissa’s vision is to strengthen patient-centred care and create opportunities that enable renal youth to reach their full potential.

Clarissa Lawrence is a professional Social Worker, graduated from the University of the Western Cape, and currently serving as the first Renal Youth Worker in Africa. Based at Groote Schuur Hospital and Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital, she provides psychosocial support to adolescents and young adults living with chronic kidney disease. Clarissa’s focus is on bridging the gap between paediatric and adult nephrology services, ensuring smoother transitions and continuity of care. Although only a few months into this pioneering role, she has a strong interest in addressing the educational and developmental barriers faced by renal patients. Many young people struggle to complete school due to frequent hospitalisation and treatment demands, creating a domino effect that limits future opportunities and often leaves them dependent on grants. This challenge has inspired her to explore ways of helping renal youth remain connected to learning and be equipped for greater independence.

Equally she is passionate about promoting resilience and independence, equipping young people to manage life stressors alongside chronic illness. Through life-skills interventions, adherence support, and peer engagement, she empowers them to take responsibility for their health and build the confidence needed to thrive.

Clarissa’s vision is to strengthen patient-centred care and create opportunities that enable renal youth to reach their full potential.

Dr. Erasmus is a University of Pretoria alumnus, where he completed his medical school education, and then pursued specialty and subspecialty training at St. Louis University, USA. In 2006, he joined the newly established lung transplant program at Mayo Clinic in Florida, where he served as medical director of the lung transplant program from 2016 – 2022.

During that time, he also served as the chair of the Mayo Clinic’s 3-site committee for lung transplant on the Florida, Rochester, and Arizona campuses.  He moved to Vanderbilt University Medical Center in 2022, where he serves as an Associate Professor and the medical director of the lung transplant program. He is the regional representative for OPTN (Organ Procurement and Transplant Network) and serves on the OPTN committee, which oversees new policy changes for transplantation in the USA. He has an interest in optimising outcomes after lung transplant and has published novel therapies for chronic rejection, including the use of mesenchymal stem cells for chronic lung allograft dysfunction and the assessment of outcomes with different induction agents. Rapid growth in lung transplant places a burden on internal support systems.  He has a particular interest in optimising outcomes despite growth in volume after lung transplantation.

Vanderbilt currently ranks among the top 3 in the USA in terms of the volume of lung transplants performed and is in the top 2 in terms of outcomes and survival according to the Scientific Registry for Transplant Recipients (SRTR).

David Thomson is a critical care sub-specialist in the division of Critical Care and a
consultant surgeon in the Transplant Unit at Groote Schuur Hospital and the University of
Cape Town. His interests are in medical education, ECMO and improving deceased
donation systems. He runs the massive open online course Organ Donation: From Death to
Life hosted on Coursera.org and heads the Transplant Centre of Excellence project.

Elizabeth Mayne is a specialist haematologist and immunopathologist with a special interest in immunology. To advance immunology within South Africa, she has established specialist laboratory services in immunophenotyping, flow cytometry and histology and transplant diagnostics at the National Health Laboratory Service which provides diagnostic support to a large geographic area including 6 of the provinces in South Africa and neighbouring countries in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Dr Mayne is a member of a number  of national and international committees including as chair of the National Expert Committee on Immunology and on the ministerial advisory committee for immunisation safety and efficacy. She is also involved in a number of research projects examining HIV-associated conditions including HIV-associated malignancies, HIV-associated non-communicable diseases and opportunistic infections including Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Dr Mayne has completed her doctoral thesis in vascular dysfunction in HIV.

Professor Elmin Steyn was the previous Executive Head of the Department of Surgical Sciences at the Faculty of Health Sciences of Stellenbosch University. Now, as Emeritus Associate Professor, she is a part-time teacher and in full-time private practice at Christiaan Barnard Memorial Hospital. She performed her first renal transplant operation as a surgical registrar at the former Ga-Rankuwa (now George Mukhari) hospital under Prof Johan van Wyk in 1986, where they did early research on pancreatic islet transplantation. After qualifying as a surgeon, she worked with transplant teams at Steve Biko Hospital in Pretoria, Tygerberg and Christiaan Barnard Memorial Hospitals in Cape Town, as well as the Queen Alexandra Hospital in the UK. She spent time at the Vancouver General Hospital in Canada to study organ sharing, allocation systems and remote recipient management systems. In 1998, together with nephrologists Drs. Julian Jacobs and Derek Miller established the first private renal transplant program in Cape Town. They went to Madison, Wisconsin to learn multi-organ retrieval, DCD donor management and pancreatic transplantation at the Hans Zollinger unit.

Over the years, Elmin has served as chair of the management committee of the ODF and president of SATS, and on various ministerial advisory committees working on finalising the regulations on transplantation for the new Health Act, as well as on proposals to set up a national organ procurement organisation. She has been on SATS exco at various times. Over the years, she has personally performed more than 1000 renal transplants, of which more than 800 were at Chris Barnard Hospital in Cape Town. Elmin is also a registered Trauma Surgery sub-specialist, and her current interests include supporting medical students to grow the Save7 and Life Pod projects.

Professor Gottlich is a University of Witwatersrand graduate and a specialist paediatric nephrologist. He has been in practice at the Morningside Mediclinic and University of Witwatersrand Donald Gordon Medical Centre since 2006. He is an honorary professor in the paediatric nephrology department at the University of Pretoria where he is involved in the training of paediatric registrars and paediatric nephrology fellows.

Professor Gottlich also manages the KidneyCare programme at Discovery Health which focuses on processes to improve the quality of care and quality of life of Discovery members with chronic kidney disease

Grant-Lee Hoffman is a Procurement Coordinator at Groote Schuur Hospital in the Western Cape, with a background in nursing and over 10 years of clinical experience. He holds a BCur in Nursing, a Critical Care Diploma, and a Certificate in Palliative Care. Passionate about research and training, his professional interests are Donation after Circulatory Death (DCD), end-of-life discussions, and advanced organ preservation techniques such as XVIVO cold perfusion and Normothermic Regional Perfusion (NRP). One of his goals is to obtain his master’s degree in public health.

Helena Heystek brings over 35 years of cross-sector experience, including 30 years in senior management roles across industries such as biotechnology, healthcare, food security, and community development. Known for her multi-disciplinary approach, Helena is a strategic thinker who thrives on innovation, team building, and driving organisational impact. She played a pivotal role in establishing a state-of-the-art tissue bank in the Western Cape, Vitanova—from securing funding and overseeing construction to regulatory compliance and ensuring high-quality tissue processing for the healthcare sector. She is currently the Operations Director of Bone SA.

With a BCom degree from North-West University and further executive training from IMD International in Switzerland, Helena combines financial acumen with a passion for purpose-driven leadership. She has served on multiple company boards and contributed to numerous start-ups, always with a focus on empowering teams and uplifting individuals and communities.

Helena is passionate about contributing to and building a sustainable tissue banking sector in South Africa and the broader SADC region.

Jane Ward is the Deputy Director of the South African Bone Marrow Registry (SABMR), where she has served for 12 years. With extensive experience in patient and donor services, she plays a key role in advancing access to stem cell transplantation. Jane serves on several World Marrow Donor Association (WMDA) committees and currently chairs the Work-Up Co-ordination Committee, contributing to global best practice in donor provision and care.

Head of the Paediatric Department Abdominal Surgery and Transplantation at ISMETT – UPMC hospital in Palermo (Sicily) Associate Editor Journal Paediatric Transplantation.

Graduated from the Catholic University of Louvain (Brussels, Belgium) in 1980 and trained in surgery, paediatric surgery and liver transplantation at the Cliniques St Luc (Brussels, Belgium). Clinical Consultant posts were successively at Brussels paediatric liver transplantation Center (1988-1998), and at Birmingham Children’s Hospital (1998-2003). Professor of paediatric surgery since 2003, he then held the post of liver transplantation program director at the Cliniques St Luc Brussels (Head of Abdominal Surgery and Transplantation Department / 2003-2007), and at the Bambino Gesu Children’s Hospital Rome (Head of Surgery and Transplantation Department / 2007-2016). Since 2016, he has been working at ISMETT – UPMC hospital in Palermo (Sicily) . He is associate editor at the Journal “Paediatric Transplantation”. His other interests and research topics are in the field of liver transplantation and surgery, extrahepatic portal hypertension and portal system malformations.

As a founding member of Surgeons for Little Lives, Jerome Loveland has chaired the Board since its inception in 2015. Jerome graduated with his MBBCh from the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) in 1996, became a fellow of the College of Surgeons (SA) in 2004, and received his certificate as a sub-specialist in Paediatric Surgery in 2006, all the while contributing to solid organ transplantation in South Africa.

Jerome is the current Academic Head of Transplantation at Wits University, and leads the Transplant Unit at the Wits Donald Gordon Medical Centre. Having served as Academic Head of Paediatric Surgery at Wits for 2 terms between 2013 and 2023, Jerome worked as the Clinical Head of Paediatric Surgery, Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital (“Bara”) from 2009 to 2022, and it was at Baragwanath Hospital that he had the vision for the need, and developed, Surgeons for Little Lives. Whilst building the Department of Paediatric Surgery at Bara and Wits into a world class centre of patient care and training, he and the
SFLL team have created a successful charity attuned on the needs of their young patients and their families, focusing on the pillars of Wits University, namely supporting clinical care, research, and training.

Professor Loveland has developed the Departments of Paediatric Surgery and Transplantation, but particularly Surgeons for Little Lives, guided by a personal quote which he frequently references:

“It is one thing to succeed in an established environment; quite another to establish that environment, and thereby breed success.”

Outside of his career, Jerome is a committed family man, supported by his wonderful wife Adele, and children Laura and Alec, with whom he spends as much quality time as possible.

His mental battles are fought whilst running, paddling and surfing.

Dr Jessica Wing qualified as a specialist physician in 2022 and subsequently sub-specialised in medical gastroenterology. She was awarded her certification cum laude in 2025. She trained at Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Hospital and was afforded the unique and invaluable opportunity to work in the liver transplantation unit of the Wits Donald Gordon medical centre. She is a dedicated, enthusiastic and thorough physician devoted to improving both gastrointestinal and liver health and knowledge among patients. Her special interests lie in the challenging and widening field of contemporary hepatology including the management of patients pre-and-post liver transplantation and those contributing to emerging epidemic of metabolic associated steatotic liver dysfunction. She enjoys collaboration and would be excited to embark on research in the future.

Johannes Jacobus van den Heever was born in 1963 in Klerksdorp, North-West and matriculated in 1980 in Odendaalsrus. He obtained his BSc (1985), BSc Honn (1988), MMedSc cum laude (2008) and PhD in Cardiothoracic Surgery in 2020 at UFS. He also completed an Advanced Course in Tissue Banking Management in 2011 from the University of Barcelona and is currently the manager and Assistant Director of the homograft bank in the department of Cardiothoracic Surgery at the UFS.

Dr van den Heever is a registered Medical Biological Scientist with the HPCSA, the retrieval officer (musculoskeletal, corneas & skin) in central SA for the Centre for Tissue Engineering at Tshwane University, and national representative for heart valve banking at the SA Tissue Banking Association (SATIBA).

He is author and co-author of several articles in peer-reviewed journals and has presented his research findings at numerous local and international congresses. Tissue banking and the urge to help patients in need with replacement implants is his passion.

Jonty Wright is an MBChB student at Stellenbosch University with a strong focus on transplant medicine. He is the founder of Save7.org, a non-profit organisation dedicated to strengthening South Africa’s transplant ecosystem. Save7 works to improve public awareness of organ donation, provide multilingual digital tools, and establish patient support groups for individuals awaiting transplant. The organisation now has active branches at several universities and runs mentorship programmes that connect medical students with transplant advocacy and patient support initiatives.

Jonty also co-led the development of the Lifepod ICU initiative at Tygerberg Hospital. This specialised unit was created for consented organ donors in order to reduce the loss of viable organs due to ICU bed shortages. The project has combined student-driven innovation with multi-disciplinary collaboration, resulting in a sustainable model to unlock organ donation capacity in the public sector.

Through these efforts, Jonty has worked at the intersection of clinical care, health system design, and community engagement. His focus has consistently been on practical interventions that address bottlenecks in South Africa’s transplant pathway, while ensuring that patient voices and dignity remain central.

He is also a published researcher, tech geek and avid birder.

Kamogelo Booysens is a registered social worker with an Honours Degree in Social Work from the University of the Witwatersrand. She currently serves as a Transplant Social Worker at the Donald Gordon Medical Centre, where she plays a pivotal role in supporting patients and families through the complex journey of organ transplantation. Her work involves conducting psychosocial assessments, providing counselling, and coordinating care within a multidisciplinary medical team.

Her experience in the transplant field has profoundly shaped her professional outlook, enhancing her expertise in crisis intervention, ethical decision making, and long term patient care. This work has deepened her appreciation of human resilience, empathy, and the vital role of holistic psychosocial support in healthcare.

Kamogelo has extensive experience in medical social work, having worked across paediatric, psychiatric, and rehabilitation settings. She has supported individuals and families facing chronic illness, trauma, and emotional distress, with a focus on patient advocacy, counselling, and strengthening coping mechanisms during treatment and recovery.

She also provides Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) services, offering counselling and interventions for employees managing personal, emotional, or workplace challenges, promoting mental wellbeing and workplace productivity. In addition, Kamogelo facilitates various therapeutic and support groups, including those for chronic pain, Parkinson’s disease, caregivers, and general patient wellbeing, creating safe spaces for education, empowerment, and peer connection.

Previously, as a school social worker, Kamogelo provided psychosocial support to learners facing behavioural, emotional, and academic difficulties. She worked collaboratively with educators, parents, and professionals to implement interventions that fostered resilience and improved learning outcomes.

Driven by compassion and professionalism, Kamogelo is passionate about mental health, chronic illness, and empowering individuals to navigate life’s challenges with dignity, purpose, and strength.

Madeleine van Dijk started her career in organ transplantation in 2020 as a machine perfusion specialist in the Dutch implementation study of Normothermic Regional Perfusion (NRP), after completing her study in Life Science & Technology at the Technical University in Delft, the Netherlands. She currently works as an Organ Perfusionist & Transplant Coordinator (OPTC) in the joined specialist team of OPTCs between Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC) and University Medical Center Utrecht (UMCU) in the Netherlands.

The OPTC is a dual responsibility job. As transplant co-ordinator, she co-ordinates incoming donor organ offers of heart, lung, liver, and pancreas from the Eurotransplant network for recipients in the LUMC and UMCU. As organ perfusionist, she performs the different modalities of liver perfusion (DHOPE, NMP, NRP)
currently in clinical use by the LUMC.

Next to her clinical work, Madeleine is pursuing her PhD in liver perfusion research. In particular, she conducts normothermic perfusion experiments to investigate if this platform can be used to reduce hepatic steatosis in marginal donor livers.

Professor Lowes has been consulting in teaching and learning since retirement in 2014 from the position as Vice-Rector Teaching and Learning at the Potchefstroom Campus of the North-West University (NWU). After retirement she acted as Special Advisor in the office of the DVC Teaching and Learning, managing DHET grants, acting as Director of Community Engagement, and later as Director of the Institutional Academic Support until 2020.

A number of special projects were managed and completed for the University such as the development and establishment of the work-integrated and service learning model, community engagement policy and implementation and a blended learning policy for Sefago Makatho Health Sciences University. Over the last two years she has been privileged to chair the Task Team for the development of a training programme in Medical Sciences at the HPCSA. Also in the role of chairing External Programme Evaluations monthly for the Quality Enhancement Office at the NWU.

Professor Lowes maintained her relationship, established in the early 2000’s as Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences at Technikon Pretoria, with Bone SA and the Centre for Tissue Engineering and served as Chairperson of the Board, Executive Director and Ethics Officer.

Obtaining a MBA as well as a Master’s degree in Health Science Education from Maastricht, assisted to a large extend in the management and design of the first problem-based learning (PBL) pharmacy curriculum in the country implemented at the new pharmacy school established at the Technikon Pretoria/MEDUNSA partnership in 2000. This allowed for an invitation as visiting professor to James Cook University in Townsville, Northern Australia assisting with a PBL curriculum for a newly founded pharmacy school.

Marlize de Jager is the Tissue Bank Manager at the Cornea Foundation Tissue Bank and has been working in the field of organ donation and transplantation for over two decades. She is a specialised critical care nurse with a strong passion for organ and tissue donation. Marlize has developed multiple initiatives to increase referral patterns, improve conversations with donor families, and educate healthcare colleagues. As a key member of a multi-disciplinary transplant team, she helps make a meaningful difference in the lives of donor families and transplant recipients. Her dedication to research and practice improvement is reflected in her academic publications and frequent conference presentations.

With over a decade of dedicated service, Marna has been a Tissue Co-ordinator at CTE since 2012, playing a vital role in offering families the opportunity to give the gift of life through tissue donation. Her work centres on engaging with bereaved families, guiding them through the donation process with compassion and care during one of the most difficult times of their lives.

Driven by a deep passion for public and professional education, she is committed to raising awareness about the transformative power of tissue donation—both for the recipients whose lives are changed and the donors whose legacies live on through their selfless gift.

Her professional development includes a Higher Certificate in Executive Secretarial Studies), Basic Counselling Skills training), and the Manager Development Programme with 10 years Managerial experience in Events and Promotions at a leading pathology company, all of which contribute to her holistic approach in this sensitive and impactful field. She brings a strong foundation in communication, administration, which allows her to build a wide network within stakeholders in the industry.

Marna continues to advocate for the life-changing potential of tissue donation, believing firmly that “You can be the change in someone else’s story.”

Professor Michael Pepper has made significant contributions in cellular and molecular medicine to the fields of vascular biology and immunology. He has held prominent positions at both the Universities of Pretoria (UP) and Geneva (Switzerland). He is currently Director of the Institute for Cellular and Molecular Medicine and the South African Medical Research Council Extramural Unit for Stem Cell Research and Therapy at UP. Michael has more than >370 medical and scientific publications with and H-Index of 79/97 (Scopus/Google Scholar). He is a member of the Academy of Science of South Africa and has received a number of awards for his research including the South African Health Excellence Award for Scientific Excellence in 2019. His work has had an impact on the development of cell and gene therapies in South Africa, and he continues to be a leading figure in addressing ethical, legal, and social implications of research in these areas.

Professor McCulloch is currently the Head of the Clinical Unit of Paediatric Nephrology and Solid Organ Transplantation (including kidney, liver and heart) at Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital (RCWMCH) and Senior Lecturer at the University of Cape Town. Her background is that of both paediatric nephrology and paediatric intensive care.

Her research interests with the team of paediatric nephrologists at RCWMCH include Acute Kidney Injury, not only for children in high income regions but also in less well-resourced settings, as well as access for dialysis and kidney transplantation in infants and children as well as adolescents. Specifically, her passion includes training of children’s kidney specialists including to date 44 paediatric nephrologists, many the
first in their country in Africa as well as teams of doctors and nurses in Africa and beyond. She really enjoys doing outreach work in Africa developing paediatric kidney and transplant programmes.

As the Chair of the Saving Young Lives Committee, she has been part of a life-saving training programme using basics of dialysis training in >700 professionals and saving >1000 lives.

Professor McCulloch has held many positions of leadership not only in Africa but also internationally including President of the South African Paediatric Association (SAPA) dealing specifically with COVID issues during the pandemic as an important advocacy voice for children, President of the South African Transplantation Society and President of the International Paediatric Transplantation Society (IPTA) promoting paediatric transplantation worldwide.

One of her proudest achievements, is hosting the International Paediatric Nephrology Association (IPNA) 2025 as Congress President from 19 – 23 February 2025 at the CTICC with 1000 international delegates from far and wide but the first time hosting the IPNA Congress ever on the African Continent, including 100 sponsored Fellows and first ever Nurses and Adolescent symposiums.

Professor McCulloch has just completed her PHD titles Paediatric Acute Kidney Injury Management in an African Setting.She has published over 200 peer-reviewed papers (with a research h-index of 32 and a i10-index of 94) and was promoted to full professor in 2018.

She is also an amateur surfer but lives in hope of turning professional.

Dr Moitheri Lephoi is a senior Cardiothoracic surgery registrar based in University of Cape Town, Chris Barnard Division of Cardiothoracic surgery with much interest in heart and lung transplant amongst other fields in Cardiothoracic surgery. He has a major interest in innovation and future research opportunities to advance diagnostic and surgical techniques. He holds a BSc with honors in Biology and Chemistry from the National University of Lesotho and has published research on using oils extracted from Khaki bush for managing inflammatory respiratory conditions like asthma.

Dr Lephoi has presented at multiple esteemed international congresses and recently participated in the Master Cup competition at the European Society of Thoracic Surgery in Budapest representing Africa who proudly came in second position. He continues further research at the University of Cape Town where he is also completing his Masters in Cardiothoracic surgery.

When not working, Dr Lephoi enjoys time with his beautiful wife and four wonderful children. He also enjoys a lot of outdoor activities, such as hiking and running. He is passionate about social causes and has since established a movement entitled ‘Running for the Gift of Life’ where he and, colleagues, previous organ recipients and living donors come together to raise awareness about organ donation and transplant. Together, they endeavor to achieve media coverage and more awareness by combining advocacy through running for the SA Transplant Society using big national races such as the Comrades Marathon.

Professor Nicola Wearne, PhD, is Associate Professor and Head of the Division of Nephrology and Hypertension at Groote Schuur Hospital and the University of Cape Town (UCT). She currently serves as President of the South African Nephrology Society (SANS) and President of Women in Nephrology Africa (WIN-Africa).

Her clinical and academic interests focus on the evolving spectrum of kidney disease in sub-Saharan Africa, with expertise in HIV-associated kidney disease, peritoneal dialysis, and conservative kidney management (CKM). She is first author of the South African Consensus Statement on CKM, which provides a national framework for equitable, patient-centered kidney care. Her PhD research defined the histological and clinical burden of HIV-related kidney disease, shaping both local practice and global
understanding.

Professor Wearne is strongly committed to teaching and training. She established Nephro-ECHO, a national tele-mentoring programme that links academic specialists with clinicians across South Africa, building nephrology capacity and extending expertise to underserved areas. She has supervised numerous postgraduate students and contributes actively to undergraduate and postgraduate training as well as national and international CME.

Through research, education, and policy engagement, Professor Wearne continues to advance kidney care in South Africa and across the continent.

Dr Paul Harden trained for six years as a nephrologist and transplant physician at the Western Infirmary in Glasgow. Subsequently, he worked as a Consultant Nephrologist with a special interest in transplantation at the University Hospital of North Staffordshire. During this period, he developed an interest in non-adherence in young adult transplant recipients and transition of care from paediatric to adult care. He established a joint transition process with Birmingham Children’s Hospital.

In 2002, Dr Harden joined the Oxford Kidney Unit and Transplant Centre and has continued to pursue his interest in transition, having established joint clinics with Great Ormond Street and Evelina Children’s Hospitals in London. He has been clinical advisor to the National Health Service in the UK on adolescent transition and young adult services in patients with ESRD. He runs a unique community-based young adult transplant service in Oxford. He was appointed as an Associate Professor of Medicine at UCT, South Africa in 2019 in view of his teaching and development partnership with the Red Cross Hospital and Groote Schuur Hospital.

In addition, Paul Harden is interested in malignancy post-transplantation and the impact of targeted immunosuppression reduction. He is Chief Investigator of the RESCUE (UK) trial of immunosuppression modulation for squamous cell skin cancer post-transplantation. He is currently working on a series of trials of cell therapy to allow immunosuppression reduction utilising autologous T regulatory cells.

Pauline Karanja, is the founder of Biliary Atresia and Liver Care Africa (BALCA). Her advocacy began when her child was diagnosed with biliary atresia. That journey, filled with questions, struggles, and hope, showed her how powerful awareness and timely support can be.

Pauline’s passion for advocacy comes from the reality that many children in Africa face late diagnosis, limited knowledge of the disease, no local transplant units, minimal after-care support, and an expensive journey that most families cannot afford.

Pauline shares her story so that no parent must walk the road alone, and so that every child has a fighting chance at life.

Clarissa hopes to bring the voice of families living with the reality, because behind every statistic is a child and a story of resilience.

Dr Mistry studied medicine and surgery in Pretoria attaining his MBChB. Thereafter he completed his MMed in Surgery and Fellowship in Surgery FCS(SA) at the University of Pretoria. He completed his CVS(SA) (Certificate of Vascular Surgery) achieving a distinction and received the CJC Nel Award from VASSA. He was involved as a consultant at Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital until 2022 and currently has private practices at Netcare Sunninghill Hospital, Life Fourways Hospital, Wits Donald Gordan Medical Centre and Johannesburg Surgical Hospital.

He has been affiliated with Wits University Department of Surgery since 2010 and is currently still actively involved. Dr Mistry has a special interest in complex endovascular aortic surgery and dialysis access surgery. He has presented at many congresses and been involved in many workshops related to vascular surgery. He has been an EXCO member of VASSA since 2010, Secretary and President Elect in 2023 and is the current President of the Society. He is also the President of the World Federation of Vascular Surgery and a Counsellor for the European Society of Vascular Surgery.

Dr Priya Walabh completed her medical, paediatric and paediatric gastroenterology training at the University of Cape Town, Red Cross Children’s Hospital. She is currently the clinical head of the paediatric gastroenterology/hepatology unit at Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital, since establishing the unit in 2015. She is also the current president of The South African Transplant Society, and her passion is advocating for improved outcomes for paediatric liver transplantation, with her primary focus being to address disparities in transplantation and organ allocation and the impact of social determinants of health thus aiming to make the “gift of life” equally accessible to all South Africans.

She is a founding member of the national biliary atresia awareness campaign; an initiative aimed at early diagnosis and referral of children with liver diseases like biliary atresia to optimise management options and long-term outcomes.

She also has a special interest in infectious diseases associated with liver transplantation and is a committee member of the Paediatrics group as well as the special Interest Group (SIG): Infectious disease and transplantation and acute liver failure in the International Liver Transplant Society (ILTS). She also belongs to the International Paediatric Transplant Association (IPTA) and is a member of the IPTA outreach and advocacy committee. She has published in international peer-reviewed journals and as first author on CMV in Paediatric liver transplantation in S.A and Disparity in organ distribution in Gauteng province in South Africa: Challenges and solutions. Her motto and vision is to see Transformation in Transplantation in South Africa.

Saundrarajan (Rajan) Moodley is a general, Vascular access and Transplant Surgeon at Life Entabeni Hospital and Netcare St Augustine’s Hospital, KZN. He is a lso a sessional employee in transplant and access surgery at Inkosi Albert Luthuli Central Hospital.

Mr Moodley is a Fellow of the College of Surgeons and completed his transplant training at Manchester Royal Infirmary, UK and Sahlgenska University Hospital, Sweden. He previously held the position of Trauma and Transplant Surgeon at Inkosi Albert Luthuli Central Hospital.

Mr Moodley held the position of Head – Renal transplant and access surgery (Inkosi Albert Luthuli Central Hospital. Member of the South African Transplantation Society (SATS).

Dr Roland Höllhumer completed his Bachelor of Medicine at the University of Pretoria before continuing his specialist training in Ophthalmology with the College of Medicine of South Africa. He has a Master of Medicine, Master of Business Administration and Doctorate of Philosophy with the University of the Witwatersrand and has completed a fellowship in Cornea and Anterior Segment Disease at the Sydney Eye Hospital. His primary interest is in the management of corneal blindness. He is the head of the corneal unit at Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital and medical director at The Cornea Foundation. 

Dr Sarah Berkenfeld is a paediatric gastroenterologist based at the Donald Gordon Medical Centre in Johannesburg. She divides her time between her private paediatric gastroenterology practice and the Paediatric Transplant Unit, where she plays an integral role in the multi-disciplinary care of children before and after liver transplantation.

Her clinical expertise spans the full spectrum of paediatric gastroenterology, hepatology, and nutrition, with particular interests in complex liver disease, intestinal failure, and nutritional rehabilitation. Dr Berkenfeld is deeply committed to delivering patient-centred, evidence-based care and to improving access to specialist services for children across Gauteng and beyond.

Known for her compassionate approach and meticulous attention to detail, she works closely with families to navigate challenging diagnoses and long-term treatment plans. She also contributes to clinical teaching and collaborative research within the transplant and gastroenterology teams.

Outside of medicine, Sarah is married with two young children and enjoys the daily balance—often precarious—of motherhood and medicine.

Dr Sechaba Thabo Palweni, of Limpopo, an abdominal transplant surgeon practicing at Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital. He also provides organ transplant services at various Netcare facilities. Dr. Palweni has served on the executive committee of the South African Society of Transplantation. He is deeply committed to advancing the field of organ transplantation, with a goal to enhance service provision, increase access, and promote equity.

Dr. Palweni received an education grant from the Netcare Foundation to undertake a fellowship in Liver Transplantation and Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Surgery at the Rela Medical Institute Centre in Chennai, India. The centre is a high-volume facility with extensive experience in both living-related and deceased donor liver transplants, serving paediatric and adult patients. During this fellowship, he gained comprehensive hands-on experience in all aspects of liver transplantation from pre-admission work up to post operative follow up and care and explored robotic surgical techniques, with a focus on using technology to improve safety in donor hepatectomy. The Rela Institute has advanced to perform recipient liver explantation and implantation using robotic surgery, the goal is to develop similar capabilities within South Africa soon.

Sharon Santon is a social worker with a passion for training and education. She obtained an Honours Degree in Clinical Practice in Social Work at the University of Cape Town in 2001.

Since 2024, Sharon has been based at the new GSH family counselling and bereavement centre. The centre is a space for family counselling in end-of-life situations; this often includes counselling and discussions about organ and tissue donations. Prior to working here, Sharon gained experience and expertise through work in the fields of Child Protection, Mental Health and Palliative Care.

Dr Shoyab Wadee is a full time nephrologist in private practice in Johannesburg.  He has more than 15 years of experience in various spheres of nephrology and is a past President of the South African Renal Society. 

He is passionate about improving access to care for patients with kidney disease 

Stella was diagnosed with End Stage Renal Failure in 2011 at the age of 35. Since then, she has relied on dialysis three times a week, each session lasting four hours. Because her kidneys no longer function, Stella does not produce urine and must carefully limit her fluid intake to just 500ml per day while following a strict diet. She has been on the kidney transplant waiting list since 2012 — more than 13 years — and continues to hold onto hope for a life-changing call. In the meantime, Stella has chosen to use her skills and personal experience through TELL (Transplant Education for Living Legacies) to raise awareness about
organ and tissue donation.

Dr Theunis Botha is an ophthalmologist in private practice in Port Elizabeth. He is a general ophthalmologist that services all sub-specialties of ophthalmology. However, he has interests in refractive surgery, presbyopia surgery, therapeutic laser work of the cornea, cataract and other lens surgeries, and corneal surgery. He completed his training in ophthalmology at the University of the Free State in 2019.

He is involved with the Bay Tissue Institute (BTI), a relatively newly formed corneal tissue bank locally in Port Elizabeth. BTI is actively working on building the bridge between the deceased and death notification.

Dr Thozama Siyotula is a distinguished paediatric surgeon at Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital in Cape Town, South Africa. With a profound interest in hepatobiliary, transplant, thoracic and neonatal surgical outcomes. She completed her undergraduate training in 2011 at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg. Furthering her studies she went on to specialise in paediatric surgery through the Colleges of Medicine of South Africa, completing her FCPaedSurg (SA) in
2021 and a master’s in medicine (Paediatric Surgery) in 2021 at the University of Cape
Town.

Executive leadership in Global surgery at the Graduate School of Business at the University of Cape Town 2024. She currently works as a paediatric surgeon and transplant surgeon. A senior lecture at the University of Cape Town and course convenor for the 5th year undergraduate paediatric surgery programme at the University of Cape Town.

Dr Siyotula’s passion is that every child has access to the best surgical care regardless of their socio-economic status or geographical location in the country.

She would like to be a part of creating solutions regarding the surgical care of children in South Africa.

Dr Warren Lowman is a Consultant Pathologist in Clinical Microbiology and Infection Prevention & Control, Pathcare/Vermaak Pathologists and Wits Donald Gordon Medical Centre. He is an Honorary Lecturer in the Department of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases, Wits School of Pathology, University of the Witwatersrand.

Dr Lowman’s areas of interest are ICU-related antimicrobial therapy, clinical/ patient issues related to pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics, antimicrobial susceptibility testing and its application to treatment of critically ill patients, Transplant Microbiology and Infectious Diseases. Infection Prevention and Control, hospital surveillance systems, Healthcare-associated pathogens: interventions to reduce transmission antimicrobial susceptibility testing; application to clinical use When it comes to medicine and the field of microbiology, he is a skeptic at heart…not the skeptic who doubts, but he who investigates or research further, as opposed to he who asserts and thinks that he has found. This quote by Miguel de Unamuno has guided me well in navigating a profession filled with grey areas. This challenging field I have dedicated the best part of two decades to, and it continues to enthrall me. I am deeply critical and analytical in my approach, seeking ways to improve and do things differently as opposed to the status quo.

At work I am a pathologist in clinical microbiology passionate about bugs with a particular focus on the clinical application and integration of microbiological diagnostic services in specialised medical care. Bacteriology is my first love, and I have a particular interest in hospital pathogens and the associated diagnostic, antimicrobial treatment and prevention aspects of these bugs. Surveillance of hospital-acquired infections, multi-drug-resistant organisms, and the application of data derived from time spent between laboratory-based diagnostic work and clinical ward rounds focusing on ICU/transplant-related microbiology and infection prevention and control aspects. At heart I am an educationalist in my field, passionate about sharing knowledge in the field.

I am actively involved in numerous academic-related activities, serve on the exco of the South African Society of Clinical Microbiology, and seek opportunities or platforms to share my knowledge.

Outside of work I am kept busy by my 3 sons, wonderful wife, nature, cooking and the odd-game of golf, now also padel!

Wendy Spearman is Emeritus Professor of Medicine and a Consultant Hepatologist in the Division of Hepatology, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Cape Town. She was appointed as a University of Cape Town Senior Scholar in July 2024.

She was Head of the Division of Hepatology, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town and Head of Liver Transplantation, Groote Schuur Hospital, Cape Town, South Africa from 1998 – 2024.

Professor Spearman is actively involved in outreach Liver Education Programmes and is the Lead of the ‘Viral Hepatitis in sub-Saharan Africa” Project ECHO Clinic programme. She was appointed as the lead consultant to develop the National Guidelines on the management and prevention of viral hepatitis in South Africa and as co-chair of the WHO 2024 Hepatitis B Guidelines Development Group.

Professor Spearman is co-chair of the Africa CDC working group to develop an operational toolkit for the implementation of the WHO 2024 Hepatitis B Guidelines. She is Vice-president of the Society on Liver Disease in Africa (SOLDA). She is a member of Global NASH/MASH Council. Her research interests include viral hepatitis, MASLD, hepatocellular carcinoma, drug-induced liver injuries and liver transplantation.

Professor Wesley van Hougenhouck-Tulleken is Head of the Division of Nephrology at Dr George Mukhari Academic Hospital and Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University in Pretoria, South Africa. A clinician–scientist with expertise in nephrology, genetics, infectious diseases, and immunology, he is dedicated to advancing kidney care in Africa by bridging clinical practice with translational research.

He trained in medicine at the University of the Witwatersrand, completing his MBBCh, MSc and MMed. Subsequently, he completed his specialist and sub- specialist fellowships in Internal Medicine and Nephrology through the Colleges of Medicine of South Africa. He is currently pursuing a PhD at the University of Pretoria on the genetics of chronic kidney disease, systemic lupus erythematosus and pre-eclampsia in South African populations. His international training includes advanced nephrology programmes at Oxford and Harvard, as well as the Albertina Sisulu Executive Leadership Programme at the University of Pretoria.

Professor van Hougenhouck-Tulleken has published extensively, with more than 20 peer-reviewed articles and nearly 1,000 citations, and he serves as a reviewer for leading journals including Kidney International, Genome Medicine, and the African Journal of Nephrology. His research spans genetic risk factors for kidney disease, outcomes in transplantation, and the impact of COVID-19 on renal health. He has also contributed to multi-centre clinical trials.

A passionate educator, he received the University of Pretoria Teaching Excellence Award in 2022 and continues to mentor postgraduate and doctoral candidates. He is actively engaged in leadership within professional societies, serving on committees of the South African Nephrology Society, the African Association of Nephrology, and the International Society of Peritoneal Dialysis, where he contributes to guideline development, research networks, and educational initiatives.

Dr Yvonne Holt is the Chief Medical Officer at Next Biosciences, a South African biotech company involved in cryopreservation of stem cells and human tissues, production of human biological products and genetic testing. Dr Holt graduated from Wits University as a medical doctor and has a diploma in Paediatrics and Transfusion Medicine.

Dr Holt joined Next Biosciences 19 years ago when it was founded and has worked with the various teams in the company to combine medicine, science and technology to create innovative products and services that empower people to invest and take personal ownership in their future health. She has been involved in projects to develop cellular therapies from mesenchymal stem cells to exosomes, development of biological dressing from amniotic membrane to specialised eyedrops from cord blood serum and in house implementation of genetic tests in the reproductive space.

Dr Zunaid Barday qualified at the University of Cape Town in 1993. Trained as a physician and then a nephrologist at Groote Schuur Hospital in Cape Town, where he continues to work. Runs the Renal Transplant Clinic and is involved in all aspects of living kidney donor assessment and post-transplant care of kidney transplant recipients. More recently been involved starting the first ABO incompatible kidney transplant and Kidney Paired Donation programme in South Africa. Exco Member of SATS, SANS and MACOT. Research interests include desensitisation and immunosuppression protocols as well as HIV positive kidney transplantation.