Tag: Women in medicine

This week on Womanity-Women in Unity, Dr. Amaleya Goneos-Malka talks to Dr Liana Roodt who is a specialist general surgeon with a passion for cutting-edge breast care and surgery including breast conserving cancer surgery. Part of her practice’s value proposition is to offer not just surgery but access to a complete package of breast and personal health. During a cancer journey, at times patients are at their most vulnerable, but also at their absolute bravest and courageous. In recognition of breast cancer awareness month, this show continues to raise awareness of breast cancer and living with breast cancer. Statistically one out of every eight women will face a breast cancer diagnosis during her lifetime. The high incidence of breast cancer makes it one of the most researched types of cancers which leads to improvements in diagnosis and treatment. For some people receiving a cancer diagnosis is a point of confronting their mortality, dealing with fear and then going through the process of grief (denial, anger, acceptance). For women, who are generally care providers in the home, there is a necessary adjustment where they shift roles to be taken care of. In Dr. Roodt’s practice she emphasises holistic treatment that is interdisciplinary, including access to a psychologist, physiotherapist, body talk therapist, nutritionist, somatic therapist etc... This basket of services comes at cost, which may be financed in the private health sector for those with medical aid. However, the majority of the South African population rely on the public health sector, where there are often long waiting times for breast cancer patients to receive treatment. To help address this need Dr Roodt created Project Flamingo where on a weekly basis surgeons and anesthetists volunteer their time and skills at key academic hospitals in the Western and Eastern Cape to conduct lifesaving operations. There are several ways that people can support Project Flamingo, from monetary donations to packing pamper packs to volunteering their time. Tune in for more… Take action for breast cancer awareness, for yourself and others, support and help women today.

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November 2, 2023

Breast cancer awareness with specialist surgeon Dr Liana Roodt

This week on Womanity-Women in Unity, Dr. Amaleya Goneos-Malka talks to Dr. Liana Roodt who is a specialist general surgeon with a passion for cutting-edge breast care and surgery including breast conserving cancer surg...

The 10th of October marks World Mental Health Day, and this year’s theme is “Mental health is a universal human right”. This week on Womanity-Women in Unity Dr. Amaleya Goneos-Malka talks to Dr. Alicia Porter, who is a child and adolescent psychiatrist at the Charlotte Maxete Academic Hospital and lectures in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of the Witwatersrand. Some of her areas of interest include child and adolescent mental health, woman’s mental health, mental health in the workplace and burnout. Dr Porter also volunteers for the South African Depression and Anxiety Group (SADAG), which is at the forefront of patient advocacy, education and addressing misconceptions of mental illness. Dr Porter is a mental health advocate and believes in mental health promotion and primary prevention, she remarks that anxiety and depression are some of the more common mental health issues that patients experience, and often mental health conditions manifest in the body. She considers a child’s first 1000 days of life, so nine months in utero and the first two years as the most important period in anyone’s life because it sets the trajectory for their future. Her practice applies a multi-disciplinary holistic approach to treating children that includes family. Some of her tips for women to optimise their mental health include making self-care a lifestyle, knowing who you are through self-awareness and connecting with each other. Dr Porter exercises a pay it forward philosophy with the intention that her ceiling becomes the next generation’s floor. She reminds us that we are the sum total of who we surround ourselves with; so we should be conscious about who we choose to connect to and the effect that this has on helping us progress in our lives.   Tune in for more….

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October 5, 2023

Dr. Alicia Porter – Psychiatrist – Charlotte Maxete Academic Hospital (WITS)

The 10th of October marks World Mental Health Day, and this year’s theme is “Mental health is a universal human right”. This week on Womanity-Women in Unity Dr. Amaleya Goneos-Malka talks to Dr. Alicia Porter, ...

This week on Womanity-Women in Unity, Dr. Amaleya Goneos-Malka talks to Prof. Ghada El-Kamah who is a Professor of Clinical Genetics, coordinator of The Hereditary Blood Disorders (HBD) and Genodermatoses clinics and research team, Human Genetics and Genome Research Institute (HGGRI) at the National Research Centre (NRC), which is mainly involved in the study of medical genetics with a focus on inherited rare disorders, dysmorphology, community genetics, science management and genetic education. She shares some of her motivations to pursue a career in the field of human genetics, noting the role the discipline plays in treating vulnerable groups of people. The field of genetics is broadening and today every aspect of medicine includes genetics. Prof. El-Kamah is a member of several professional organisations and highlights the value of these networks for the growth of individuals and development of the collective, ultimately in pursuit of helping patients. Prof. El-Kamah encourages women to follow their dreams and develop their own style of leadership to become unique individuals.

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April 26, 2023

Prof. Ghada El-Kamah – Clinical Genetics – National Research Centre – Egypt

This week on Womanity-Women in Unity, Dr. Amaleya Goneos-Malka talks to Prof. Ghada El-Kamah who is a Professor of Clinical Genetics, coordinator of The Hereditary Blood Disorders (HBD) and Genodermatoses clinics and re...

This week on Womanity-Women in Unity, Dr. Amaleya Goneos-Malka talks to Prof Rokhaya Ndiaye Diallo, who is a professor in Human Genetics and holds the chair of Human Genetics at the Faculty of Medicine, Pharmacy and Odontology at the Cheikh Anta Diop University in Senegal. She is a founding member and general secretary of the Senegalese Society for Human Genetics (S2GH), a member of the executive committee of the African Society of Human Genetics (AfSHG) and the H3Africa consortium, and she is leading the Senegalese Reference genome project SEN-GENOME. We discuss tertiary education as an enabler and equalizer. Education at public universities in Senegal is free for Senegalese citizens. This policy produces an informed society of educated young people that can problem solve for the economic development of the country and creates equal opportunity where people are not precluded from advancing themselves because of affordability. Prof Ndiaye emphasises the importance of healthcare in Africa and the lack of human and infrastructure resources to make good healthcare sustainable. She notes that human genetics is the future of health for the continent. She runs several genetics related projects, including breast cancer genetics and the SEN-GENOME project, which aims to create a reference genome for Senegal, with the goal of establishing personalized medicine to individuals. To help close gender gaps Prof Ndiaye suggests that women are given appropriate support to balance the practicalities of motherhood and career progression, have access to mentors to help their development, be eligible for funding to finance their research and have a planned career trajectory to advance their professional goals. Tune in for more.

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April 19, 2023

Prof Rokhaya Diallo – Chair of Human Genetics at the Cheikh Anta Diop University – Senegal

This week on Womanity-Women in Unity, Dr. Amaleya Goneos-Malka talks to Prof Rokhaya Ndiaye Diallo, who is a professor in Human Genetics and holds the chair of Human Genetics at the Faculty of Medicine, Pharmacy and Odo...

This week on Womanity-Women in Unity, Dr. Amaleya Goneos-Malka talks to Prof Jantina de Vries, who is the director of The Ethics Lab at the Neuroscience Institute and an Associate Professor in Bioethics in the Department of Medicine of the University of Cape Town. She is a member of: the Research Ethics Board of Médecins Sans Frontières, the Steering Committee of the Global Forum for Bioethics in Research and the Advisory Board for the Center for ELSI Resources and Analysis (CERA) at Stanford University. She was a member of the WHO Genome Editing Expert Advisory Committee as of the H3Africa Steering Committee. The vision of the Neuroscience Institute is a continental one for an Africa where people achieve their full potential through brain health. The mission of the Ethics Lab is to foster transformative ethics scholarship to disrupt and shape ethics in health research in innovation and to centre Africa as the context and driver of global health ethics. The Ethics Lab’s interdisciplinary scholars ask broad questions about new and emerging health technologies from the view of our African context. They engage with a variety of technologies, such as artificial intelligence (AI), genomics and robotics and think about the ethics of these technologies, and what it means to be human. For example, taking the perspective that humans are incomplete and are a constant work in progress, then the incompleteness framing could allow us to think about technologies as extensions of self, that we utilise to become more complete, or better people. Prof de Vries discusses the mindsets of abundance and scarcity and how a culture of conviviality can lead to changing ways of work and the as well as the work environment with a positive impact on people. We discuss some of the constraints that women experience, which may be internal limitations that are self-imposed, as well external influences that may tell women that they are not good enough. Give yourself the freedom to pursue your dreams or find what really stimulates you; that is your responsibility, you must pursue that which nurtures and sustains you. Tune in for more….

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April 12, 2023

Prof Jantina de Vries – Director Ethics Lab – University of Cape Town

This week on Womanity-Women in Unity, Dr. Amaleya Goneos-Malka talks to Prof Jantina de Vries, who is the director of The Ethics Lab at the Neuroscience Institute and an Associate Professor in Bioethics in the Departmen...

This week on Womanity-Women in Unity, Dr. Amaleya Goneos-Malka talks to Professor Michèle Ramsay, who is a Professor in Human Genetics, holds the SARCHI Chair for Genomics and Bioinformatics of African Populations at the University of the Witwatersrand and is a director of The Sydney Brenner Institute for Molecular Bioscience. The Sydney Brenner Institute for Molecular Bioscience (SBIMB) is a multi-disciplinary research institute dedicated to investigating genetic variation amongst African populations and the impact of genetic variation on health and disease. Research undertaken by SBIMB has an impact on African Science through its focus on African populations living in Africa addressing human genetics, interactions with the environment and implications for health and disease. Prof. Ramsay discusses some of the research projects that she is involved with, such as H3 Africa, which is one of the bigger symposiums considering the 3Hs of human, hereditary and health; which encompasses 40 different projects covers 35 African countries aimed at understanding genetic variation and the impact it has on health. This is a pioneering field that women are very much a part of and Prof. Ramsay is mindful of female inclusion and for women to strike their own personal balance between family and work. She emphasises that SBIMB operates in teams where members support one another, acknowledging that different types of support will be required during various phases of people’s careers. In terms of leadership, Prof Ramsay encourages women to take up leadership roles and understand the power that comes with positions of leadership from access to resources and determining where they are allocated to being able to influence institutional culture in a top down approach to drive transformation and create opportunities for women. Prof. Ramsay has served as the immediate past-president of the African Society of Human Genetics and the International Federation of Human Genetics Societies, as well as co-chair of the International Hundred Thousand+ Cohorts Consortium (IHCC) and several other structures. In closing Prof. Ramsay encourages women to follow their dreams, be true to themselves, nurture body and mind and as each person fulfils their path they should enrich the lives of others.

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March 15, 2023

Professor Michèle Ramsay – Director of The Sydney Brenner Institute for Molecular Bioscience

This week on Womanity-Women in Unity, Dr. Amaleya Goneos-Malka talks to Professor Michèle Ramsay, who is a Professor in Human Genetics, holds the SARCHI Chair for Genomics and Bioinformatics of African Populations at t...

This week on Womanity-Women in Unity, Dr. Amaleya Goneos-Malka talks to neurophysiologist Candice Bottcher from the Entabeni Epilepsy Laboratory at Life Entabeni Hospital in Durban, South Africa. According to the World Health Organisation approximately 50 million people worldwide have epilepsy, a disorder that is characterised by abnormal brain activity that may cause seizures or bouts of unusual behaviour. South African statistics are a little higher than the global benchmark, which is partly attributed to higher incidences of head trauma; head injuries from violence and vehicle accidents. Other causes of epilepsy include encephalitis and meningitis, malformation of the brain, strokes, scarring from the removal of tumours, as well as genetic and hereditary epilepsies. Neurophysiologists monitor patients’ brainwaves during rest and periods of seizure and these diagnostics are used to inform patients’ treatment plans. The medical field advances constantly and through continuous education one is able to stay at the cutting edge of your specialisation and help pioneer developments. Ms Bottcher shares a personal experience of gender discrimination in her early years, noting how some people may judge a person based on their own limited stereotypes. She advises people to read the room and if you want to reach someone mirror their language and code of conduct. She reminds people to be resilient and focus on their purpose for long-term success. Tune in for more…

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February 16, 2023

Neurophysiologist Candice Bottcher – Entabeni Epilepsy Laboratory at Life Entabeni Hospital

This week on Womanity-Women in Unity, Dr. Amaleya Goneos-Malka talks to neurophysiologist Candice Bottcher from the Entabeni Epilepsy Laboratory at Life Entabeni Hospital in Durban, South Africa. According to the World ...

This week on Womanity-Women in Unity, Dr. Amaleya Goneos-Malka talks to Dr. Susan Coetzer, who is a specialist geriatrician and specialist physician in private practice. She is vice-president of the South African Geriatrics Society. Human life expectancy is on the rise, in part thanks to healthier lifestyles and improved medical care. In South Africa male life expectancy is 59 and females 65. As people progress through various life stages they have different needs, with health taking a higher priority. The five main ailments affecting older people include: osteoporosis, dementia and brain disorders, iatrogenesis, incontinence and delirium. Aging women tend to be at higher risk of osteoporosis, frailty and dementia. To help reduce the risks of age-related conditions Dr. Coetzer recommends staying physically active, stimulating your mind, and limiting your intake of alcohol and smoking - your future self will always thank you. Tune in for more…

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February 2, 2023

Dr. Susan Coetzer – specialist geriatrician and specialist physician

This week on Womanity-Women in Unity, Dr. Amaleya Goneos-Malka talks to Dr. Susan Coetzer, who is a specialist geriatrician and specialist physician in private practice. She is vice-president of the South African Geriat...

Welcome to Womanity Women in Unity, for our special compilation of select programs over the last year. We hope to inspire you through the words of three young successful women. Miss South Africa 2022 Ndavi Nokeri who advocates for education equity, she explains the importance of education in her life and lifting communities out of poverty and discusses the goals of her community project Ed-Unite, which campaigns for quality education. Another outstanding talented young woman is Tatjana Schoenmaker, a South African Olympic Athlete, who won the gold medal and set the world record in the 200 metre breaststroke event at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. She also earned a silver medal in the 100 metre breaststroke at the Olympic Games. She takes us through her journey to Tokyo during the global Covid 19 pandemic. Mental illness has been in the spotlight for 2022 and our last guest in today’s feature is Dr. Yumna Minty, who is a specialist psychiatrist that focusses on mental health, and lectures in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of the Witwatersrand. She shares some of her views on mental health and disorders that affect women in particular; offering some practical tips to help women cope.

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December 22, 2022

Reflections from 2022: Building positive mindsets with female achievers

Welcome to Womanity Women in Unity for our special compilation of select programs over the last year. We hope to inspire you through the words of three young successful women. Miss South Africa  2022 Ndavi Nokeri  wh...

This week on Womanity-Women in Unity, in our series on women in medicine, Dr. Amaleya Goneos-Malka talks to Dr. Ledile Mokoka who specialises in nephrology at the Charlotte Maxeke Academic Hospital. Kidney disease is often a secondary effect of other conditions like hypertension and diabetes, according to the diabetesatlas.org,  24 million people in Africa (1 in 22) have diabetes.  These are non-communicable diseases that could be prevented if adequate awareness and education were offered to communities.  We discuss some of the kidney disorders that she treats and highlight conditions that women are more predisposed too. We note the healthcare challenges that women living in rural areas are exposed to, including the lack of access to facilities and presenting late stage diagnoses. Dr. Mokoka shares signs for women to be on the lookout for (like fatigue, loss of appetite and nausea) and address with health care practitioners. Tune in for more…

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December 14, 2022

Dr Ledile Mokoka – Nephrologist – Charlotte Maxeke Academic Hospital (rebroadcast)

Reflecting on some of our past shows from 2022, tune into our previous conversation with Dr. Ledile Mokoka who specialises in nephrology at the Charlotte Maxeke Academic Hospital. Kidney disease is often a secondary eff...

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