Local Speakers
Local Speakers
Prof Dirk Blom
Associate Professor Dirk Blom (MBChB, MMed, FCP (SA), PhD) is the Head of Division of Lipidology in the Department of Medicine at the University of Cape Town and heads the Lipid Clinic at Groote Schuur Hospital. Dr Blom’s personal research interests include genetic disorders of lipoprotein metabolism with a particular emphasis on dysbetalipoproteinaemia and familial hypercholesterolaemia which is particularly common in South Africa. His unit has participated or is participating in multiple trials of novel agents for the management of heterozygous and homozygous familial hypercholesterolaemia, familial chylomicronaemia and atherogenic dyslipidaemia. Other interests include familial chylomicronaemia syndrome, lipodystrophy, PPARgamma mutations and statin associated muscle symptoms. Dr Blom is a member of multiple international societies and currently serves on the executive committee of the Lipid and Atherosclerosis Society of Southern Africa. He is the current President of the International Atherosclerosis Society.
Dr George Chingarande
George Rugare Chingarande, PhD. is the senior lecturer in the Division of Medical Ethics and Law. He was a Visiting Fellow in the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Department of Bioethics. He holds a PhD degree in Neuroscience , an MSc degree in Biological Engineering from the University of Missouri-Columbia and an MBA from DeMonfort university (UK).
Prof David Marais
Professor David Marais graduated from the University of Cape Town and Groote Schuur Hospital where much research was done on familial hypercholesterolaemia at the time, including work by Professors Mike Berger and Wieland Gevers. After specialising in Internal Medicine in 1984, he studied Medical Biochemistry before returning to clinical practice in 1989 to head the lipid clinic and to develop a diagnostic and research laboratory for severe dyslipidaemias. He participated in pharmaceutical studies of new plasma lipopoprotein modifying drugs. Having moved to chemical pathology to focus more on laboratory investigation, he remains dedicated to ensure that severe metabolic errors can be diagnosed for best management, including innovating laboratory investigations when not available. He has collaborated in research and teaching in Australia, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, along with other centres in South Africa.
Dr Wayne May
Dr Wayne May is a UCT graduate currently working as a full-time Endocrinologist in private practice at the Kingsbury Hospital in Cape Town He works with his wife, a diabetologist, in the Diabetes Life Clinic, which is a multidisciplinary clinic treating patients living with diabetes He has a special interest in obesity management and in 2005 helped form the Cape Town Bariatric Clinic(previously known as the Chrysalis Clinic), which is anaccredited multidisciplinary clinic managing people living with obesity through the process of bariatric surgery, as well as looking at non-surgical options He is the author of the section on obesity management in the South African Diabetes Guidelines (SEMDSA) 2012 and 2017. He holds an International ScopeObesity Certifi cate and is also a director of the South African Metabolic Medicine and Surgical Society (SAMMSS). He is the current co-chair of the 1 SAObesity Guidelines.