Director
Dr. June Fabian is a specialist physician and nephrologist and heads up the Clinical Research Office at WDGMC. She is a joint staff member in the Division of Nephrology, Department of Internal Medicine, University of the Witwatersrand and is actively involved in under and post graduate supervision of various research projects. She is passionate about doing research that is relevant and sensitive to the health requirements of South Africans. At WDGMC she is driven to assist clinicians with their research so that WDGMC can make a valuable contribution to the "science" of medical practice and to enable the CRO team to grow and develop the necessary skills required for expanding our research capacity.
Ethics and Regulatory
Dr. Harriet Etheredge is a medical bioethicist and health communication specialist, with a particular interest in ethical and communicative challenges across highly specialised medical settings. Harriet is a Co-Chair of the Wits Human Research Ethics Committee (Medical) and at national level she is a member of the South African Medical Research Council HREC(M). Harriet advises on research protocol, ethics submission, research compliance and research regulation. Harriet holds an honorary position in the Department of Internal Medicine, School of Clinical Medicine, at Wits University. Before joining WDGMC, Harriet undertook her doctoral studies in the field of medical ethics and organ transplantation. Harriet is a widely published academic author and has presented her work at both local and international fora. Harriet regularly presents CPD and CME ethics talks for health professionals and industry. Harriet was named as one of the Mail and Guardian’s 200 Young South Africans in 2016.
Research Nurse
Soneni Maphosa is a professional nurse and Research Coordinator for the Medical Research Council CURE Colorectal Cancer Study. Before joining the Clinical Research Office, Soneni spent 5 years as a Research nurse at the Aurum Institute. Soneni has been actively involved in the "New Start" HIV Counselling and Testing centres run by Population Services International. Through her experience as an HIV counsellor, Soneni developed a desire to further her studies in fields that enable effective interactions with clients. These skills prove especially valuable in Soneni’s daily interactions with a wide variety of patients across Johannesburg.
Clinical Associate
Nompumelelo "Mpumie" Mahlambi is a Clinical Associate who has a great interest in researching diseases and medical conditions with unknown, misunderstood or unexplained causes. Mpumie also strives to be involved in projects that bring about new information within the medical field. Prior to joining the research team at Wits Donald Gordon Medical Centre, Mpumie studied at the University of Witwatersrand and she is currently a researcher for the Medical Research Council CURE Colorectal Cancer Study that is taking place at various Wits academic hospitals.
Research Assistant
Masupha Adoro has been a dedicated member of WDGMCRI since 2013, starting as a data capturer and currently serving as a research assistant. With over a decade of experience, Masupha focuses on database management and oversight, particularly within the colorectal unit. In this role, he collates monthly discharged patient data, which is essential for M&M reports, meetings, and the colorectal unit's annual report. This work involves close collaboration with clinical associates and consultants. In addition to managing the colorectal unit's discharge data, Masupha also oversees the vascular and hepatobiliary audit databases and the organ donor allocation survey database. His skills extend to mass data uploads using the REDCap system, where he assists with uploading survival and other critical data in some WDGMCRI databases. Under the mentorship of the data manager, Masupha contributes to database creation and maintenance. Masupha holds an International Baccalaureate Diploma and has completed programs 1 and 2 in Corporate Governance and Administration. His commitment to data integrity and collaborative research significantly contributes to the advancement of medical knowledge and patient care at WDGMCRI.
Data Capturer
Nonkululeko Portia Xakoshe is a data capturer for the Medical Research Council CURE Colorectal Cancer Study. Nonkululeko matriculated in 2013 and subsequently studied HIV and AIDS Counselling through the Oxbridge Academy. Nonkululeko loves working on challenging projects and in environments where she can use her counselling skills to make a difference in people’s lives. Nonkululeko’s passion is youth-based work, and her counselling and listening skills greatly enhance her day-to-day work at WDGMC.
Research Assistant
Lincoln Nhlapo is a versatile Research Assistant at WDGMC He has worked on various projects but not limited to Medical Research Council CURE Colorectal Cancer Study and Covigen SA which entailed Patient recruitment, consenting, data collection, capturing, quality check, Sample storage and collection. Skilled in teamwork, leadership and communication, whilst his traits are integrity, flexibility and conscientiousness.
Ethic Administrator
Prudence Mashegoana is an Ethics and Regulatory Administrator (ERA) at Wits Donald Gordon Medical Centre, a role designed to facilitate a strong administrative framework for the Clinical Research Office's ethics and regulatory activities. The role promotes personal growth and requires research seeking and, subsequently, administration of approvals from relevant human research ethics committees, who are responsible for overseeing all research with participants undertaken in South Africa. As a member of the Wits University Human Research Ethics Committee (Medical), she also reviews research ethics applications, both academic and clinical trials. In addition to this, WDGMC has a transplant program that works with liver and kidney data, which is then used to generate annual reports, which help the unit audit the program and review its outcomes. Prudence manages the transplant program and captures this data by interacting with the transplant unit staff, the hospital staff, and the doctors. Continuous data checks are done to ensure the quality of the data.
Project Manager
Lisa Campbell is a project manager with a passion for the translation of cutting-edge science and medical advancements into clinical research and clinical practice. Lisa has a background in laboratory and medical science, with a Master of Science in Medicine, and has recently submitted a PhD in Human Genetics. Her experience in the academic research setting as a postgraduate researcher and research assistant has skilled Lisa in protocol development and education, participant recruitment, data and specimen collection, data analysis, and research dissemination through publication and presentation. Lisa’s work at WDGMC is centred around the effective execution and management of clinical research projects, ensuring their precise and ethical delivery from conception to completion.
Data Manager
Tsundzukani Siwelana is a dedicated and results-driven person with a successful background in I.T skills, software development and Databases through education, creative thinking, and self-confidence. More than 10 years experienced in working with but not limited to data Management and Quality tools (Visual studio family, SQL Servers, Redcap, Access, Excel, SAP crystal report, and Power BI)
