UKZN student and staff member make Mail & Guardian’s 200 Young South Africans Edition
UNIVERSITY of KwaZuluNatal (UKZN) Town Planning senior lecturer, Dr Hangwelani Hope Magidimisha-Chipungu, and Health Sciences PhD Candidate, Yashodani Pillay, have been included in the 2018 Mail & Guardian’s 200 Young South Africans list.
Each year the Mail & Guardian recognises exceptional under-35s who show qualities of shaping the country’s future as leaders.
Dr Magidimisha-Chipungu said: “Getting this accolade encourages me to do more. It will always be a reminder that hard work pays off, and will act as a source of inspiration and motivation for other young women to become academics, especially in town and regional planning, where females are needed the most.”
Getting to the pinnacle of your career at a relatively young age is a dream of many. But for some, it is a non-negotiable goal. That applies to Dr Magidimisha-Chipungu who at the age of 31 obtained her PhD in town and regional planning from UKZN. She was the first black South African-born woman to obtain the qualification from UKZN.
Rising from being a PhD researcher at the Human Sciences and Research Council (HSRC), Magidimisha-Chipungu has a traceable record of peer-reviewed publications (book chapters, books and journal articles), with the latest being a 2017 book on migration in southern Africa. Her strength in research is supported by a grant from the National Research Foundation.
Pillay, who has won several academic awards and was awarded her Bachelor of Biomedical Sciences degree summa cum laude, was inspired by her mother, Mayesveri Pillay, and aunt, Sharmla Govender, from a young age. Both were powerful figures in her life, always pushing the boundaries of what is possible.
When it comes to research, Pillay, who is doing the final year of her PhD studies on toxicology and molecular biology, is drawn to mycotoxin contamination in food and beverages (which disproportionately affects developing countries where food transport and storage infrastructure are limited) as a possible etiological agent in non-communicable diseases (NCDs).
The incidence of NCDs including diabetes, cancer and heart disease, has risen rapidly in recent years, particularly in developing nations to become the leading cause of mortality worldwide.
Pillay said her specific research was on Patulin, a toxin found most commonly in apple juice and other apple products. These products are consumed in great quantities by babies and young children, placing them at risk. “We have identified possible epigenetic targets and novel mechanisms of metabolic dysfunction and organ damage resulting from Patulin exposure. While the current strategy to address NCDs focuses on healthy diets and lifestyle changes, our research indicates food quality is also an important consideration,” she said.
Pillay has worked with organisations in health and education sectors, which has broadened her understanding of the specific interventions required by people in the poorest and most vulnerable communities.
In 2012, she helped to organise mobile medical camps for the United Nations’ Association for Human Values.
In 2016, she was an intern with UNAids and was part of a youth consultation panel for the new national strategic plan on HIV, TB and sexually transmitted infection in 2016/17.