Speakers
Prof Adrie Bekker (SA)
Prof Adrie Bekker is a neonatologist and Professor of Pediatrics at Stellenbosch University in Cape Town, South Africa. His research focuses on neonatal infectious diseases and the pharmacological evaluation of anti-infective therapies in preterm and term infants. He served as co–principal investigator of the PETITE studies, which informed dosing of several antiretrovirals in neonates, including dolutegravir from birth. He is the local principal investigator for the NeoSep study, where Part 1 evaluated the pharmacokinetics and safety of flomoxef and fosfomycin. He is currently leading recruitment for Part 2, which aims to compare these novel agents with standard-of-care regimens to identify optimal empiric treatments for neonatal sepsis. Within the SNIP-AFRICA consortium, he co-leads the pharmacology working group and supports a pharmacokinetic study of colistin in neonates. Since 2021, he has been a member (now co-chair) of the WHO Pediatric AIDS Working Group and collaborates with PENTA and IMPAACT on neonatal clinical trials.
Prof Angela Dramowski (SA)
Angela Dramowski is Professor and Head of Clinical Unit for General Paediatrics at Stellenbosch University-Tygerberg Hospital in Cape Town, South Africa. She co-leads several committees advancing research and clinical practice in neonatal and paediatric sepsis including the NeoNET AFRICA partnership, the World Society of Paediatric Infectious Diseases AMR Action Committee and the PENTA-ID Network’s Severe Bacterial and Fungal Infections group. As an infectious disease paediatrician and infection preventionist, she is inspired by the broad range of clinical challenges she has encountered in her 25 years of public health service. She is passionate about using data to drive improvements in the safety and quality of care for hospitalised neonates and children.
Dr Scott Guthrie (USA)
Dr Scott Guthrie is the System Director for Neonatal Quality, Research, and Outreach at Erlanger Health System and Professor of Clinical Pediatrics (Neonatology) at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center College of Medicine in Chattanooga. Since arriving at Erlanger, he has developed and now directs the Small Baby Unit and has started a clinical research program. Dr. Guthrie earned his Doctor of Medicine from East Tennessee State University and completed a Certificate in Medical Education from the University of Cincinnati. He completed his Pediatric Residency with the University of Tennessee and his Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine Fellowship at Vanderbilt University. He has a deep commitment to improving outcomes for premature and critically ill infants around the world. Clinical research interests have included: use of the supraglottic airway to deliver surfactant (SALSA), aerosolized surfactant, and probiotics for the prevention of NEC. He has served as a Fulbright Specialist with the US State Department and has shared his expertise internationally to strengthen and improve neonatal care across 5 continents.
A/Prof Marvin Hsiao (SA)
Marvin Hsiao is an associate professor and consultant virologist at the University of Cape Town/Groote Schuur Complex of the National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS). In addition to being a representative for his discipline at the College of Medicine South Africa (CMSA), he chairs the NHLS virology expert committee and consults on a variety of issues regarding provision of virology diagnostic service and training. Marvin holds a master’s degree in public health. He is passionate about topics related to epidemiology in viral diseases and health systems issue related to laboratory medicine. His research focus is around viral diagnostics and disease surveillance.
Prof Hermione Lyall (UK)
Prof Hermione Lyall is a retired Consultant in Paediatric Infectious Diseases with an honorary contract at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust and serves as a Visiting Professor of Paediatric Infectious Diseases at Imperial College London, UK. She is a member of PENTA-ID and has participated in HIV treatment and prevention trials involving children. She has also been actively involved in paediatric infectious diseases education for many years through her work with PENTA and ESPID. Prof Lyall has a longstanding interest in the prevention of congenital infections, including cytomegalovirus (CMV), syphilis, HIV and HTLV-1. In 2020, together with colleagues from across Europe, she co-founded CCMVNET, an international network centred on a prospective registry for children with congenital CMV (CCMV), which has since enrolled more than 2,000 children.
Dr Tamara Kerbelker
Tamara Kerbelker is a paediatrician based in the Division of Ambulatory and Emergency Paediatrics at Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital in Cape Town. She brings a broad range of clinical and leadership experience in child health, with a particular interest in improving healthcare delivery through education. Tamara is passionate about teaching paediatrics to healthcare professionals across all levels, ensuring that learning is tailored, accessible, and clinically relevant.
Dr Michelle Meiring
Dr Michelle Meiring is a Palliative Care Paediatrician who has worked in this field for 20 years. She is the founder and CEO of Paedspal and works 20 hours a week for the organisation. Michelle’s other job is to convene the Post-Graduate Diploma in Paediatric Palliative Care at the University of Cape Town. She is an accomplished speaker and has presented at several local and international conferences. She was also one of four editors of the latest edition of the Oxford Textbook on Palliative Care for Children. A long-standing child health and palliative care advocate since her “Paeds HIV-days”, Michelle chairs the national network for Children’s Palliative care known as PatchSA and has been involved at provincial and national levels in policy making in palliative care in South Africa.
Dr Shirani Naidoo
Dr Shirani Naidoo is a Paediatric Consultant in the Division of Emergency and Ambulatory Paediatrics at Red Cross Children’s Hospital, where she has served since 2012. She completed her specialist and subspecialist training in Paediatric Allergy at Red Cross and subsequently spent five years in private practice. Her clinical expertise spans Ambulatory and Emergency Paediatrics, and in 2024 she was formally registered as a Paediatric Emergency Specialist. Dr Naidoo is passionate about ongoing medical education and is an active part of the Postgraduate Teaching Committee and is an examiner across several CMSA portfolio’s. She actively contributes to mentorship programs and faculty development initiatives. Her professional interests include paediatric emergency care, allergy, and improving systems for acute care delivery.
Dr Tracey Nupen
Dr Tracey Nupen is a Paediatrician with a postgraduate diploma in Paediatric Palliative Medicine from UCT. She has a decade of experience in this field and advocates strongly for the integration of the palliative care approach at all healthcare levels. She works in the multidisciplinary clinic at Paedspal, a non-profit organisation caring holistically for children with significant health-related symptoms. Tracey lectures and examines for the UCT Postgraduate Diploma of Palliative Medicine.
Dr Larko Owusu (Ghana)
Dr Larko D Owusu is a fellow of the Ghana college of physicians and surgeons and a member of the west African college of Physicians. She also holds a PG diploma in clinical emergency paediatrics from the University of Capetown. She has fourteen years experience working in the emergency department. She is a trainer in Paediatric Emergency and Critical care with the Ghana college of physicians and surgeons. She's an adjunct lecturer at the department of paediatrics with the College of Health Sciences at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and technology. She is also and adjunct lecturer with the paediatric department of the Ghana college of nurses and midwives. She has keen interest in sepsis,paediatric resuscitation, paediatric pain assessment management , simulation based training. She is involved in a number of researches in paediatrics. She loves to read and tour.
A/Prof Shamiel Salie
Dr Shamiel Salie has been a PICU Consultant at Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital since 2006 and was appointed as the PICU Medical Director in 2020. He has varied interests, the main ones being infectious diseases, the provision of respiratory support and the management of children post cardiac surgery. He is actively involved in education and the of training junior doctors and nurses. He is the Director of the Advanced Paediatric Life Support course in South Africa and a Co-ordinator of the Paediatric Basic Assessment and Support in ICU course.
Prof Indumathy Santhanam (India)
Prof Indumathy Santhanam is the Project Coordinator at the Regional Collaborative Center – National Health Mission and leads the Pediatric Resuscitation and Emergency Medicine Simulation Laboratory at the Institute of Child Health, Madras Medical College. She serves as a state trainer for PREM (Pediatric Resuscitation and Emergency Medicine) in Tamil Nadu and has established and mentors PREM units across 116 hospitals, including sub-district, DHQ, Taluk, and medical college facilities. Prof Santhanam is the Editor-in-Chief of PREM for Low- and Middle-Income Countries and Pediatric Emergency Medicine – India. She also chairs the Pediatric Emergency Medicine Special Interest Group within the Society of Emergency Medicine India. Her contributions to pediatric emergency medicine have been recognised with the Best Doctor Award from MGR Medical University in 2011 and the Best Doctor Award from the Government of Tamil Nadu in 2019.
Dr Waheba Slamang
Dr Waheba Slamang (MBChB (UCT) FCPaed (SA) PG Dip Paediatric Rheumatology (Cum Laude) Certificate Paediatric Rheumatology (SA) MPhil Paediatric Rheumatology (UCT) Cum Laude) is a paediatric rheumatologist based in Cape Town, South Africa. She works with Tin Soldiers Global, a non-profit organization dedicated to improving care for children with fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva (FOP) and other musculoskeletal conditions. Her current work focuses on education and capacity-building to strengthen care networks for children with musculoskeletal conditions. Dr Slamang contributes to several global initiatives and publications that advance equitable access to medicines for paediatric rheumatology, including updates to the World Health Organization and National Essential Medicines Lists. She is a key member of the Global Paediatric Musculoskeletal Task Force, and actively supports the Paediatric Rheumatology European Society, and the Paediatric society of the African League Against Rheumatism. A committed advocate for patients and their families, Dr Slamang remains inspired by the unwavering support of her family, their rescue dog and cat.
Terika Steenkamp
Terika Steenkamp is a medical social worker with a Master degree in Social Work (2016) and an Honours degree in Psychology (2022). Her experience in the private sector has made her well versed in counselling, educating, and coordinating holistic care, discharge planning, survivorship counselling, and bereavement support. Before joining Paedspal in 2024, she worked as a medical social worker in a Haematology Unit and at Cancer Care providing psychosocial support and counselling, and also has experience in private practice offering palliative care and end-of-life counselling for oncology patients and their families. She loves the ocean, walking along the beach, being active, doing Pilates and especially dancing. She also loves cooking, and spending time with family is very precious to her.
Dr Krishna Thottekkat
Dr Krishna Thottekkat is a Palliative Care Paediatrician who provides specialist care to children at Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital and through Paedspal’s private service. She completed her MBChB at the University of Pretoria, earned her Diploma in Child Health (DCH) while working in KwaZulu-Natal, and later obtained her FCPaed (SA) and MMed from the University of the Free State. She is committed to strong patient advocacy and sees paediatrics as a place where she can champion the needs of children. Palliative care allows her to extend that advocacy further by protecting the dignity and humanity of patients in complex situations.
Prof Aneesa Vanker
Professor Vanker (MBCHB (UKZN), FCPaed (CMSA), MMed (SU), CertPulm Paed (CMSA), PhD (UCT)) is a paediatric pulmonologist at Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital, University of Cape Town, South Africa, where she is involved in the care of children with a wide range of both congenital and acquired respiratory conditions. She completed her paediatric pulmonology training at Tygerberg Children’s Hospital and Stellenbosch University in 2010. She is also a clinical researcher with a particular interest in the environmental determinants of childhood lung diseases, which was the subject of her PhD entitled “Indoor air pollution and environmental tobacco smoke exposure in a South African birth cohort study” and continues working in this field. Prof Vanker is vice-president of the South African Thoracic Society, board member of the Indian Ocean Pulmonology Society (SPOI) and a member of the Forum of International Respiratory Societies (FIRS) Environmental Committee. She also serves on the South African National Department of Health Air Quality and Health Focus Group and the National Environmental Consultative and Advisory (NECA) 3A forum, an air quality advisory committee to the South African Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment.