The MRC Research Conference is taking place from the 24th to 25th October 2012 at the MRC Conference Centre in Cape Town. The Research Capacity Development of the SA Medical Research Council is hosting this MRC Early Career Scientist Conference for health–related research in South Africa.
After successful conferences from 2007 – 2011 and the interest received, the MRC Research Conference will allow for a much broader audience. These 2 days aim to recognize exceptional research undertaken at organization or institutions.
The target audience for this conference are early career researchers or scientist and MRC Interns who will be profiling and showcasing their research, and the theme for this year’s conference is “Carrying the torch for health research”. Topics covered by the MRC Research Conference include:
- Public Health – epidemiology, environmental observational studies etc.
- Clinical – diagnostics, disease intervention and treatment
- Biomedical – basic and laboratory sciences
- Translational Research – public understanding of science
Conference Venue for the MRC Research Conference
The MRC Research Day 2012 will be held at the MRC Conference Centre. Their facilities are situated less than 10 minutes away from the airport, 20 minutes from the Cape Town City Centre and the Western Cape Winelands. Surrounded by beautiful gardens, the venue have ample parking as well as 24-hour security available on the grounds. All meals served in the conference centre are strictly halaal.
Conference Keynote Speakers
Prof Salim S Abdool Karim – MBChB, DipData (Computer Science), MS, MMed, FFPHM, PhD
Salim S. Abdool Karim is Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research) at the University of KwaZulu-Natal and Director of CAPRISA – Centre for the AIDS Program of Research in South Africa. He is also Professor of Clinical Epidemiology at Columbia University, Adjunct Professor of Medicine at Cornell University and Associate Member of The Ragon Institute of Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Harvard University.
Professor Thumbi Ndung’u – B.V.M., PhD
Thumbi Ndung’u, is an Associate Professor in HIV/AIDS Research and Director of the HIV Pathogenesis Programme (HPP) at the Doris Duke Medical Research Institute, Nelson R. Mandela School of Medicine, University of KwaZulu-Natal. He holds the South African Research Chair in Systems Biology of HIV/AIDS. He was recently selected as one of 28 (out of 760 applications) for the inaugural Howard Hughes Medical Institute International Early Career Scientist award. From 2008 to 2011, he co-chaired the Young and Early Career Investigators Committee (YECIC) of the Global HIV Vaccine Enterprise and played a key role in the formulation of the Enterprise’s 2010 Scientific Strategic Plan. He is a member of the scientific advisory board of the Southern African Consortium for Research Excellence (SACORE), a research consortium of five southern African Universities and their counterparts from the United Kingdom, is a member of African AIDS Vaccine Programme (AAVP) Technical Working Group on Capacity Building and Research and serves on the external advisory committee of the Universidade Eduardo Mondlane-University of California, San Diego Medical Education Partnership.
