Marguerite Blignaut is a principle investigator within the Centre for Cardio-metabolic Research in Africa (CARMA), Division of Medical Physiology at Stellenbosch University.

Her research focus on mitochondrial dysfunction in obesity and cardiovascular disease. She has a broad background in genetics (MSc Genetics, SU) and biochemistry with training in mitochondrial function, in vivo and ex vivo cardiovascular function analysis in animal models of obesity, and in vitro cell culture model development. During her PhD, for which she received the prestigious Harry Crossley bursary, she also visited the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) to visit Rutherford Appleton Laboratories (RAL) in the UK for three months as a Newton-funded sandwich student, where she furthered her training in advanced microscopy and cell culture techniques. Dr Blignaut obtained her PhD in Medical Physiology from Stellenbosch University in 2019, and continued with a post-doctoral fellowship, for which she received the National Research Foundation Innovation Post-doctoral fellowship (2019-2020). She also returned to RAL as a visiting scientist during that time, and has since been employed as a researcher at Stellenbosch University.

She most recently led the second-ever research team from Africa on a month-long research visit to the Howard Hughes Medical Institute Janelia research campus in the USA. Dr Blignaut is currently developing a novel 3-dimensional insulin-resistant cardiovascular models to study mitochondrial dysfunction. This exciting project, funded with an NRF Thuthuka award (2022-2025), and MRC Early Investigators programme (2025-2027), has contributed to collaborations with a wide range of scientists, including physicists and engineers.

She was awarded the Discovery Best Oral presentation award at SA Heart in 2022 and has been recognized as a next-generation researcher within CARMA. In 2024, she was was awarded the Excellence in Research and Innovation award in the Early Researcher Career category by Stellenbosch University.

Marguerite also serves on the South African Society for Cardiovascular Research (SASCAR) executive committee, a special interest group.

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.

George Comitis is a Paediatric Cardiologist based at Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital and the Western Cape Paediatric Cardiology Service. He started his career training as an anaesthetist but then switched to Paediatrics qualifying in 2004.

He then spent two years working in Paediatric Cardiac Intensive Care at the Royal Brompton Hospital in London before returning to South Africa to train as a Paediatric Cardiologist under Prof John Lawrenson at Red Cross Children’s Hospital and Tygerberg Hospital, qualifying in 2010, after which he was appointed as a consultant in the same department. Since 2022, he has served as Vice-President of the SA Heart Association Western Cape Branch as well as on the SA Heart Association Education Committee. He is currently the Head of the Western Cape Paediatric Cardiology Service which is a cross-platform service between Red Cross Children’s Hospital / University of Cape Town and Tygerberg Hospital / Stellenbosch University.

He also serves as Director of Echocardiography as well as being part of the Cardiac Catheterization and Interventional team at Red Cross Children’s Hospital.

Dr Ricardo Gonçalves completed his undergraduate and internal medicine training in Pretoria. He completed his cardiology training in Johannesburg. He has been in private practice since 2012 at Olivedale and Glynnwood Hospitals. He is passionate about preventative and therapeutic lifestyle modification including nutrition, exercise and sleep.

He also practices general cardiology and interventional cardiology. He has an enduring interest in research and medical education. He is currently a member of several professional bodies including SA Heart and the European Society of Cardiology and has several publications.

Dr Govender is a Cardiologist who did a fellowship in Electrophysiology in Vancouver, Canada.

Since her return to South Africa, she’s been in private practice in Johannesburg. She also does cases at Baragwanath Hospital.

Past-President of the South African Heart Association SA Heart® 2018 – 2020

• Clinical Cardiologist, Netcare Linksfield Clinic since 2000
• Graduated University of Witwatersrand MBBCh 1984
• Registrar internal Medicine, Charlotte Maxeke Hospital, University of Witwatersrand 1987- 1992
• Fellow of the College of Medicine of South Africa 1992
• Consultant Cardiologist, Charlotte Maxeke Hospital and University of Witwatersrand & 1992 2000
• Fellow of the American College of Cardiology (FACC) 2014
• Fellow of the European Society of Cardiology (FESC) 2019
• I am excited about the future with a massive interest in disruptive technologies in medicine /
  cardiology – this was since I chaired the 2017 SA Heart® Congress – “fundamentals to
  innovation”
• Have since been invited to give many lectures re AI in healthcare / cardiovascular medicine
• Honorary life membership of SA Heart® in 2021
• Exercise fanatic – CrossFit
• “Obedient husband” – Father of two sons and one daughter; my big boys (29 and 27 years)

Charles Kyriakakis is an Interventional Cardiologist practicing at Life Vincent Pallotti Hospital in Cape Town.

His interests include complex coronary interventions, TAVI valve implants, and left atrial appendage occlusion.

He is actively involved in the work-up and management of patients who have suffered from a cardioembolic stroke, and he has a keen interest in both valvular heart disease and cardiomyopathy.

John Lawrenson is the former head of the paediatric cardiology service of the Western Cape Province. He is still actively involved in research and teaching at Red Cross Children’s and Tygerberg Hospitals

Dr Farouk Mamdoo graduated with an MBBCh from the University of Witwatersrand Medical School and obtained the FCP (SA) and Certificate in Cardiology (SA) and was awarded the Jock Gear Memorial Award and SA Heart Award for best oral congress presentation.

He underwent training in Interventional Cardiology at the Washington Hospital Centre,(USA), Advanced Echocardiography at Aurora St. Luke’s Medical Centre,(USA), Cardiac Synchronisation Therapy at Santa Maria Della Misericordia Hospital, (Italy).

He was Director of the Transoesophageal Echocardiography Unit and began the 3D Echocardiography Service at Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital publishing the TORCH Registry Data and various other publications/presentations in journals such as Circulation, the European Association of Cardiovascular Imaging and the SA Heart Journal.

Dr Mamdoo is a Lecturer and Co-Ordinator for the Graduate Entry Medical Program in the Unit for Undergraduate Medical School Education, the Department of Physiology and the Department of Internal Medicine at the University of the Witwatersrand as well as an External Examiner.

He is a Director for The Cardiovascular Research and Training Unit in Johannesburg and the Structural Heart Centre at the Netcare Alberton Hospital with proctoring roles for a number of multinational companies for interventional procedures including complex interventional coronary revascularization, structural heart interventions e.g., TAVI, LAA Occlusion, balloon valvotomy, pacing, cardiac resynchronization therapy, 3D transoesophageal echocardiography and cardio-oncology imaging.

His interests include acute coronary syndromes, heart failure management and structural heart disease.

He was Congress Chair for the SA Heart Annual Congress for 2022 and 2023 and is on several advisory bodies for device and pharmaceutical companies.

He is the current President of the Johannesburg Branch of SA Heart.

Professor Pravin Manga was previously the academic head of Cardiology and the head of the Department of Internal Medicine at Wits. Currently, he holds a visiting professorship in the Department of Internal Medicine at Wits. He is the founder and Editor of the WITS Journal of Clinical Medicine and continues to teach and pursue research interests in the Division of Cardiology.

Dr McCutcheon grew up in Johannesburg and completed his BSc, MSc and MBBCh (in 2003) at the University of the Witwatersrand. He then completed his FCP(SA) (Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital and the Wits Academic Hospital circuit) and cardiology (Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital) in Johannesburg in 2012. Dr McCutcheon worked as a consultant cardiologist in Johannesburg for 3 years while completing his PhD research before moving overseas for further training. In 2018, he completed a 2-year fellowship in interventional cardiology in Belgium (University Hospitals, Leuven (UZL)). After that, he was appointed as permanent staff/interventional cardiologist at UZL and assistant professor at the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (KUL) up until 2021. After a further 18 months of working in the NHS, he has settled in Windhoek, Namibia. His research interests include complex PCI, microvascular function, and HIV cardiology.

Prof Ruchika Meel is a general cardiologist and clinician scientist in the Department of Internal Medicine at the University of the Witwatersrand. She has an interest in clinical cardiology and cardiovascular imaging. She has a passionate interest in research with to date 1 book publication, four book chapters and 49 research articles and over 60 congress presentations. She is currently involved in research projects related to aortic aneurysms and valvular heart disease.

She is a Fellow of European Society of Cardiology, European Association of Cardiovascular imaging and serves on various committees. She has received multiple awards for conference presentations and was the recipient of Carnegie doctoral and post-doctoral awards. She was awarded the prestigious TH Bothwell research prize in Internal Medicine at the University of the Witwatersrand school of clinical medicine annual awards ceremony. She has recently been appointed as the Editor-in-Chief of the South African Heart Association Journal.

Dr Martin Mpe is a private cardiologist at Raslouw Private Hospital in Pretoria and Netcare Pholoso Hospital in Polokwane, South Africa. He is also a session cardiologist and acting HOD of the Heart Unit at No. 1 Military Hospital in Thaba-Tshwane in Pretoria, where he assists in interventional cardiology and cardiac pacing, including cardiac resynchronisation therapy and ICD implants.

Academic and Professional Qualifications:

• MBChB Medunsa, Pretoria, South Africa
• M. Med (Internal Medicine), Medunsa, Pretoria, South Africa
• FCP – Colleges of Medicine of South Africa
• 2001 – Registration as a Cardiologist with the Health Professions Council of SA (HPCSA)

Membership of associations:

• President: South African Heart Association.
• Past President: Heart Failure Society of South Africa (HEFSSA).
• Past President: Southern African Hypertension Society (SAHS).
• Advisory Board Member of the SA Hypertension Society
• Past Chairman: Aero-Medical Committee (AMC) of the SA Civil Aviation Authority

Currently involved in teaching post graduate students in Internal Medicine and fellows in cardiology in clinical and interventonal cardiology. Liason for the heart team with cardiothoracic department. Past examiner of the College of Medicine of South Africa certificate in cardiology.

Interest in preventive cardiology and rheumatic heart disease. Currently working on maximising good clinical outcomes in resourse deprived communities.

• Clinical Head Division of Cardiology
• Chris Hani Baragwanath and the University of the Witwatersrand.
• Member of the Publication Committee of the Society for Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance (SCMR).
• Member of the Board of the Faculty of Health Sciences Faculty of the University of the Witwatersrand.
• Member of the Medical Advisory Committee of GEMS.
• Member of the Medical Advisory Committee of Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital.
• Member of the Abstract review committee of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC).
• Member of the Abstract review Committee of the Society for Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance (SCMR).
• Site Principal Investigator (PI) for INVICTUS Trial, DETERMINE study, DECLARE study, PEGASUS-TIMI 54,
• CLARIFY study; and Sub PI for VICTORIA study, Emperor study, Dalheart study

Prof Pecoraro is a cardiologist pursuing an academic career in South Africa.  My career objectives are to contribute to the accessibility of advanced health care for all people of South Africa, and to improve the outcome of patients through locally relevant research. My special interests include echocardiography, the management of acute coronary syndromes and infective endocarditis.

Professor Timothy Pennel is the Head of Division and Chris Barnard Chair of Cardiothoracic Surgery at the University of Cape Town. His area of expertise focuses on heart and lung failure and vascular graft tissue engineering. His laboratory research concentrates on the mechanism of vascular graft healing in high-porosity conduits, electrospun degradable polymers and decellularized xenografts. His vision is to re-establish University Hospitals as centres of excellence for quaternary based care whilst training emerging Cardiothoracic surgeons as clinicians and researchers.

Suriah Salam is a registered nurse with 15 years Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory experience. Suriah has qualified with a Bachelor’s Degree in nursing from the University of Kwa Zulu Natal in 2007. Community service completed at Dundee Provincial Hospital in 2008. She has worked in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia at National Guard King Abdul Aziz in Jeddah. Suriah is the current co Vice Chair of CAPSSA.

Nqoba Tsabedze, an associate professor at the School of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of the Witwatersrand, is deeply committed to cardiology.

He is the Academic and Clinical Head of the Division of Cardiology at the University of the Witwatersrand and the Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital. He also serves as the Deputy Chairperson of the South African Heart Association Board and an Executive Board member of the South African Hypertension Society, demonstrating his active involvement in shaping the future of cardiology in South Africa.

As the President of the Heart Failure Society of South Africa (HEFSSA), he promotes African heart failure research and treatment. His admission as a fellow of the European Society of Cardiology in 2022 further validates his commitment. Nqoba’s passion for teaching and training undergraduate and postgraduate students is a testament to his dedication to the field.

Dr Ahmed Vachiat is an Interventional Cardiologist currently working at Milpark Hospital, Johannesburg Surgical Hopsital and Wits Donald Gordon Medical Centre. He completed his PhD and MMed at Wits and the Interventional Cardiology Fellowship at UCT. He is the current Convenor of the 25th Annual SA Heart Congress and the Chairman of STEMI SA and an Executive member of the South African Society of Cardiovascular interventions. Interests include complex coronary interventions like rotablation, coronary imaging, bifurcations, left main disease and structural heart disease including percutaneous aortic valve implantation. Research interests include STEMI , HIV and cardiorenal disease. Teaching include Cath lab training and cardiology fellow workshops, proctoring for complex coronary disease, bedside clinical teaching for undergraduate students. Main interest is setting up Networks in South Africa to improve STEMI management and research.

Nico started his career at the department of cardiology at UFS. After doing a fellowship in Leuven, Belgium, he moved into private practice at Bloemfontein Mediclinic where he practiced for 12 years. He then  moved to Gqeberha where he practiced at Greenacres hospital.

He was recently appointed as head of cardiology at UFS and Universtas hospital.

Dr. Charle Viljoen is a Cardiologist and Electrophysiologist at Netcare Christiaan Barnard Memorial Hospital in Cape Town. He has a strong academic and clinical background.

He graduated MBChB with distinction from the University of Pretoria, achieving the highest marks in his final year, and completed a Master’s degree in Internal Medicine as well as a PhD at the University of Cape Town. He trained in Cardiology at Groote Schuur Hospital, followed by further subspecialist training in Cardiac Electrophysiology.

He received the International Resident Leadership Award from the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada in 2018 and was selected for the World Heart Federation Emerging Leaders Programme in 2019. He holds EHRA certification in Cardiac Implantable Electronic Devices and became a Fellow of the European Society of Cardiology (FESC) in 2023.

His clinical interests include arrhythmias, device therapy, and heart failure, with a particular focus on conduction system pacing (CSP). With a strong commitment to medical education, he developed the ECG APPtitude mobile app, which has been downloaded over 30,000 times globally.

Dr Viljoen serves on the executive committee of the Cardiac Arrhythmia Society of Southern Africa (CASSA) and has authored more than 50 peer-reviewed publications, including in European Heart Journal (EHJ) and Journal of the American College of Cardiology (JACC).