Conference
Faculty
Local Speakers
Professor
Janine Binneman
For over 30 years, Janine has been creating vibrant, colourful jewellery with distinctive gemstone work. The pieces are rooted in storytelling, craftsmanship, and individuality. She makes bold decisions and take risks, both in design and business.
Professor
Lucille Hellen Blumberg
Professor Lucille Blumberg is an infectious diseases physician and medical microbiologist. She currently has honorary appointments at the National Institute for Communicable Diseases, the Universities of Stellenbosch (Medical Microbiology) and University of Pretoria (Faculty of Veterinary Sciences), South Africa, and is a technical advisor to ‘Right to Care’. Her focus is on outbreak prevention and response, emerging diseases, travel- related infections, the viral haemorrhagic fevers, malaria and zoonosis especially rabies. She is the past chair of the Strategic Advisory Group for Infectious Hazards for the WHO Emergencies Programme and a member of the scientific advisory group for the WHO Neglected Tropical Diseases programme with a focus on rabies and African Trypanosomiasis.
She is the current chair of the steering group for United Against Rabies. She is a long-standing member of the National Rabies Advisory Group in South and a past chair of the South African Malaria Elimination Committee (SAMEC). Prof Blumberg has been involved in the prevention, detection and responses to a number of communicable disease outbreaks including Mpox, cholera, typhoid, rabies, the Viral Haemorrhagic Fevers (Lujo, Rift Valley fever, CCHF), and Avian Influenza (A H5N2) and diphtheria.
Dr
Job Calis
Job Calis is a paediatric intensivist and head of the PICU in Amsterdam, with expertise in care in low-resource settings. Honorary lecturer in Malawi, where he established the first public PICU. Principal investigator of the IMPALA project, developing a smart monitor for early recognition of critical illness, advancing diagnostics, risk prediction, and equitable healthcare.
Professor
Chantel Cooper
Chantel is a strategist, connector, and problem solver who thrives on identifying opportunities, overcoming challenges, and building high-impact collaborative relationships. She is driven by a deep commitment to support society’s most vulnerable: women and children. At 18, she began volunteering for an organisation that supported rape survivors and worked with female entrepreneurs in the Eastern Cape. Studies in political science and public administration only deepened this passion.
In 2013, she joined the Children’s Hospital Trust as head of fundraising and communications, a role I held until 2019, when she was appointed CEO. This position enables her to collaborate and raise funds, ensuring that high-quality healthcare is accessible to all children in the Western Cape and beyond. Chantel is proud to lead an organisation that has contributed over a billion rand to child healthcare since 1994
Professor
Rik De Decker
Rik De Decker is subspecialised in both paediatric cardiology and clinical genetics. As director of the cardiac catheterisation laboratory at the RCWMCH, he developed CATHCHAT - a novel platform for online learning and teaching of interventional paediatric cardiac catheterisation skills. In his spare time, he is a mountaineer and whitewater kayaker in remote parts of the world.
Advocate
Timm Irvine-Smith
Advocate Timm Irvine-Smith is the founder and CEO of Ronin South Africa, established in 1995. A qualified Advocate of the South African Supreme Court and former prosecutor, he brings extensive expertise in close protection, governmental security during the 1990s, paramedicine, and special operations policing. Known for his honest, direct leadership and commitment to excellence in reality-based training.
Professor
Peter Jackson
Peter Jackson is a helicopter pilot and maintenance engineer with Leading Edge Aviation (LEA) based in Nelspruit and Stellenbosch, South Africa. He flies the UH-1H Huey and UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters conducting aerial firefighting suppression and external lift operations. In addition, he oversees the airworthiness of the helicopter fleet as the Accountable Manager for the LEA Maintenance Division.
Professor
Marian Jacobs
Marian Jacobs retired as Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Cape Town in 2012 and holds the position of Emerita Professor, Paediatrics and Child Health.
Her experience includes teaching, service and leadership contributions to child health, child policy, child rights and health equity South Africa and globally, from Bangladesh to Kenya and Geneva, where she served on the Advisory Committee for Health Research and the Maternal and Child Health Committee at WHO.
Marian is a Trustee of the Discovery Foundation; Chair of the Board of Khethimpilo; and was Co-Chair of the Ministerial Advisory Committee on COVID-19 in South Africa. She also serves on the Executive Committee of the Animal Welfare Society of South Africa.
Professor
Camilla Kingdon (UK)
Camilla graduated at the University of Cape Town and trained in Paediatrics in the UK. She has been a consultant neonatologist at the Evelina London Children’s Hospital since 2000. She serves on the Board of Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital and chairs the Provider Network for Children’s Gender Services in England.
Professor
Natalie Lawrenson
Natalie has enjoyed careers as both a professional horn player and as an advocate. Musically, she has a broad experience in orchestral, chamber music and solo performance. As an advocate, Natalie specialises in various areas of civil litigation,
with a particular interest in delictual law.
Professor
Mignon McCulloch
Professor McCulloch currently HOD of Paediatric Nephrology & Solid Organ Transplantation, Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital, University of Cape Town. Past President of the International Paediatric Transplantation Society (IPTA) and proud Congress President of IPNA 2025 Congress in Cape Town. Current Chair of the Saving Young Lives Committee promoting AKI management and dialysis training in low resource settings.
Dr
Matodzi Mukosi
Dr Matodzi Mukosi is an accomplished healthcare executive with over 20 years’ experience in hospital management. He is the current CEO of Tygerberg Hospital having served previously as the CEO of Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital. Dr Mukosi is recognised for strategic leadership, operational excellence, and advancing high-quality, patient-centered healthcare services.
Dr
Reno Morar
Dr Reno Morar is currently the Head and Director of the Medical School in the Faculty of Health Sciences at Nelson Mandela University in Gqeberha. He is a Public Health Medicine Specialist and Executive Coach.
Professor
Ntobeko Ntusi
Ntobeko Ntusi is the President and CEO of the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC). He is also the appointed as Professor of Medicine at the University of Cape Town. He is a member of the Academy of Science of South Africa, and has fellowships from The World Academy of Science, the Royal Society of South Africa, the Royal College of Physicians, and the University of Cape Town College of Fellows. Professor Ntusi obtained a BSc(Hons) degree in Cellular and Molecular Biology from Haverford College, USA, and an MBChB degree from the University of Cape Town. He is a qualified physician and cardiologist, and holds numerous additional qualifications, including a DPhil in Cardiovascular Medicine from the University of Oxford, St. Cross College, and an MD in Cardiology from the University of Cape Town. His lifelong passion for evidence-based healthcare, non-communicable disease multimorbidity, and universal health coverage has positioned him as a trailblazer in medical research.
Dr
Mark Orpen-Lyall
Dr Mark Orpen-Lyall is a registered Organisational Psychologist, with more than 30 years in the corporate world.
Prior to freelance consulting (Synenergy Consulting), he set-up the HR department at Allan Gray Ltd and then ran the Organisational Development department for 11.5 years.
Dr
Cleeve Robertson
Cleeve Robertson is an Emergency Physician who was the Director of the Emergency Medical Services in the Western Cape Province of South Africa from 2001 to 2013 and from 2013 to 2024 the Chief Executive Officer of the National Sea Rescue Institute of South Africa. He has extensive medical rescue experience across a wide range of risky rescues!
Dr
John Roos
Dr Roos is the Head of the Department of Anaesthesia at Mitchell’s Plain Hospital and is an honorary lecturer in Department of Anaesthesia at the University of Cape Town. He has considerable experience in pre-hospital Emergency Medicine and Wilderness Search and Rescue and is the honorary Chief Medical Officer of the SA Red Cross Air Mercy Service. He has a keen interest in patient and safety and has increasingly applied his efforts to the introduction of Medical Crew Resource Management into clinical practice.
Dr
Sibusiso Sizatu
Sibusiso Sizatu, 33, from Masiphumelele, is the skipper of the Alexforbes Angel Wings crew and an instructor at the RCYC Sailing Academy. With 18 years of sailing experience, he has competed in prestigious races including the Lipton Cup and international championships. He skippered the Alexforbes ArchAngel crew that achieved an impressive podium finish in the 2023 Cape2Rio race.
Sibu excels as a helm and tactician, combining skill, strategy and leadership to guide his crew. Outside sailing, he enjoys running, soccer and mentoring young sailors, particularly encouraging young women to take up the sport.
Dr
Jonty Wright
Final-year medical student, founder, and technologist working at the intersection of clinical medicine, software, and public health.
Dr
Craig Wylie
Craig Wylie is Director of Emergency Medical Services at the Western Cape Department of Health and Wellness, where he provides strategic leadership across the full spectrum of EMS operations, including people management, finance, fleet, facilities, clinical services, and operations assurance. With over two decades of pre-hospital emergency care experience — spanning front-line paramedic practice, flight operations, clinical governance, and senior management — Craig brings both operational depth and executive perspective to the field.
Craig holds a Master of Philosophy in Emergency Medicine from the University of Cape Town and is currently completing a Doctorate of Philosophy in Emergency Medicine, alongside a Postgraduate Diploma in Health Leadership at UCT's School of Public Health. He serves as an Honorary Lecturer at UCT's Division of Emergency Medicine and has authored more than 20 peer-reviewed publications covering trauma care, pre-hospital clinical practice, cardiac arrest, clinical governance, aeromedical services, and emergency systems strengthening.
Craig has presented at various conferences across Africa, Europe, and Australia, including AfCEM, SMACC, and the Swedish and Finnish Emergency Medicine Conferences. He is a co-founder of Brave African Discussions in Emergency Medicine and chairs the Wilderness Search and Rescue Management Advisory Committee in the Western Cape.
Professor
Lucille Hellen Blumberg
Professor Lucille Blumberg is an infectious diseases physician and medical microbiologist. She currently has honorary appointments at the National Institute for Communicable Diseases, the Universities of Stellenbosch (Medical Microbiology) and University of Pretoria (Faculty of Veterinary Sciences), South Africa, and is a technical advisor to ‘Right to Care’. Her focus is on outbreak prevention and response, emerging diseases, travel- related infections, the viral haemorrhagic fevers, malaria and zoonosis especially rabies. She is the past chair of the Strategic Advisory Group for Infectious Hazards for the WHO Emergencies Programme and a member of the scientific advisory group for the WHO Neglected Tropical Diseases programme with a focus on rabies and African Trypanosomiasis.
She is the current chair of the steering group for United Against Rabies. She is a long-standing member of the National Rabies Advisory Group in South and a past chair of the South African Malaria Elimination Committee (SAMEC). Prof Blumberg has been involved in the prevention, detection and responses to a number of communicable disease outbreaks including Mpox, cholera, typhoid, rabies, the Viral Haemorrhagic Fevers (Lujo, Rift Valley fever, CCHF), and Avian Influenza (A H5N2) and diphtheria.