Who we are

Prof Gillian (Gill) Ainslie

“I am a specialist physician and pulmonologist in the Department of Medicine, Groote Schuur Hospital and the University of Cape Town Lung Institute in Cape Town, and head of the Respiratory Clinic at Groote Schuur Hospital. I am a council member and Past President of both the South African Thoracic Society (SATS) and the National Asthma Education Programme (NAEP). I have a major interest in asthma education and initiated the South African Diploma of Asthma Care for primary health workers in 2002, which I continue to direct. I am also a committee member of the SATS Asthma Guidelines Implementation Project (AGIP).” She has been awarded an honorary membership of the NAEP for my many years of service to the organization.

Sheila Baker

I am the Senior Study Co-Ordinator at the Allergology and Diagnostic Clinical Research Unit at The UCT Lung Institute under the guidance of Prof Paul Potter. My qualifications consist of a Bsc Nursing and a MSc Medicine under Prof Harry Seftel which were both completed at Wits University. Since coming to Cape Town I have been involved in doing trials in the fields of allergy, asthma, atopic dermatitis and urticaria. I was fortunate to get a scholarship and completed the UK Diploma in National Asthma Care in 2002. After completing the Diploma I assisted Prof Gill Ainslie with lecturing, tutoring, mentoring and examining of the SA Students . I enjoy lecturing and have also lectured to Public Health Nurses in Worcester and CPUT . I have also been on The NAEP Executive Committee as the Honorary Secretary for the past 4 years. I have been asked and enjoy giving talks at the NAEP congresses ,WAD and this past year ran the stand at the BABA Indaba for NAEP.I enjoy the adolescent asthmatic patients and my wish is to see all asthma sufferers have an excellent quality of life with good compliance and eventually to find a cure for this disease.

Shaunagh Emmanuel

I am a medical doctor and have been working at the Allergy diagnostic and clinical research unit at the UCT Lung Institute in Cape Town since 2000 after 5 years in general practice. Our work in allergy covers the full range of atopic conditions, with a large proportion of our patients being asthmatic. I am involved in all the clinical trials at the unit, a large proportion of which are asthma trials. I also enjoy making and giving presentations on topics in allergy.

Robin Green

I am an associate professor and director of paediatric pulmonology and paediatric critical care at the University of Pretoria. I am an executive member of the National Asthma Education Programme, the South African Thoracic Society and the Allergy Society of South Africa. I run an active training program for registrars in paediatric pulmonology and in allergy. We conduct research in clinical and basic sciences and I am a National Research Foundation of South Africa rated scientist.

Mike Greenblatt

Prof Prakash Mohan Jeena

I am the head of Paediatric pulmonology at the Inkosi Albert Luthuli central Hospital and University of KwaZulu-Natal. I have been running the asthma and allergy clinic from 1992 and involved in several asthma clinical and laboratory trials. I have served as council member, treasurer and chairperson of this organisation. We have organised several community outreach programs such as asthma in the park, asthma fun runs etc to create and highlight the plight of asthmatic children. I have published asthma related articles in scientific journal and the lay press. My wish is for all asthma sufferers to leading an excellent quality of life and some day for the medical fraternity to find a cure for this disease. He has been awarded an honorary membership of NAEP for his many years of service to the organization.

Dr Michael (Mike) Levin

I am a paediatrician and head of the paediatric department at New Somerset Hospital (NSH) in Cape Town. I also have a diploma in allergology and run a secondary level asthma / allergy clinic at NSH, and do a tertiary allergy clinic session at Red Cross Hospital once a week. I have a special interest in cross-cultural and cross-language communication with a PhD in applied linguistics for research projects on these issues. I hope to use these skills to make patient education materials easy to understand in English as well as in translated versions. In the last few years I have coordinated world asthma day activities for South Africa, and been the treasurer for NAEP.

Refiloe Masakela

Dr Masakela is a paediatrician at the Pretoria academic hospital in the Chest and Allergy clinic. A paediatric pulmonologist, she is active in both clinical work and research activities. She is also involved in both national and international professional societies which have as their aim improved care for children with respiratory diseases. These include the South African Thoracic Society , the Pan African Thoracic society and the Allergy Society of South Africa Her objectives for NAEP in her term of office includeincreased awareness of asthma and it's impact on society, educational activities for medical practitioners (nurses and doctors) on asthma with workshops, promoting the asthma diploma and expanding the current World Asthma Day awareness campaign , with broader participation and increased media uptake at all levels

Humphrey Lewis

I am a paediatrician in private practice from Pretoria and am on the executive of the SA Paediatric Association. I am a past chairman of NAEP and have an interest in asthma education, protocols and medication availability. I am an active member of the Critical Care Society and the Allergy society of SA.

Rajen Naidoo

I am a medically qualified doctor, and specialist in occupational medicine working as Associate Professor in Occupational Medicine at the School of Family and Public Health Medicine at the Nelson R. Mandela School of Medicine, University of KwaZulu-Natal. My particular areas of research are occupational and environmental respiratory diseases. I have conducted large research projects investigating the respiratory health of coalminers, and recently completed one of the largest projects in Southern Africa on air pollution and respiratory outcomes, particularly among children. The latter study, among 450 schoolchildren, investigated the impact of a variety of conventional pollutants on the acute respiratory outcomes, including symptoms, changes in peak flow, airway hyperresponsiveness and allergy status. In addition, the study investigated the interaction between these outcomes and genetic status for common/known asthma genotypes – particularly those genes associated with oxidative stress.

Shirani Naidoo

I am a paediatrician in private practice in Cape Town. I have worked at the allergy and asthma clinic at Red Cross Children’s Hospital. For the last few years I have been the regional world asthma day co-ordinator for the Western Cape and have recently taken on the job of newsletter editor for the NAEP. I am an active ALLSA member.

Willem Otto

I am a specialist physician and pulmonologist in the Department of Internal Medicine at the University of the Freestate. I became a council member of NAEP in 1997 and was honorary secretary and chairperson previously. My main educational activities were the translation of some of the leaflets into Afrikaans, running workshops for health workers and lecturing GP’s in the Freestate and Northen Cape .

Michael Plit

I am in practice at Milpark Hospital with a wonderful group of Pulmonologists .My interests remain obstructive lung diseases such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, as well as a wide variety of fascinating diseases in practice.  Our group here has done a few asthma and COPD trials.  We have also remained active  with lectures to GPs  and the pulmonology society. I personally would like to see the NAEP management committee not only comprised of doctors but also of other paramedical staff, pharmacists and prominent members of the public to spread the great work we are doing.