Bio: Ms Kistnasamy is a purpose driven Lecturer (from 2000 – current). Her main aim is to boldly & holistically empower all that she interacts with. To do this and as a firm believer in the spirit of excellence, she optimizes her communication, facilitation, strategic planning, project management, networking, creative thinking, leadership, motivation, mentoring and negotiation skills. She is currently pursuing her PhD through the Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, Nelson R Mandela Medical School (UKZN).

Research and Innovation focus: asthma, air pollution, epidemiology, social determinants, leadership and strategic planning. Together with her research collaborators, she has extensively published in national & international journals & has presented at various fora. Additionally she has successfully managed various community engagement projects with the private, public and community sectors. She has well established links with the University of Michigan, School of Public Health and is privileged to have as mentors, intellectuals from Harvard School of Public Health, University of Iowa College of Public Health and Medical School Saint-Antoine Bureaux, Paris, France. She is passionate about environmental justice and to this end, serves in an advisory capacity as Chairperson of the Board of Trustees of groundWork (2008 – current) and as Secretary on the Board of Trustees for the Centre for Health and Environmental Education Awareness (2007 – current).

Bio: Prof Poovendhree (Poovie) Reddy (PhD) is a strong advocate for creating a critical and responsible citizenry through education and empowerment. Her achievements in academic management and leadership, teaching and postgraduate supervision bear testimony to her philosophy. She currently holds the position of Senior Lecturer: Programme Environmental Health in the Department of Community Health Studies. Dr Reddy, who is also a HELM LEAD fellow (Higher Education Leadership and Management, HESA), is experienced in curriculum development and coordinates the Postgraduate programme in Environmental Health. She actively mentors and promotes research development within her department and Faculty.

Research and Innovation focus: include public health; genetic epidemiology; epigenetics; maternal and child health; and water management and quality related to health risk assessment. She is a co-leader on the Medical Research Council Flagship project (Maternal Health) and a team member of the Water Research Niche area at DUT. In addition, she is a co-investigator on a collaborative project with UKZN and the University of Michigan which involves genetic epidemiology and epigenetics related to respiratory related outcomes and environmental exposures in the MACE study (Mother and Child Environmental Study). Dr Reddy has 11 peer-reviewed publications in international and national journals, 11 peer-reviewed international conference abstracts and 15 national conference presentations. She serves on the Editorial Board for a national and an international journal and is a solicited reviewer for 5 international journals. She also serves as a member of various professional bodies and committees both externally and within the DUT.

Bio: Dr Niranjan lectures in Occupational Health and Safety at undergraduate and BTech levels. He was an Inspector of Occupational Health and Safety with the Department of Labour in three provinces namely Gauteng, KwaZulu Natal and Eastern Cape. Dr Niranjan also has a BTech: Environmental Health (TN) and a Masters in Public Administration (UKZN). He is a registered auditor with the South African Auditor and Training Certification Authority (SAATCA) for ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001 and is a registered Occupational Hygienist with the South African Institute of Occupational Hygienist (SAIOH).

Bio: Worked as an Environmental Health Practitioner, worked as the head of department in the local government have a Master’s Degree in Public Health from UKZN.

Courses Currently Teaching: Planning for Built Environment; Epidemiology; Environmental Pollution 2 and 3; Waste management; Health Information Management

Research and Innovation focus: Waste Management and Air Pollution

Bio: Ms Dalasile’s area of interest is Air Pollution; specifically her MTech research involves assessment of respiratory risks with exposure to particulate matter (PM2.5) in informal waste pickers. She facilitates work-integrated learning placements in the Environmental Health Programme.