Mpoi Makhetha
Health and Safety/Women in Uniform
Nominee's Province:
Western Cape
Project Name/Description:
Ambassador – European Association for Cancer Research
Mpoi Makhetha is a genetic oncology scientist with just a month away from handing in her thesis for her PhD in medicine at the University of KwaZulu-Natal.
“For many years, I have been invested in the clinical and laboratory services offered to breast cancer patients in SA, focusing more on the relevance to Africans, the efficiency of the services and administered medicines,” she states her research focus.
Makhetha’s work has not only attracted the interest of local research community, but international stakeholders as well. She has presented at gatherings such as the Excellence in Oncology Care in Dubai, the European Association of Cancer Research in Spain, as well as the International Genetics Congress hosted by Australia.
In addition to being second runner-up at UKZN’s 3-Minutes Thesis competitions in 2022, Makhetha says her career milestones include having her papers published in reputable local and international journals including the Journal of Genetic Counselling and the International Journal of Cancer.
“These papers,” continues Makhetha, “highlight the state of breast cancer services in South Africa, the demographic of our patients and how to best diagnose our patients, and I am proud of their global reach and potential impact on policy.”
“The genetic screening services in South Africa are not tailored for Blacks, Indians and Coloureds who by the way form the majority of breast cancer patients. It’s time we optimise the available targeted test to accurately diagnose these patients so that appropriate treatment can be administered.”
