Professor Donald, a Paediatric Neurologist who leads the Division of Developmental Paediatrics at the Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital and is Deputy Director of the University of Cape Town Neuroscience institute. She is a clinician-scientist with extensive experience leading prospective neuro-imaging studies in the African context with particular focus on the impact of environmental risk on neurodevelopment. Particular risk factors include maternal anemia in pregnancy, prenatal alcohol exposure, and the neurological/neurocognitive complications of HIV exposure/infection.

Wellcome Trust research fellow and PhD candidate Jessica Ringshaw from UCT’s Neuroscience Institute investigates the impact of maternal anaemia and iron deficiency during pregnancy on child brain development – recognising antenatal maternal anaemia as a global health priority, particularly prevalent in LMICs.