Mr Shehu S Awandu, a PhD student at the University of Pretoria Centre for Sustainable Malaria Control (UP CSMC) won the trophy as best  presenter at the Limpopo Provincial Health Research day held in Polokwane in November 2015.

The event, organised by the Department of Health, brought together several researchers in the Limpopo Province, from diverse backgrounds who gave oral and poster presentations. The event, with the theme “Working together – setting the stage for evidence based planning” was held at the Polokwane Royal Hotel.

Topics included, amongst others, tuberculosis, malaria, HIV/AIDS, cardiovascular diseases, health systems strengthening, drugs, therapeutics, maternal and childhood mortality, women’s health, life style and behavioural diseases. Mr Awandu’s speech, based on his PhD research on the molecular epidemiology of malaria transmission in the Vhembe District, Limpopo Province won the first prize. He is supervised by Prof Lyn-Marie Birkholtz, SARChI Chair in Sustainable Malaria Control, in the Department of Biochemistry. The findings of his study will provide the much-needed evidence to the malaria control programme on the malaria elimination agenda.