Prizes and Awards

Prof Venter was part of US-embassy Country team award for CDC South Africa’s the Ebola response.

 Faculty of Health Science annual Gala dinner awards: Best Publication by a Young Researcher (<35 years) Clinical: D Zaayman and M Venter, West Nile Virus Neurologic Disease in Humans, South Africa, September 2008-May 2009. Emerging Infectious Diseases

Best Publication representing the Best Team Effort: C van Eeden, JH Williams, TGH Gerdes, E van Wilpe, A Viljoen, R Swanepoel and M Venter. Shuni virus as a cause of Neurologic disease in horses. Emerging Infectious Diseases  

2012

Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Pretoria 17 November 2012 publication awards:

First runner-up in the category "Best-overall publication: Clinical” in the Faculty in 2011 for the publication: Venter M, Lassaunière R, Kresfelder TL, Westerberg Y, Visser A. Contribution of common and recently described respiratory viruses to annual hospitalizations in children in South Africa. Journal of Medical Virology 2011;83:1458-1468.

First runner-up in the category "Best-overall publication: Non Clinical” in the Faculty in 2011 for the publication: Venter M, van Niekerk S, Rakgantso A, Bent N. Identification of deletion mutant respiratory syncytial virus strains lacking most of the G protein in immunocompromised children with pneumonia in South Africa. Journal of Virology 2011;85:8453-8457.

Second runner-up in the category "Best publication: Team Effort” in the Faculty in 2011 for the publication: Venter M, Human S, van Niekerk S, Williams J, van Eeden C, Freeman F. Fatal Neurologic disease and abortion in a mare infected with lineage 1 West Nile virus, South Africa. Emerging Infectious Diseases 2011;17:1534-1536.

2 MSc students, Stephanie van Niekerk and Juliet Mentoor: received prizes for receiving their degrees with distinction.

Prof M Venter was chosen as a member of the South African Young Academy of Sciences (SAYAS) (http://www.assaf.org.za/sayas-south-african-young-academy-of-sciences/).

Stephanie van Niekerk received second prize, Faculty Research Day Award, for Oral Presentation, Basic Science, 28 August 2012

Charmaine van Eeden received a student travel award from the Belgium Ambasador to South Africa to attend the International Society for Conference of the international Society for Veterinary Epidemiology and Economics, Maastricht, the Netherlands, 20-24^th of August 2012

Charmaine van Eeden received a student travel award from the Arbozoonet of Europe to attend the Joint Conference on Emerging and Re-emerging Epidemics Affecting Global Health to be held in Orvieto, Italy 2012

2011

Received the Prize for the Best publication by a young scientist, basic sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Pretoria:

Lassauniére R., Kresfelder T., Venter M. A novel multiplex real-time RT-PCR assay with FRET hybridization probes for the detection and quantification of 13 traditional and newly identified respiratory viruses. (2010 Journal of Virological Methods May; 165(2):254-60.

2010

Received prize for best publication by a young researcher, Clinical Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Pretoria: Glass AJ, Venter M. Improved detection of JC virus in AIDS patients with progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy by T-antigen specific fluorescence resonance energy transfer hybridization probe real-time PCR: evidence of diverse JC virus genotypes associated with progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy in Southern Africa. J Med Virol. 2009 Nov; 81(11):1929-37,

Runner up for the prize for the best publication through a team effort at the Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Pretoria, Gala dinner for the paper,

Venter M*, Styel J, Wyers J, Blumberg L, Human S, Zaayman D, Swanepoel R. Zoonotic transmission of West Nile virus to a veterinarian during postmortem investigation of a horse with neurological symptoms. Emerging Infectious Diseases (Emerg Infect Dis. 2010 Mar; 16(3):573-5)

Received the Prize for the Best Poster at the 7^th International Respiratory Syncytial Virus conference, Rotterdam, 2-5 December 2010.