Page 193 - SAMRC AnnualReport 2025-26

P E R FOR M A NC E I N FOR M A T I ON

Addressing the gaps in the RCD Redefining Possibility:
scholarship programme portfolio RCD Funded PhD Graduates Driving

In 2024, RCD undertook an review of all its funding Innovation in Machine Learning and the
programmes, identifying several gaps within the Prevention of Infant Blindness
scholarship portfolio. These included: (1) scholarship Dr Mpho Mokoatle, funded through the Postgraduate
values that were inadequate and did not fully Research Associate Programme, was awarded a PhD
meet scholars’ needs or align with national funder in Computer Science by the University of Pretoria on
benchmarks, (2) process inefficiencies, particularly 4 September 2025. Her doctoral research focused
around contracting and disbursements, requiring on applying artificial intelligence (AI) and machine
improved streamlining with academic institutions, (3) learning to DNA analysis to enable early detection
the inclusion of nurses within the SAMRC Clinician- of diseases such as cancer. By developing advanced
Researcher Development Programme, (4) the computational models that accurately interpret
inclusion of other scarce and strategic fields, such as genetic data, her work demonstrates the potential
bioinformatics and data science, as priorities within of AI to significantly improve early diagnosis,
the Biostatistics Capacity Development Programme, reduce treatment costs, and save lives. A key
and expanding the programme to cover doctoral achievement of her research was the development
candidates, (5) the need to include Behavioural of a DNA representation model that outperformed
Sciences in RFAs, and (6) establishing a new PhD DNABERT-6, a leading genomics model. Dr Mokoatle
programme to offer opportunities for candidates is committed to advancing machine learning in
currently ineligible to apply within the existing RCD healthcare by collaborating with medical specialists to
scholarship programme portfolio. develop practical, real-world AI solutions that improve
patient outcomes.
During this reporting period, RCD has successfully
closed all identified gaps, except for establishing
a new scholarship programme. In 2025, notable
progress was achieved, with key highlights
including increased scholarship amounts across all
programmes, the development and implementation
of standardised scholarship terms and conditions
resulting in fewer administrative delays in contracting
and disbursement, and the inclusion of nurses in
the SAMRC Clinician Researcher Development
Programme.

In addition, the Biostatistics Capacity Development
Initiative was expanded for the first time to include
doctoral candidates and participants in strategic
fields such as Bioinformatics, Data Science, Health
Informatics, and Computer Science. With this new
cohort, RCD has further strengthened the pool of
candidates working at the intersection of statistics,
mathematics, biomedicine, computer science, data Dr Tshilidzi van der Lecq, funded through the Clinician-
science, Bioinformatics, epidemiology, and health Researcher Development Programme, was awarded
informatics. Within this cohort, Bioinformatics a PhD by the University of Cape Town on
candidates are contributing to critical areas such as 31 March 2026, and is the first black South African
vaccinology, genomic epidemiology, and precision Ophthalmologist to be awarded a PhD. Her doctoral
medicine. Meanwhile, candidates in Statistics and research addressed critical gaps in the epidemiology
Mathematics are advancing work in advanced of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) in South Africa, a
analytics, health risk profiling, and predictive leading yet preventable cause of childhood blindness.
modelling in clinical research, with a strong emphasis As part of her work, Dr van der Lecq established
on applying statistical and machine learning methods the first regional ROP registry in sub-Saharan Africa,
to improve health outcomes and support evidence- capturing data from screened infants in the Cape
based decision-making. Town Metropole.

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