Research focus: Obesity and Diabetes

Current research/role focus:
My research includes both pre-clinical and clinical research on obesity, gestational diabetes, type 2 diabetes and breast cancer. We use a variety of molecular and epigenetic mechanisms to elucidate the pathophysiology of disease, identify prognostic biomarkers and investigate the therapeutic potential of indigenous plant extracts to prevent and/or treat disease.

Biography:
Carmen Pheiffer completed her BSc, BSc (Hons) and MSc degrees at the University of Cape Town. She received her MSc degree with distinction and was awarded the Joseph Arnow Prize for the most meritorious Masters dissertation in the Faculty of Health Sciences. After spending a few years working, she completed her PhD in Medical Biochemistry, Stellenbosch University under the expert supervision of Prof Paul van Helden and Dr Joanna Betts. Dr Pheiffer joined the Diabetes Discovery Platform (now BRIP) in 2007. She has worked in international laboratories including GlaxoSmithKline R&D (Stevenage, UK), Public Health Research Institute (Newark, USA) and Vall d'Hebron Research Insitute (Barcelona, Spain). Dr Pheiffer supervises postgraduate students and has collaborations with several local and international researchers. She is a member of the SAMRC Scientific Review Committee and a reviewer for local and international funders and journals. She is registered as a Medical Biological Scientist with the Health Professions Council of South Africa. In addition to her scientific training, Dr Pheiffer has completed management courses, all awarded with distinction. She received the Director’s award at the University of Stellenbosch Business School as the top achiever in her class.