Kirsten Donald, MBChB, Ph.D.

Professor of Paediatric Neurology and Deputy Director of the Neuroscience Institute · University of Cape Town · company speakers →

Kirsty Donald is a professor of paediatric neurology with an interest understanding the determinants of early brain health and development in resource-limited settings, such as South Africa. She has a faculty appointment leading the Division of Developmental Paediatrics in the Department of Paediatrics and Child Health at the Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital and serves as Deputy Director of the Neuroscience Institute at the University of Cape Town. She is a member of the disability policy team for the South African National Department of Health and Social Development and serves the on the UNICEF expert panel for global standard-setting in early childhood development. Her research interests cover investigating psychosocial and environmental factors influencing brain health and development in early life, including nutrition, infectious exposures, prenatal substance exposures, and maternal mental health, as well as the genetic and phenotypic characterization of neurodevelopmental disorders in the African context. This research is focused on using multiple imaging methods, including structural, functional, and diffusion imaging from infancy to adolescence to facilitate a deeper understanding of the impact of timing of exposures on brain development. As a member of the UNITY network, Dr. Donald has led a range of studies using low field MRI approaches across 6 different countries in Africa and South Asia to improve neuroimaging accessibility in LMICs. She also holds multiyear grants as PI from large funders including the NIH, BGMF, and Wellcome LEAP to support this work. She is the current chair of the Pediatric Association of Pediatric Neurology and Development of South Africa and president of the International Developmental Pediatrics Association.

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