Dinky Levitt

Biography

Professor Naomi (Dinky) Levitt is the Head of the Division of Endocrinology and Diabetic Medicine at the University of Cape Town and Groote Schuur Hospital. She is also the Director of the Chronic Disease Initiative for Africa (CDIA), a network that strives to connect a wide range of experts in NCD public health, clinical medicine, epidemiology, lifestyle modification, health economics, health behaviour, implementation research and health service management. Prof Levitt received her undergraduate and postgraduate degrees from UCT and undertook a research fellowship at the University of Chicago. She has been integrally involved in the development of guidelines for people with diabetes nationally, regionally and internationally over the past decade. Her research interests are in understanding the burden of diabetes and related cardiovascular disease risk factors, the interaction between chronic infectious and non-infectious diseases and diabetes, and primary health care delivery for diabetes and hypertension. She has participated in numerous national, regional and international diabetes activities. She has led multiple epidemiological and health system studies, has published over 200 articles in peer-reviewed journals, has written 12 book chapters and has supervised 8 Honours students, 13 masters students and 10 PhD students.

Research Interest

1) Phenotype of patients presenting with diabetic ketoacidosis in Cape Town. This ongoing study aims to describe the phenotype and type of diabetes in people presenting with diabetic ketoacidosis in Cape Town, to develop standardized strategies for the safe withdrawal of insulin and prediction models to aid in identifying patients that may not require lifelong insulin Metabolic consequences of antiretroviral therapy in HIV-infected patients. A cross-sectional and longitudinal study have been completed and are in their final stages of analysis. These studies were funded by the World Diabetes Foundation and the South African Department of Health. Burden of disease (BOD): The contribution of diabetes and other chronic diseases to the overall burden of disease pattern in the South African context is being studied in collaboration with co-investigators from the BOD Group at the MRC