Marc Mendalson

Biography

Undergraduate lectures are given to medical and allied students. The Division accepts undergraduate and postgraduate elective students, but as these rotations are highly sought, application a minimum of 6 months ahead of time is advised. We are an ESCMID (European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases) Collaborating Centre and as such, accept postgraduate clinical observerships from qualified doctors and specialists in Infectious Diseases.

Research Interest

The research activities of the Division focus on the major burden of infection in South Africa, namely HIV and tuberculosis, and are home to the Clinical Infectious Diseases Research Initiative (CIDRI) and the Desmond Tutu HIV Centre. In response to the growing international threat of antimicrobial resistance, the Clinical Unit at Groote Schuur Hospital has developed a programme of research into implementing antibiotic stewardship strategies. Similarly, the increasing importance of the traveller as a sentinel for epidemics and imported infection is at the heart of Cape Town’s Geosentinel programme of research. The recent identification of Emmonsia, a new fungal infection in HIV-infected persons, and the results of 3-5 years of follow-up of the first renal transplants from HIV-infected donors to HIV-infected recipients, were both published in the New England Journal of Medicine, just 2 examples of the prolific research output of the Division.