Heather Zar Heather Zar
UCT academic Heather Zar became the first African professor to be awarded the celebrated World Lung Health Award in the US this month.
Zar is head of UCT Paediatrics and Child Health Department, which operates from the Red Cross Children’s Hospital.
It is the first time the honour has gone to a paediatrician.
“This award was given to me, but it reflects much work done by a large group of people, as well as strong collaborations with excellent colleagues,” Zar said.
She is keen on eradicating childhood health disparities and has contributed to basic and clinical research at UCT as well as treating children with lung diseases.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), an estimated 235 million people suffer from asthma. The WHO says approximately 8.6 million people developed tuberculosis in 2012, while 1.3 million people died from the disease.
“My hope is that the World Lung Health Award will highlight child health, a relatively under-researched area. Our role at the Red Cross and at UCT is to move this field forward, so that we can improve children’s lives. We have to develop better ways of preventing and treating childhood diseases,” Zar said.
Children however seldom top the health agenda of governments around the world, Zar believes. “It is up to us to contribute to, if not set the global research agenda and to develop stronger capacity in child health, particularly in Africa. We have to be fierce advocates for child health. There is a lack of knowledge about the burden of childhood illnesses – even more so in African countries.” – Staff Writer