A shining example of female excellence in science and research, 8 May was yet another milestone for College of Health Sciences research clinician, Dr Urisha Singh, who scooped her MBChB summa cum laude.
This followed her PhD in Virology for her study on acquired and transmitted drug resistance in HIV-1 subtype c: implications of novel mutations on replication capacity, viral cleavage and drug susceptibility.
Astonishing her peers and mentors, she started her MBChB at the Nelson R. Mandela School of Medicine two weeks after the birth of her first child. She also continued in her role as a postdoctoral research fellow at the Centre for the AIDS Programme of Research in South Africa (CAPRISA) and then at the Africa Health Research Institute. Singh had her second child during the fourth-year of her MBChB amidst the turmoil of COVID-19 and still managed to pass with distinctions, publishing numerous scientific manuscripts and a textbook chapter on HIV in Africa in the Oxford Textbook of Global Public Health alongside world-class scientists, Professors Quarraisha Abdool Karim and Salim Abdool Karim.
‘I managed not only a full-time job in science, but also motherhood and a successful medical education where I passed every year with Dean’s Commendations,’ Singh reflected. ‘My decision to start Medical School at this point of my life stemmed from my passion for translational medicine as I wanted to combine medical teaching and research and show that these degrees can be achieved simultaneously in South Africa as in the US.
‘During my PhD studies, I travelled extensively and was exposed to the Harvard MD/PhD programme that combines medicine and science and produced some of the most brilliant research clinicians who were not only saving lives but also making a huge impact in the world of research in numerous fields. When I returned home, I knew that it was something I wanted to do. I wanted to have the best of both medicine and research. A few days after starting Medical School, I emailed legendary HIV scientist, Professor Quarraisha Abdool Karim, who agreed to mentor me and that was the start to my path as a research-clinician.’
Singh remained at CAPRISA for the first three years of Medical School, and as her interests expanded to include both communicable and non-communicable diseases, she took on a project at the Africa Health Research Institute under the mentorship of Dr Emily Wong, a Harvard-trained infectious diseases specialist running her own laboratory in South Africa.
‘I managed to publish at least one journal article per year as either first author or co-author during my MBChB. The research I worked on during my final and most difficult year of Medicine at UKZN is now under review at Lancet Global Health.’ Amongst other accolades, including being a Golden Key South Africa member since her first degree, Singh has also presented HIV research at multiple international conferences and work by her research team has contributed to TB and HIV treatment in South Africa.
‘I think the key to success in anything is to do what you love and to surround yourself with people that you love and who are like-minded. My love for science and research is no secret, and once I started studying Medicine a whole new love for the field was born,’ she said.
Asked how it felt to graduate summa cum laude, Singh said she feels extremely humbled and proud as it is not something she set out to achieve. ‘It really just happened accidentally. I did work really hard, but every minute was spent reading or studying things that intrigued me, so it didn’t feel like a task that needed to be completed but rather like a good book that I really wanted to finish.
‘Many people see being married and having kids as a “dream killer”. For me, my husband and kids have been my “dream makers”.’ She said her children’s unconditional love and patience pushed her to be her best. ‘My amazing supportive husband and my lovely parents also played a central role in helping me complete this degree. This achievement really belongs to them.’
Singh is currently an intern at King Edward VIII Hospital. She aspires to become a research clinician who creates research cohorts of patients to help answer questions on treatment and management of diseases. ‘Hopefully I will get to be involved in some vaccine trials and discoveries at some point.
‘Having briefly studied through two ivy league universities, Yale and Harvard University in the United States, I can say the standard of our Medical degree at UKZN is excellent. Furthermore, our research landscape is unprecedented. I don’t think people realise how many international collaborators and funders we have at UKZN and the cutting-edge science and discoveries that are being made at our Institution. Our local education landscape is really something to be proud of.’
Words: Lunga Memela
Photograph: Abhi Indrarajan
