First runner-up in DST South African Women in Sciences Awards

Professor Pragashnie Govender is an Associate Professor and academic leader of research in the School of Health Sciences, College of Health Sciences.

She has a specific interest in early detection for early intervention in paediatrics. She also has a passion for qualitative and mixed methods research.

She was awarded first runner up in the Department of Science and Technology South African Women in Sciences Awards, in the Distinguished Young Women Humanities and Social Sciences category, held in Polokwane on 23 August 2018. She was also afforded the privilege to form part of the panel on SABC Morning Live on Friday, 24 August 2018, which was broadcast from the venue.

Govender was previously one of the first 13 recipients of the South African Medical Research Council's National Health Scholars Programme in 2013, had received the prestigious NRF Award for Next Generation Researcher in the female category in 2016, and completed the SAFRI-FAIMER Fellowship (Health Professions Education) in 2018.

An NRF Y-rated researcher, Govender was awarded her PhD in 2016 and is the author of 26 peer-reviewed articles and one book chapter. She serves on the editorial board of The Qualitative Report and the South African Journal of Occupational Therapy; is a member of the Mixed Methods International Research Association; and contributes to a number of scientific committees, the most recent being that of the World Federation of Occupational Therapy Congress 2018.

Govender has successfully supervised 17 Master's students and is currently supervising five Doctoral and six Master's candidates. She is the Principal Investigator on two self-initiated interdisciplinary projects: a project on integrating decentralised training of health professionals in KwaZulu-Natal, and a study that considers early detection of adverse neurodevelopment trajectories/outcomes in the infant population for early intervention.