Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University (SMU) is strengthening South Africa’s cardiovascular research landscape after the National Research Foundation (NRF) awarded a Y2 rating to Associate Professor Lebogang Palesa Mokotedi, an emerging researcher focused on cardiometabolic diseases.
The rating recognises Prof Mokotedi’s research productivity and potential to establish herself as a leading researcher. Her achievement, along with her appointment as an Associate Professor before age 35, highlights her growing contribution to physiological sciences and the development of research capacity in South Africa.
Based in SMU’s Department of Physiology, Prof Mokotedi also holds an honorary research appointment at the Integrated Molecular Physiology Research Initiative (IMPRI) Laboratory within the School of Biomedical Sciences at the University of the Witwatersrand (WITS). She obtained her PhD in Physiology from WITS and has since developed an independent research programme addressing cardiovascular dysfunction and its implications for human health.
Her research investigates the mechanisms and risk factors underlying cardiometabolic diseases, with a particular interest in how chronic inflammation and metabolic disturbances contribute to cardiovascular disorders such as heart failure and vascular stiffness. She also contributes to research examining maternal cardiovascular health, particularly complications associated with hypertensive disorders of pregnancy.
“Understanding the mechanisms that contribute to cardiometabolic diseases is essential to improving disease prevention, early detection and treatment,” said Prof Mokotedi’s research profile, outlining the central focus of her work.
Through collaborations with clinicians, researchers and healthcare institutions, her work combines experimental and clinical approaches to advance the understanding of cardiovascular disease. These collaborative efforts have contributed to a growing body of research published in internationally recognised peer-reviewed journals.
Prof Mokotedi has also secured competitive research funding, including two consecutive cycles of NRF Thuthuka grants, supporting investigations into the roles of inflammation and dietary factors in cardiometabolic changes associated with chronic inflammatory diseases using animal models of rheumatoid arthritis.
Prof Mokotedi’s contribution to research extends beyond knowledge generation to the training and mentorship of future scientists. She has supervised or co-supervised ten master’s and doctoral students to completion and continues to support the development of emerging researchers. Her academic responsibilities further include undergraduate and postgraduate teaching, curriculum development, and promoting innovative teaching methods that encourage critical thinking and practical application of scientific knowledge.
Prof Mokotedi contributes to scientific leadership through her involvement in both national and international professional bodies. She serves as Deputy Treasurer of the African Association of Physiological Sciences (AAPS) and as an Executive Committee member of the South African Society for Cardiovascular Research (SASCAR). She previously served on the Council of the Physiological Society of Southern Africa (PSSA), supporting initiatives that advance scientific collaboration and research development across South Africa and the African continent.
The NRF Y2 rating marks an important milestone in her academic career and reinforces the value of sustained investment in emerging researchers. It also highlights the importance of collaborative, multidisciplinary research in addressing South Africa’s growing cardiovascular health challenges.
Through academics such as Prof Mokotedi, SMU continues to advance its mission of transforming health services through excellence and innovation. Her achievement demonstrates the university’s contribution to developing research expertise, strengthening postgraduate education and generating scientific knowledge that can inform better healthcare outcomes.
By Tumelo Moila
