Dr Jessica Puglia grew up in Cape Town and graduated from UCT with her MBChB. She completed her internship at Groote Schuur Hospital and community service at Vanguard Day Hospital where she ran the INR clinic. Jessica loves treating people of all ages and really enjoys getting to know the entire family. She believes that each patient is unique and deserves individualised treatment. Investigating the root cause of her patients’ symptoms is something that she prioritises. When Jessica is not helping patients, she enjoys spending her time with her husband, family and friends. She also has a passion for pottery and dancing.
Lize is a Registered Dietitian who is constantly in search of innovative ways to improve health and wellbeing through nutrition. She believes that food should be nourishing, and meals celebrated.
With ten years of experience in the field of nutrition and healthcare, she is well equipped to guide and support each individual or family with a tailor-made dietary strategy to achieve their stated health outcomes and wellbeing. Evidence-based nutrition forms the basis of her practice. Combined with this, she applies holistic principles that will work for each parent, child or family taking into consideration individual lifestyles, food habits, incomes and time schedules.
Over the past 10 years she has dedicated herself to improving nutritional outcomes for premature new-borns, new-borns with special nutritional needs and pregnant or breastfeeding mothers.
In addition, her experience extends to children, adolescents and their families. In this context, she has worked closely with children and their families who have conditions as varied and complex as type 1 diabetes, inborn errors of metabolism, poor growth and fussy or disordered eating. Her work with adolescents and adults includes managing eating disorders.
Identifying a need for an expert consensus group for neonatal and paediatric nutrition in South Africa, she founded and currently heads the South African Network of Paediatric and Neonatal Nutrition (SANPNN).
She is the CEO of Nutritional Nurturing, a company with the stated aim to promote wellbeing through healthy and sustainable food.
Dr Raphaela Itzikowitz graduated from Wits University in 2009 and completed her 2-year internship at Groote Schuur Hospital and Red Cross Children’s Hospital, where her deep passion for Paediatrics was born.
Dr Itzikowitz has worked at Red Cross Children’s Hospital for ten years across numerous departments including the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Paediatric Intensive Care, Medical Emergency and Outpatient Departments. Further she has spent substantial time at well Specialized in-patient units including Nephrology cardiology Pulmonology, Neurology and Neurodevelopmental Paediatrics. She is also involved in undergraduate teaching of medical students at UCT.
Dr Itzikowitz completed her Paediatric Registrar Training in December 2018 and is imminently completing her MMED in Growth and Nutrition qualifying her as a Pediatrician. In addition, she is completing her Masters in Public Health at University of Cape Town, and has worked for the National Institute of Communicable Diseases and the University of Cape Town in Clinical Research.
Dr Itzikowitz is happily married with two unicorn children and continues to work in Neurodevelopmental Paediatrics at Red Cross Children’s Hospital, nurturing a special interest in ADHD, ASD and other developmental disorders.
Raphaela is deeply committed to South Africa, its beautiful children and to Paediatric Medicine and believes in a child-focused, holistic and evidence-based model in order to keep families healthy, happy and thriving.
Dr Li is a passionate and hardworking doctor, eager to learn in any environment that allows her to further her skills, and knowledge in regards to clinical medicine. She is an adaptable and a well-organized individual with a keen interest in research on the improvement of current management, and treatment, of community health.
Dr Li wants to motivate those around her to believe that illness should not limit a person’s ability to perform. She feels strongly that mental health and social support are just as important as physical health. Thus she also appreciates working as part of a team to ensure that all her patients receive the best possible care in every area.
Prof Carol Hlela is one of two paediatric dermatologists in the country, championing as a leading specialist in baby and child skincare. Her mission is to reduce skin conditions in babies and children, and become the voice in paediatric dermatology in Africa.
She is passionate about educating patients, medical professionals and medical corporations about innovative and simple skin solutions, through her research and campaigns.
Born and bred in KwaMashu near Durban, she was the first recipient of Netcare’s Hamilton Naki Clinical Scholarship in 2007, which enabled her to complete a PhD in Clinical Medicine at Oxford University, UK. Her ongoing research into the human T-lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1) has made her South Africa’s leading expert on the virus, as well as a highly-regarded contributor to the international body of knowledge developing around it.
Currently heading the Paediatric Dermatology Unit at Red Cross Children Hospital, she is also employed by University of Cape Town, where she teaches medical students, supervising PhD candidates. She has worked at Groote Schuur Hospital (CT) as well as King Edward Hospital (KZN), as a Dermatology Consultant (Skin Specialist).
While studying towards her PhD, Prof Hlela focused mainly on children because of her interest in HTLV-1. She attained her Masters and a PhD from Oxford University, UK.
Upon her return to South Africa, in 2012 she was encouraged to stay in paediatrics and, because she regarded it as a means to an end at the time, she obliged. “Yet again, though, I ended up loving what I do and I can’t imagine myself doing anything else.” Her clinical research career is ongoing, including being part of national and international research collaborations, conducting various clinical research drug trials. Research, and the power it gives, remains Prof Hlela’s passion.