Carmen Pheiffer is a Chief Specialist Scientist in the Biomedical Research and Innovation Platform at the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) and an Associate Professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the University of Pretoria. She completed her BSc, BSc (Hons), MSc (with distinction and awarded the Joseph Arnow Prize for the most meritorious Master’s dissertation in the Faculty of Health Sciences), and Masters in Public Health degrees at the University of Cape Town and PhD in Medical Biochemistry at Stellenbosch University. She joined the SAMRC in 2007. Over the years, she has worked on multiple research projects to elucidate the pathophysiology of obesity, gestational diabetes mellitus and related metabolic disorders; the identification of biomarkers; and investigating the therapeutic potential of plant extracts/synthetic medicinal compounds to prevent and/or treat metabolic disease.

Dr Riedel graduated from the University of Muenster, Germany, in April 2012. Her doctoral studies focused on the preventive properties of Omega-3 fatty acids against the induction of precancerous lesions. Since joining the Biomedical Research and Innovation Platform (BRIP) in 2014, her projects have included investigations of preventive effects of plant extracts on insulin resistance in cell cultures and animal models. Dr Riedel is specialising in exploring intestinal permeability and immunological mechanisms and their role in the pathophysiology of metabolic disease for which she has received several grants. Dr Riedel has served as peer-reviewer for 11 international journals and has supervised 1 PhD student, 9 MSc students and 3 BSc Hons students. She has been affiliated with the Division of Medical Physiology at the University of Stellenbosch as an extraordinary lecturer since 2016.

Dr. Stephanie Dias is a senior scientist at the Biomedical Research and Innovation Platform, at the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC), with 8 years of working experience in diabetes research and epigenetics. In 2020, she completed her PhD, which focused on integrating both basic and clinical research to potentially enhance the health and well-being of women and children affected by GDM through biomarker discovery. Her current research aims to elucidate the pathophysiological mechanisms that are implicated in the development and progression of different types of diabetes during pregnancy, using a variety of molecular and epigenetic mechanisms. In her career as a researcher and scientist, she has published 33 articles in reputable, ISI peer-reviewed journals, and presented her work at local and international conferences. In addition, she has contributed to capacity development through mentoring, training and supervising students.

Prof. Sumaiya Adam is currently affiliated with the Diabetes Research Centre, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa. She is a Maternal-Fetal Medicine Specialist working at Steve Biko Academic Hospital. Diabetes in pregnancy is the main focus of her clinical research. She has published on screening for gestational diabetes, biomarkers and epigenetic markers in gestational diabetes. She is currently working on pregnancy outcomes in patients with diabetes mellitus in pregnancy. Her other research interests are in medical education, especially innovations to encourage active learning.