Dr Sarena Maistry, a Medical Registrar in the Department of Otorhinolaryngology (ENT), was awarded the prize for the Best Registrar Oral presentation at the South African Society of Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery’s 58th national congress.
UKZN’s ENT Department had a strong presence; of the six registrars in the department, five submitted abstracts for consideration by the scientific committee. All five were accepted and successfully presented.
Maistry scooped first place for her study, titled Peak Expiratory Flow Rate Monitoring in Recurrent Respiratory Papillomatosis (RRP). RRP disease accounts for approximately 600 clinic visits annually at the Inkosi Albert Luthuli Hospital ENT clinic and 20-25 surgical debulkings per month. Maistry’s study aimed to establish if peak expiratory flow (PEFR) could serve as a reliable adjunct in serial monitoring in RRP for potential future application in primary healthcare settings and home-based monitoring.
She said: “While PEFR monitoring cannot replace the need for ENT review, this limited pilot study demonstrates a potential tool to empower caregivers and overburdened ENT centres in safe decision-making around the timing of the review. Further studies are required to fully explore this tool.” She added that the study would not have been possible without the support of Dr Stanley Thula from the Paediatrics Department.
Maistry, who hails from Westville, in Durban, was inspired to study medicine during her high school years when she joined a school outreach group to King Edward Hospital. “We played with the kids in the Paediatric Orthopaedic ward every Friday afternoon. It was my first real exposure to medicine in public healthcare and it was then I realised how much skills and resources are needed in the public sector. My real inspiration for medicine came from there and now my deep desire for research comes from finding solutions for the needs of Africa,” she said.
Maistry’s special interest is in paediatric otorhinolaryngology and rhinology. “I am most passionate about improving access to specialised healthcare by improving pathways from primary healthcare,” she said. She enjoys running in her spare time.
Head of UKZN’s ENT Department, Dr Andile Sibiya, commented: “The success at the congress is a testament to the hard work of each registrar and the commitment of the consultants and colleagues who worked so hard with each of them. Dr Maistry’s win was well earned! Congratulations.”
Words: MaryAnn Francis
