Tania Douglas

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Tania Douglas
Died(2021-03-20)March 20, 2021
NationalitySouth African
Alma mater
Scientific career
FieldsBiomedical Engineering
InstitutionsUniversity of Cape Town

Tania S. Douglas was a Professor of Biomedical Engineering, Research Chair in Biomedical Engineering and Innovation as well as Director of the Medical Imaging Research Unit in the University of Cape Town (UCT), South Africa. She conducted research concerning medical innovation, image analysis, and the development of technologies to improve medical device innovation in South Africa. She was also the founding Editor-in-Chief of Global Health Innovation, a journal which disseminates research results about health innovation in developing settings.

Early life and education[edit]

Douglas was the daughter of Aubrey Douglas, a high school principal, and Rita Douglas. She attended Pacaltsdorp High in George, Western Cape.[1] She earned a bachelor's degree in Electrical and Electronic engineering in the University of Cape Town (UCT). She completed her master's degree in Vanderbilt University, Tennessee, in Biomedical Engineering. She then continued in a postgraduate doctoral degree in Bioengineering in the University of Strathclyde, Scotland. She finished her education with a master of business administration (MBA) from the University of Cape Town. She was a fellow of the South African Academy of Engineering and a member of the Academy of Science of South Africa.[2]

Research and career[edit]

After her studies, Douglas completed a research fellowship in image processing at the Japan Broadcasting Corporation in Tokyo from January 1999 until August 2000. She then started teaching at UCT (University of Cape Town) in 2000 in the Biomedical Engineering department and became convenor of the Biomedical Engineering Program in 2007. In 2008 she was a Humboldt Research fellow at the Max Planck Institute for Neurological Research in Cologne, as well as in the Free University of Berlin and an Honorary Senior Research Fellow at University College London. In 2010, she became Director of the Medical Imaging Research Unit[3] and in 2013 Deputy Dean of the UCT Research in the Faculty of Health Sciences. She was elected South African Research Chair in Biomedical Engineering & Innovation in 2016.[citation needed]

She worked on several projects on health technology innovation at universities in Africa, including "Developing Innovative Interdisciplinary Biomedical Engineering Programs" in Africa with Northwestern University and Universities of Lagos and Ibadan, as well as "African Biomedical Engineering Mobility" with Kenyatta University, Cairo University, Addis Ababa University, the Mbarara University of Science and Technology, the University of Lagos and the University of Pisa.[4]

Douglas was Editor-in-Chief of Global Health Innovation, a research journal for a non-profit organisation which designs, implements and manages programs that develop life-saving solutions.[5] The journal launched in 2018, and in the same year, she gave a TED Talk titled "To design better tech, understand context".[6] She regularly carried out research on methods of helping underdeveloped countries with biomedical techniques. She participated in the publishing of more than 120 articles,[7] and gave talks about biomedical innovation[8][9] and about women in leadership roles.[10]

Awards and recognition[edit]

In 2015, Douglas was awarded the SARCHI Chair in Biomendical Engineering and Innovation.[11][12] In 2016, along with Jill Fortuin, she received the NRF Community Engagement Award.[13] In 2018 she was elected a member of the Quartz Africa Innovators,[14] a group of 30 African thinkers.

Death[edit]

On 20 March 2021, Douglas died of cancer.[15][16] Institute of Physics and Engineering in Medicine (IPEM) CEO Phil Morgan said: "This is such shocking and sad news. We give thanks for all Tania contributed as a colleague of IPEM, and send our sincere condolences to her family, friends and wider circle. She will be remembered with great affection and immense respect."[17]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Update: Prof Douglas does George proud". George Herald. 11 July 2013. Retrieved 30 October 2023.
  2. ^ "Personal Profile – Tania Douglas". African Biomedical Engineering Consortium. Archived from the original on 3 December 2022.
  3. ^ "Tania Douglas: Biomedical Engineer" (PDF). Umthombo (2). University of Cape Town: 8–9. 2018. Retrieved 30 October 2023.
  4. ^ "Tania Douglas | Speaker". TED. Retrieved 30 October 2023.
  5. ^ "Tania Douglas". The Conversation. Retrieved 13 November 2018.
  6. ^ Douglas, Tania (28 August 2017). "To design better tech, understand context". TED. Retrieved 25 January 2019.
  7. ^ van de Groenendaal, Hans (18 December 2018). "Nanotechnology: An industry taking off in SA". EE Publishers. Archived from the original on 2 January 2021.
  8. ^ Senior, Christin (28 January 2019). "Using "Responsible Innovation" To Improve Global Health". University of Central Florida College of Medicine. Retrieved 30 October 2023.
  9. ^ "Message from the Director" (PDF). Trinity College Biomedical Engineering News (4). May–June 2010. Retrieved 30 October 2023.
  10. ^ "NMMU George celebrates Women's Day with "home-grown" inspiration". The Gremlin. 8 August 2014. Retrieved 30 October 2023.
  11. ^ "ASSAf Members in the News". ASSAf. 25 September 2015. Archived from the original on 2 November 2017.
  12. ^ "SARChI Chair awarded to Tania Douglas". University of Cape Town, Division of Biomedical Engineering. 2 September 2015. Retrieved 13 November 2018.
  13. ^ "Tania Douglas and Jill Fortuin receive NRF Community Engagement Awards". University of Cape Town, Division of Biomedical Engineering. 13 December 2016. Retrieved 13 November 2018.
  14. ^ "Africa Innovators 2018: A list of 30 pioneers". Quartz Africa. 20 September 2018. Retrieved 15 October 2018.
  15. ^ Meintjes, Ernesta M. (10 June 2021). "Remembering Tania Douglas: a brilliant biomedical engineer, academic and friend". The Conversation. Retrieved 30 October 2023.
  16. ^ "In memory of Prof Tania Douglas". University of Capetown. 25 March 2021. Retrieved 30 October 2023.
  17. ^ "Professor Tania Douglas". IPEM Newsletter. York, UK: Institute of Physics and Engineering in Medicine: 5–6. March 2021. Retrieved 30 October 2023.

External links[edit]

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