Rhodes Scholarship for Kearsney old boy
A KEARSNEY College old boy who has been awarded a Rhodes Scholarship to Oxford University, aims to be part of a growing number of medical researchers focused on improving patient care and disease management in South Africa’s public health system.
Rhodes Scholar elect Alex von Klemperer will begin his Master’s in neuroscience at Oxford in October. The Rhodes Scholarship will then see the 26-year-old pursue a Doctor of Philosophy (DPhil) degree –a three- to four-year programme that requires students to undertake a doctoral level research project.
Von Klemperer’s research interests include neurological diseases like Alzheimer’s, and twin epidemics HIV/Aids and TB.
A medical graduate from UCT, he recently completed his internship at the Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital in Soweto.
Von Klemperer was dux of Kearsney in 2006, and is the school’s third Rhodes Scholar.
“I have always had an interest in biology and medicine. Initially it was in orthopaedics – I was a pretty clumsy kid growing up and broke about six bones over the course of my childhood, so I got quite familiar with hospitals and plaster casts. As I went through high school though, my interest broadened into all aspects of medicine.”
Von Klemperer was inspired to apply for the Rhodes Scholarship by previous Rhodes Scholars he had met.
“I was lucky to briefly spend time with Yusuf Randera-Rees, watching how the company he founded, the Awethu project, which develops entrepreneurs in Soweto and other low-income areas, has been so successful at finding potential in entrepreneurs who otherwise have not had opportunities. Two UCT medicine grads from the year above me also won scholarships, and encouraged me to apply.”
A class of 83 Rhodes Scholars from 19 countries including Australia, the US, India and Zimbabwe is selected to take up the international graduate scholarship programme each year.
Four scholarships are awarded to students from South Africa, and one to an applicant from KwaZulu-Natal.
Von Klemperer’s interest in research and neurology was sparked in his first year, and his interest in HIV/Aids and TB, as an intern at Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital.
“My interest in both research and neurology is pretty deeply ingrained. From pretty much my first year of medicine, the more I learnt about it the more excited I got,” he said.
“As a student I spent a lot of my holiday time in the neurology department at UCT, and the Hatter Cardiovascular Institute in London. During my internship at Bara, I saw the impact of TB and HIV.”
Von Klemperer said he realised how, in a resource-constrained setting, patients were vulnerable and easily marginalised.
“The more researchers and research we have in the South African setting in any field, the better we can improve the management of these diseases and the care of patients, given the challenges we face in the health-care system,” said Von Klemperer.