Kirsty Donald

Kirsty Donald is a paediatric neurologist and Head of the Division of Developmental Paediatrics at Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital and the University of Cape Town. She has an interest in the developmental disabilities as they manifest in resource limited settings such as South Africa. Specific interests include the different clinical and aetiological spectrum of well-described developmental disabilities as they present in resource poor countries (autism, cerebral palsy, intellectual disability) as well as in preventable causes of neurodisability such as alcohol and methamphetamine exposure, organophosphate poisoning and the neurological and neurocognitive complications of HIV.

Prof. Donald runs a clinical service which sees approximately 4000 children a year with developmental problems and neurodisability (including many children with autism). She is actively involved in current research projects across all of the fields listed above and is involved with both undergraduate and post-graduate supervision and training. Dr. Donald is current secretary of PANDA (Paediatric Association of Neurology and Development of SA) and has played an active role involved in advocating for policy and services for children with developmental disabilities through this role as well as through work with relevant government departments as well as through involvement in the non-governmental sector in this area.