Maxine Hannan

I enrolled as a first-year student at the University of Pretoria in 2019 to study a Bachelor of Science in Human Physiology. Between hockey, water polo and all my academic commitments, I found the first year challenging but my motivation and determination got me through the year. In my second year, I decided to choose 3 major subjects which included Human Physiology, Genetics, and Psychology because I had a keen interest in Genetics in first year. I thoroughly enjoyed the triple major and was surprised but pleased to see the connection between the 3 major subjects. I graduated with 76.61% for undergraduate degree which encouraged me to apply for honours in Human Physiology. We had the option to apply for either Neuro, Sport, or Cellular Physiology, and I decided to go the route of Neurophysiology because I wanted to extend my knowledge and explore new concepts of the brain. I am fortunate enough to have been provided the opportunity to work with the Medical and Neurosurgery departments at Steve Biko Academic Hospital in Pretoria for our research projects this year. The Neurophysiology honors class were given specific topics for this year, and my topic is “Non-invasive assessment of intracranial pressure using ultrasound” which I find extremely intriguing and enjoyable. I finished my honours year with 72.83%. I was fortunate enough to attend the 30th Society of Neurosurgeons of South Africa Congress 2022 where I took part in an ultrasound workshop and listened to different perspectives of neurosurgery from around the world. This year I attended an intra-ventricular neuroendoscopy workshop and a Zeiss Microscopy workshop. 

This introduction into human physiology, specifically neurophysiology encouraged and prompted me to apply for a master’s degree in human physiology. My proposed title for my project this year is “The agreement of ultrasound imaging and computed tomography scanning with magnetic resonance imaging of the optic nerve sheath diameter in patients with brain tumours with increased intracranial pressure”. My project is based at Steve Biko Academic Hospital, specifically in the Neurosurgery department headed-up by Prof LC Padayachy. Researching in this environment has enabled many learning opportunities that would not otherwise be possible. As a master’s student I assist the resident professor and the Neurosurgery department with research whilst completing my own project further extending my knowledge and skills. 

I am currently completing my Masters in Human Physiology at the University of Pretoria. Both my honours and masters year have enabled me to conduct research independently, in a team environment, effectively, and efficiently.

My honours and masters degrees in science have equipped me with the knowledge and capabilities to perform and conduct research thoroughly. My honours project included a mini dissertation and course work and my masters project is a dissertation only. Both these courses have taught me to write and present my research in an academic setting.