Shane Smit

I am a recent graduate with a Masters degree in Cardiovascular Physiology Research. I am passionate about health science/ medical research, as I am determined to contribute to the betterment of human health and lifestyle. I have 4 years experience working as a research assistant in a renowned research clinic (the Hypertension in Africa Research Team Clinic) while I completed my studies. This allowed me to attain an assortment of skills related to conducting research. I also have experience analyzing and reporting on research data and am proficient in literature review and scientific writing. I want to further my research career by becoming a clinical research assistant/ clinical laboratory assistant, with the next step becoming a clinical research associate.

Working as a research assistant at the Hypertension In Africa Research Team Clinic of the North-West University, South Africa:

- I have experience with participant recruitment and screening and handling various administrative tasks.

- Working in the laboratory with human blood and urine samples, performing wet lab bench duties (centrifuging, pipetting, sample handling, labeling), sample storing, performing whole blood count analysis and equipment maintenance.

-Performing various clinical measurements (retinal vessel imaging, blood pressure measurements, ECGs, arterial stiffness measurements, anthropometric measurements etc) on participants and capturing personal information (informed consent documentation and questionnaire data) from study participants. 

-I also have experience working with confidential information on electronic data capture systems, analyzing and reporting on research data.

I completed a Masters in Health Science degree in Cardiovascular Physiology with distinction. This degree was completed in December 2022, with expected graduation in June 2023. My thesis focused on retinal vessel imaging and cardiovascular disease risk markers.