Somkhele-based scientist wins national award for pioneering mental health research

Mtubatuba-based scientist Xanthe Hunt won a national award for pioneering youth mental health research and empowering marginalised communities.

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Tamlyn Cramer 2 minutes read

Prof Sarah Mosoetsa (HSRC CEO), Associate Professor Xanthe Hunt and Dr Matshidiso Matabane, (SA Council for Natural Scientific Professions acting CEO) Photo: Supplied

ONE young woman scientist is giving a voice to marginalised youth while helping shape the future of mental healthcare in South Africa and beyond.

Now, Associate Professor Xanthe Hunt’s ground-breaking work has earned her national recognition as one of the country’s leading young women scientists.

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The Africa Health Research Institute (AHRI) faculty member and mental health lead won the Distinguished Young Woman Researcher category at the South African Women in Science awards held in Johannesburg on 20 August.

The annual awards, hosted by the Department of Science, Technology and Innovation, celebrate the outstanding contributions of women researchers in driving progress across science, technology, engineering, mathematics and innovation in South Africa.

“It’s a real honour to win, and to do so alongside so many inspiring women scientists,” said Hunt.

“My work has always been guided by a desire to use research to make a positive difference in the lives of young people, particularly those who are marginalised.

“I’m deeply grateful to the colleagues and collaborators who have supported me along the way, and above all, to the young people whose voices and experiences continue to inspire and shape my adolescent mental health research.

“To be recognised in this way is incredibly meaningful and a reminder of the importance of science developed for and with youth,” she said.

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Women empowerment

Through her work, Hunt has made sustainable contributions towards empowering women and girls, particularly those affected by disability, poverty and gender-based violence.

Her role at AHRI, based in Somkhele, Mtubatuba, has seen her lead the development of the institute’s inaugural adolescent mental health research strategy, engaging with 80 stakeholders from 14 countries, establishing an Africa-led research agenda.

She is now the principal investigator of a R57.3m Wellcome Trust-funded five-year longitudinal study of 1 536 adolescents in rural KZN to develop a contextually relevant framework of adolescent mental health outcomes.

She has also authored more than 100 journal articles, and has published a book.

Her research on violence against women with disabilities has informed prevention frameworks and public policy in South Africa.

She also led the development of the Department of Basic Education’s first psychosocial support strategy for the education sector, a forthcoming national guidance document focused on embedding mental health interventions within schools with the potential to reach millions of learners and transform early prevention at scale.

As winner of the Mental Health Data Prize-Africa, Hunt led the CO-LUMINATE study, which linked data from 5 279 adolescents with longitudinal household surveillance to identify social determinants of depression.

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Her own accolades aside, Hunt is also committed to developing the next generation of women researchers.

She has supervised a number of post-graduate students to completion and is presently supervising several PhD candidates, and has delivered academic writing and research capacity workshops for early-career women researchers across sub-Saharan Africa.

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