Hlekani Vanessa Mbhatsani
University of Venda, South Africa
Biography
Ms Hlekani Vanessa Mbhatsani is a lecturer of Nutrition at the University of Venda and a registered nutritionist with the Health Professional Council of South Africa. She received both her undergraduate BSc and MSc in Public nutrition at the University of Venda. As a post-graduate student she was given an opportunity to perform research and teaching assistant functions. This provoked the teaching and research interest that led her to applying for the lecturing position after completion of her MSc. To enhance her teaching responsibilities, she persuaded a Post Graduate Diploma in Higher Education at Rhodes University. She is currently studying towards her PhD with Stellenbosch University. Ms. Mbhatsani’s research areas of interest include micronutrients, role of indigenous foods in health and nutrition,child nutrition and food security. She is a co-author of chapter six in a book titled’’ Community Nutrition for South Africa; A Right Based Approach”. She has presented her work both in national and international conferences and only published a few articles in peer reviewed journals. She currently resides in Limpopo Province with her family and can be contacted at vanessa.mbhatsani@univen.ac.za and or +27 72 74 6 6206.