BIOSKETCH
Ms. Nene is the Research Coordinator of the Multinational Lung Cancer Control Program (MLCCP) within the Cancer and Infectious Diseases Epidemiology Research Unit (CIDERU) at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN). She has led the coordination of the program from Phase 2 through to Phase 3, ensuring effective implementation and continuity across its activities. With over ten years of experience in public health research, complemented by extensive program and project management expertise, Ms. Nene is a seasoned researcher with a proven track record in the higher education sector. Her professional experience spans several esteemed institutions, including the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC), the Centre of Excellence in Human Development at the University of the Witwatersrand, and the Health Economics and HIV/AIDS Research Division (HEARD) at UKZN. Her research portfolio is diverse, covering areas such as disability studies, HIV prevention, key populations, sexual and reproductive health and rights, mental health, and cancer epidemiology and prevention. Ms. Nene holds a Master of Social Sciences (Counselling Psychology) degree from UKZN. She has co-authored publications in local and international peer-reviewed journals and has presented her work at various academic conferences.
LIST OF PUBLICATIONS
- Nene, S., Hlongwa, M., Hlongwana, K., & Dlamini, S. (2025). Factors influencing early detection of lung cancer in patients in low- and middle-income countries: a scoping review protocol. Systematic Reviews, 14(1), 243. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13643-025-02967-0.George, G., Nene, S., Beckett, S., Durevall, D., Lindskog, A. & Govender, K. (2019). Greater risk for more money: the economics of negotiating condom use amongst sex workers in South Africa, AIDS Care, DOI: 10.1080/09540121.2018.1563284.
- Veling, W., Burns, J.K., Makhathini, E.M., Mtshemla, S., Nene, S., Shabalala, S., Mbatha, N., Tomita, A., Baumgartner, J., Susser, I., Hoek, H. W., & Susser, E. (2018). Identification of patients with recent-onset psychosis in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa: a pilot study with traditional health practitioners and diagnostic instruments. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol, https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127- 018-1623-x.
- Hanass-Hancock, J., Nene, S., Johns, R. & Chappell, P. (2018). The Impact of Contextual Factors on Comprehensive Sexuality Education for Learners with Intellectual Disabilities in South Africa. Sex Disabil. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11195- 018-9526-z.
- Hanass-Hancock, J., Chappell, P., Johns, R. & Nene, S. (2018). Breaking the Silence Through Delivering Comprehensive Sexuality Education to Learners with Disabilities in South Africa: Educators Experiences. Sex Disabil. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11195-018-9525-0.
- Chappell, P., Johns, R., Nene, S. & Hanass-Hancock, J. (2017). Educators‟ perceptions of learners with intellectual disabilities‟ sexual knowledge and behaviour in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Sex Education, https://doi.org/10.1080/14681811.2017.1405801.
- Hanass-Hancock, J., Nene, S., Deghaye, N., & Pillay, S. (2017). „These are not luxuries, it is essential for access to life‟: Disability related out-of-pocket costs as a driver of economic vulnerability in South Africa. African Journal of Disability, 6(0), https://doi.org/10.4102/ajod. v6i0.280.
- Davis, G. P., Tomita, A., Noel Baumgartner, J., Mtshemla, S., Nene, S., King, H., Susser, E., & Burns, J.K., (2016). Substance use and duration of untreated psychosis in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. South African Journal of Psychiatry, Vol 22 (1), p 1-7 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.4102/sajpsychiatry.v22i1.852.
- Tomita, A., Burns, J.K., King, H., Noel Baumgartner, J., Davis, G. P., Mtshemla, S., Nene, S., & Susser, E., (2016). Beyond symptom management: Family relations, unmet needs of persons living with severe mental illnesses, and potential implications for social work in South Africa, Social Work in Health Care, Vol 55 (1), p 12-27, DOI:10.1080/00981389.2015.1088926.
- Tomita, A., Burns, J.K., King, H., Baumgartner, JN., Davis, G.P., Mtshemla, S., Nene, S., & Susser E. (2015). Duration of untreated psychosis and the pathway to care in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease 203(3): 222-225
