Riëtte du Toit is an Associate Professor and Head of the Division of Rheumatology at Stellenbosch University and Tygerberg Hospital. She is a specialist physician and rheumatologist and obtained her PhD from Stellenbosch University, describing diagnostic characteristics and outcome of myocardial injury in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).  Her ongoing clinical and research interests focus on organ manifestations of SLE – lupus myocarditis, NPSLE and lupus nephritis, immune mechanisms of rheumatic diseases, and health disparities in rheumatology, particularly in African settings. Her current research explores cytokine profiles at myocardial tissue level, biomarkers and genotyping of lupus nephritis (LN), and delineating diagnostic characteristics of neuro psychiatric SLE (NPSLE) including imaging and proteomics.  

She plays an active role in undergraduate and postgraduate medical education, through Stellenbosch University as well as the Colleges of Medicine of South Africa. She serves on the executive committee of SARAA and is a member of the African League of Associations for Rheumatology (ALFAR).  I strive to provide leadership and inspire clinical excellence, towards improving the quality of life of the patients I treat. I aim to strengthen rheumatology services and education in South Africa and across Africa and contribute to the body of knowledge through relevant research.