Internationally recognized occupational medicine specialist Dr. Vanessa Govender will visit the University of Iowa to deliver a Grand Rounds presentation to Internal Medicine in the UI Carver College of Medicine, as well as a series of three talks, all of which discuss occupational lung disease, worker health, and global lessons from South Africa’s mining industry.
Hosted by the Iowa Global Health Network, an International Programs affinity group, the events will bring together students, faculty, and community members to explore how global health challenges inform research, policy, and practice across disciplines.
“Dr. Govender’s visit provides a valuable opportunity to connect global health research with real-world challenges that affect workers and communities everywhere,” said Claudia Corwin, clinical associate professor of internal medicine – pulmonary, critical care, and occupational medicine in the Department of Internal Medicine of the UI Carver College of Medicine, and director of the Iowa Global Health Network. “Her experience brings an important international perspective to conversations happening across public health, medicine, and community engagement at Iowa.”
During her multi-day visit, Dr. Govender will give four lectures. The final event, in partnership with the Iowa City Foreign Relations Council, is open to the public.
Occupational Lung Diseases in the South African Mining Industry – Global Lessons
Date: Wednesday, April 15, 2026
Co-sponsored by the UI College of Public Health, this presentation explores occupational lung diseases as a major yet preventable global public health challenge, drawing on decades of experience in South Africa’s mining sector to examine the intersections of dust exposure, tuberculosis, and silicosis, and their implications for prevention and worker protection worldwide.
Internal Medicine - Grand Rounds presentation
Date: Thursday, April 16, 2026
Sponsored by the UI Carver College of Medicine, Dr. Govender will give a grand rounds presentation to faculty trainees and staff.
From South Africa’s Mines to Iowa's Farms, Fields and Meatpacking Plants: Immigrant Worker Health and Community Resilience
Date & Time: Thursday, April 16, 2026 | 6 – 7:30 p.m. (CDT)
Location: Iowa City Public Library, 123 S. Linn St., Iowa City
In partnership with the Iowa City Foreign Relations Council, this public lecture connects global experiences of worker health and occupational disease to challenges faced by communities in Iowa, emphasizing the links between health, justice, and community resilience.
This event is open to the public; all are welcome!
Register Here for the ICFRC event
Breathprints and Beyond: Layered Early Detection of Silicosis in Gold Mineworkers
Date: Friday, April 17, 2026
In partnership with the UI Carver College of Medicine, this research-focused Pulmonary Research Conference examines emerging work on early “breathprint” biomarkers that may enable earlier detection of silicosis, offering new possibilities for prevention and surveillance in occupational lung disease.
The Iowa Global Health Network (IGHN) is an interdisciplinary group of scholars at the University of Iowa whose research and interests lie in the study of real-world health problems and challenges. The Network provides opportunities for cross disciplinary interaction, development of new scholarly and clinical initiatives, and fosters collaboration among those interested in global health at the University of Iowa.
About Dr. Vanessa Govender
Dr. Vanessa Govender, MBBCh, DOH, MPH (policy & management) is a South African specialist in occupational medicine with over 30 years of experience, including more than a decade in consulting, spanning public health, worker health systems, and occupational lung diseases. Her work bridges clinical practice, academia, policy, and advisory roles, with particular expertise in mining health, health risk communication, and the prevention of dust-related lung disease in exposed workers. A growing focus of her work is the responsible adoption of artificial intelligence in occupational healthcare systems.
Dr. Govender is the director of Masakhane Strategic Health Consulting (Pty) Ltd and serves in an advisory capacity to the Tshiamiso Trust, South Africa’s enhanced compensation system for former mineworkers affected by occupational lung disease. She is an honorary lecturer at the School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) in Johannesburg, where she completed her medical degree and postgraduate training in public health, occupational health, and travel medicine. She has also completed executive education programs in leadership and strategy through Wits Business School, London Business School, and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
She is the author of From Suspicion to Submission: Occupational Lung Diseases in the South African Mining Industry (2024). In December 2025, she was a finalist in the Harvard Medical School AI in Healthcare: From Strategy to Implementation program, where she explored digital clinical decision-support approaches grounded in the scientific foundations of her published work.
Dr. Govender is a guest lecturer with the International Labour Organization (ILO), contributing to international training in occupational lung disease classification and worker protection. She is currently involved in collaborative research with the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) and the University of Gothenburg, focusing on early biomarkers of silicosis. Her lectures and invited talks examine public health through the lenses of diagnostic complexity, global classification systems, evolving compensation pathways, and the reimagining of worker health dignity through prevention focused and emerging digital approaches.
Individuals with disabilities are encouraged to attend all University of Iowa–sponsored events. If you are a person with a disability who requires a reasonable accommodation in order to participate in this program, please contact Daniel Vorwerk in advance at 319-497-1619 or daniel-vorwerk@uiowa.edu.