University of Cape Town, SA

Darlene is an ENT surgeon from Cape Town, South Africa, specialising in endoscopic sinus, skull base, and transorbital surgery. Her specific area of expertise is transorbital approaches, using the orbit as a corridor to access deep sinus, skull base, and intracranial spaces. These include endoscopic optic nerve decompressions (to improve vision), tumour removal via transorbital access, and transorbital sphenoid wing meningioma surgery, the latter being investigated in local populations with respect to growth patterns and risk factors.

I am also involved in medical device development and co-developed the Trachealator, a non-occlusive balloon device, which won the 2021 USA Gold Winner Medical Design Excellence Award.