Associate Professor Vanker is a paediatric pulmonologist at Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital, University of Cape Town, South Africa, where she is involved in the care of children with a wide range of both congenital and acquired respiratory conditions.

She completed her paediatric pulmonology training at Tygerberg Children’s Hospital and Stellenbosch University in 2010. She is also a clinical researcher with a particular interest in the environmental determinants of childhood lung diseases, which was the subject of her PhD entitled “Indoor air pollution and environmental tobacco smoke exposure in a South African birth cohort study” and continues working in this field.

Professor Vanker is vice-president of the South African Thoracic Society, board member of the Indian Ocean Pulmonology Society (SPOI) and a member of the Forum of International Respiratory Societies (FIRS) Environmental Committee. She also serves on the South African National Department of Health Air Quality and Health Focus Group and the National Environmental Consultative and Advisory (NECA) 3A forum, an air quality advisory committee to the South African Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment.