Associate Professor Dirk Blom is the Head of Division of Lipidology at the University of Cape Town and also heads the Lipid Clinic at Groote Schuur Hospital. The lipid clinic serves as a referral centre for patients with severe, unusual or difficult-to-manage dyslipidaemia and participates in numerous clinical trials exploring novel lipid-modifying or anti-atherosclerotic therapies.

Prof Blom’s personal research interests include genetic disorders of lipoprotein metabolism with a particular emphasis on dysbetalipoproteinaemia and familial hypercholesterolaemia which is particularly common in South Africa. His unit has participated or is participating in trials with microsomal transfer protein (MTP)-inhibitors, antisense oligonucleotides and PCSK9 inhibitors for the management of familial hypercholesterolaemia. Other interests include familial chylomicronaemia, lipodystrophy, PPARgamma mutations, dyslipidaemia in ART and lipid guidelines.

Prof Blom is a member of multiple international societies and currently serves on the executive committee of the Lipid and Atherosclerosis Society of Southern Africa. He has published in multiple peer-reviewed journals including Lancet, the New England Journal of Medicine, Circulation, Clinical Lipidology, Current Opinion in Lipidology and the Journal of Lipid Research. He has also contributed to the development of the South African Dyslipidaemia and SEMDSA Diabetes treatment guidelines.