The Vice-Chancellor's State of University Speech for
Council Dinner, 2008
Faculty of Health Sciences highlights, 2008
Research
The School of Public Health has consolidated itself as a leading institution in Africa responsive to both South and sub-Saharan African health and development issues. Its postgraduate programmes continue to graduate an increasing number of students year on year, but more importantly they are being employed in leading research centres on the continent and in the local health services. Our footprint in Africa is extensive covering 19 countries. This is now extending to a joint pan-African PhD programme in Public and Population Health called the Consortium for Advanced Research Training in Africa (CARTA) co-led by Professor Sharon Fonn and Dr Alex Ezeh from the African Population and Health Research Centre in Nairobi.
The research excellence of the School is underlined by the number of successful school-initiated competitive research grants achieved just this year. As examples: the Wellcome Trust grant for AA£3 million to the MRC/Wits Health & Health Transitions Unit (Agincourt) for their work in rural Southern Africa; an Atlantic Philanthropies award of R9 million to the Centre for Health Policy for research into nursing policy and practise in South Africa; and a 1-year $1 million Gates Foundation grant to the School and APHRC to do essential research on human resources for health in Africa.
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The Faculty's researchers successfully proposed two new University Research Thrusts: Diseases of Lifestyle and Molecular Biosciences.
Other highlights
The outcome of medical specialist examinations for 2008 again confirms that Wits trains one-third of the country's specialists.
At the request of the National Department of Health, the Faculty of Health Sciences hosted a workshop on the new Clinical Associates Programme with inputs from Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, UK and USA as well as the South Africa experience to date. This programme is considered to be a national health worker priority in that it will produce mid-level health professionals.
Shoprite/SABC 2 Women of the Year Award in the Category for Health went to one of Faculty's jointly appointed paediatricians: Professor Lorna Jacklin.
WIRHE (Wits Initiative for Rural Health Education) run by Professor Ian Couper and his team won the Discovery Excellence Award of R1 million.
The Centre for Exercise Science and Sports Medicine was accredited as Africa?s first FIFA Medical Centre of Excellence and inaugurated in March 2008 by the Chief Medical Officer of FIFA, Professor Jiri Dvorak.
