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Biennial Research Day and Postgraduate Expo

Change the here and now to shape the next 100 years!

In 2019, we celebrated the achievements of the past 100 years. We rewind back to the year 1919, when there were only 24 students enrolled in medical school, and on to 1925, when the faculty’s first four doctors qualified. We fast-forward to 100 years down the timeline… and currently, 6 500 students are enrolled in our faculty with more than 27 000 students in total having graduated from our faculty.  As part of our centenary celebrations, we are bathing in our faculty’s accolades, inventions and innovations in the areas of genetics, molecular biology, rural health advocacy, public health policy, vaccinology and surgery, to mention just a few.

As we move into the 2020's, what do we envision for the next 100 years? We have the power to mould the future right here and now with our actions today, with the decisions we make now. Which accolades, inventions and innovations will we (or rather those who survive us) celebrate in 100 years from now? What would our role have been in shaping the substance of these tributes?  

Just the thought of being part of another 100 years excites us, but where do we even begin to transform our excitement into action? Let us have a vision, a bigger plan for our research, a plan which is strategically aligned with our Wits vision for research. The Wits vision for research, as stated in the Strategic Plan for Research 2018-2022, is “to be a globally leading research intensive university and a gateway to research engagement and intellectual achievement in Africa”. But how will this shape our actions, our everyday engagements in the here and now? The Wits mission for research states clearly what we, as a collective, are trying to put into action: “To be a world class research intensive university, vigorously engaging the profound challenges in the local and broader African context as a basis for ground-breaking, globally significant research and innovation”.

The Faculty of Health Sciences Research Day of 2020 will focus on the future. We will celebrate solutions to our current challenges while we envision what the next 100 years will be like. We will shape our thinking, planning and actions to face our local challenges, while our resolutions will be on a standard that is globally significant.

Come and join our research day, submit an abstract, chair a session, join the debate… share what is inside you, and join us in getting enthusiastic about the promises the future holds! Let us learn from the past, take action in the now, get excited about the future, and change the world!

Download the FHS Research Day Programme 2020

Benita Olivier (PhD)
Chair: Faculty of Health Sciences Research Day 2020 Organising Committee
Physiotherapy Department, School of Therapeutic Sciences

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