Health Sciences Researchers Recognised for Impactful Scholarship at the Open Access Author Awards
- FHS Communications
On 29 October 2025, Wits Libraries, in partnership with Elsevier, hosted the Wits Open Data Vault Launch and Open Access Author Awards. The event, which took place at the Ola Wartenweiler Library, Braamfontein Campus East, celebrated the outstanding achievements of Wits researchers.
While the launch of the Wits Open Data Vault marked a significant milestone in advancing research visibility, the highlight of the day was the Elsevier Authorship Recognition Awards, which honoured scholars across career stages for their exceptional contributions to Wits’ research output and commitment to open access.
Professor Lynn Morris, Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Research and Innovation, spoke on the relevance of research publication partnerships, emphasising that “open access ensures knowledge generated at Wits is accessible not only to academics but also to communities and policymakers”. She highlighted the university’s commitment to social impact, ethical publishing and global collaboration.
Caption: Professor Lynn Morris speaking at the launch of the Wits Open Data Vault
Faculty of Health Sciences achieved top honours, with two of its researchers receiving the Wits Most Cited Author Awards for publications in Elsevier journals (January 2024 – June 2025). Dr Michael Boachie was awarded First Place, and Dr Whiteson Chodziwadziwa Kabudula for Second Place.
Dr Boachie is a Senior Researcher at the SAMRC/Wits Centre for Health Economics and Decision Science (PRICELESS SA). His research focuses on health economics, including healthcare financing, provider payment mechanisms, the economic burden of disease, cost-effectiveness analysis, and fiscal policies for health.
Dr Kabudula is a Senior Researcher and Assistant Director for Data and Analytics at MRC/Wits Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit (Agincourt), School of Public Health. His research uses demographic and statistical methods to examine population-level health trends and their social determinants.
The research of both academics conceptualises socioeconomic matters which can be applied within policy frameworks that inform how citizens experience health interventions on the ground.
Making research accessible is essential for advancing knowledge sharing and ensuring evidence-based information can be widely used to promote scholarship and its practical application in society.
“Through transformative agreements with publishers like Elsevier, Wits authors can publish open access without paying individual article processing charges — a major boost for early-career researchers and students”, said Bongi Mphuti.
The recognition awardees at the ceremony reflect their remarkable impact on global scholarship and their dedication to making research accessible through open access publishing. Their work exemplifies Wits’ cause to champion research visibility.