Social Determinants of Health and Health Inequality Generating new knowledge and fostering a collaborative and interdisciplinary programme through teaching, research and social activism. Contact Us
Social Determinants of Health and Health Inequality Generating new knowledge and fostering a collaborative and interdisciplinary programme through teaching, research and social activism. Contact Us
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The Sheiham Family / Wits Programme on Social Determinants of Health and Health Inequality

Towards the end of 2015, Professor Aubrey Sheiham, and his wife Dr Helena Sheiham generously donated R 8.8 million to the School of Public Health to support a broad programme on researching and addressing health inequalities and the social environmental determinants of health. Dr Molefi Paul Sefularo was South African Deputy Minister of Health until his untimely death in 2010

The Sheiham program’s bold and ambitious goal to generate new knowledge and foster a collaborative and interdisciplinary programme through teaching, research and social activism have never been more important in contemporary South Africa.

The programme has four key goals:

  • Recruiting candidates for a funded PhD fellowship programme focusing on social determinants of Health
  • Enhance the skills and capacity to teach, analyse and/or research the distribution and determinants of health inequities and the social determinants of health,
  • Host the annual Sefularo-Sheiham Memorial Lecture on Health Equity to put the spotlight on health [in]equity,
  • Foster links with South African universities, University College London and beyond

The desired outcomes are to create a programme of excellence at the school, where a critical mass of ethical, multi-disciplinary scholars are able to generate new knowledge on the distribution and determinants of health inequities in South Africa. Furthermore, a deepened and enhanced understanding among School of Public Health academics to teach, research and develop policies that have a positive impact on the social determinants of health and the reduction of health inequities. Shifts in the public discourse on the unacceptability of societal and health inequalities and greater advocacy for social and health equity in laws, policies, jurisprudence and implementation.

Institute for Health Equity - University College London (UCL)

Knowledge and skills exchange between the School of Public Health staff and the University College London (UCL) has strengthened teaching on the Wits health and society course for Masters of Public Health students focussing on various topics including the difference between inequality and inequity and applying these concepts.

Atlantic Philanthropies

The Sheiham program hosted the Equity Initiative Atlantic Philanthropies fellows in health equity, from South East Asia, in May 2019. In parntership with Drama for Life, the Rural Health Advocacy Project and the African Centre for Migration Studies, we designed a module on Social Determinants of Health Inequity.

Southern Centre for Inequality Studies (SCIS)

A strategic collaboration has been set up with the Southern Centre for Inequality Studies (SCIS) in an effort to advance interdisciplinary research, joint teaching and policy goals of the Sheiham program. Sheiham Program, in collaboration with SCIS will be hosted a workshop focusing on Health Economics / Inequality. The Sheiham team have joined the SCIS reading group to grapple with multi-dimensional nature of inequality in South Africa, and to brainstorm new interdisciplinary approaches that consider the structural, social, economic, environmental determinants of health.

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