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The Faculty of Health Sciences is characterized by excellent academic training programmes, founded on research of the highest quality, and well-integrated administrative and committee structures. It provides for a variety of health disciplines not only in the Western Cape but also in the rest of South and Southern Africa. While training and research of the highest quality are critical aims of the Faculty of Health Sciences, we are also aware of our duty to this country: to build, encourage and sustain a distinctive African relevance and excellence, comparable to the best in the world. This is reflected in initiatives across the whole spectrum of our activities. The Faculty of Health Sciences of Stellenbosch University is recognized as an indispensable leader in the field of health sciences in Africa and for the contribution it makes internationally. Contact webmaster: tygermar@sun.ac.za

News Flashes! Click here to download Tygerland   Maties Soccer Team appointed as TB Ambassodors The Maties Soccer First Team has been appointed as TB Ambassodors in the Socer World Cup Year for specifically Kayamandi but also in the Western Cape at a Tuberculosis (TB) awareness event held at the Kayamandi High School in Kayamandi in Stellenbosch on Monday (15 March). The Desmond Tutu TB Centre, situated in the Faculty of Health Sciences of Stellenbosch University (SU) co-facilitated the event that was presented by the Western Cape Department of Health to commemorative World TB Day. Read more... Faculty hosts 10th AstraZeneca Health Sciences Research Day The Stellenbosch Faculty of Health Sciences recently hosted the 10th annual AstraZeneca Health Sciences Research Day. This day is the only occasion of the year when researchers of all Western Cape universities meet and share their experiences. Read more... Relevance is the key to success says new Chancellor of Stellenbosch University "Like any idea, concept or product, an institution has to be relevant and contemporary to succeed. For Stellenbosch University to survive and prosper we will have to be relevant to society." These were the words of Dr Johann Rupert, Chancellor of Stellenbosch University, at his inauguration held on Thursday night in the Endler Hall of the University's Conservatoire. Read more... 'KICK TB 2010' - THE TB AWARENESS CAMPAIGN THAT WILL HIT HOME 'Kick TB 2010', a highly innovative TB awareness campaign, was recently launched internationally in Cancun, Mexico at the 40th UNION World TB Conference. More than 2000 delegates attending this cutting-edge conference received a 'Kick TB 2010' soccer ball and were invited to join the international "Kick TB 2010" team, encouraging them to implement this campaign concept in their own countries. 'Kick TB 2010'  was developed within the creative hub of the Desmond Tutu TB Centre, a world-class research centre at the Faculty of Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University. Read more... » Also view video clip Oath taking ceremonies for MBChB- and Allied Health Sciences students The oath taking ceremonies for all final year students were held on 7 December 2009 at Tygerberg Campus.  Prizes were also awarded during the ceremonies to students who were best achievers in specific disciplines or subjects. Prize winners for Allied Health Sciences Prize winners for MBChB Norwegian king and queen guests of Rector at Uitsig Clinic Their Majesties, King Harald V and Queen Sonja of Norway, has paid a visit the Uitsig TB Clinic as guests of Prof Russel Botman, Rector and Vice-Chancellor of Stellenbosch University (SU) on Thursday. The visit to the clinic formed part of a state visit to South Africa on invitation of President Jacob Zuma. Uitsig is one of more than 20 communities where the Desmond Tutu TB Centre of Stellenbosch University (SU) is working in close collaboration with the Department of Health and other research partners to improve the wellbeing of people in the community. It is one of 18 epidemiological field stations that are situated at primary health clinics in the Cape Metropole and the Western Cape Province. The Norwegian funded research project, NUFU, is one of a number of TB research projects that are active at the Uitsig Clinic. Read more... Photo: With Prof Russel Botman, Rector and Vice-Chancellor of Stellenbosch University,  (third from the left) are their majesties, Queen Sonja and King Harald V of Norway and Mr Dan Plato, Executive Mayor of Cape Town. (Photo: Anton Jordaan, SSFD) Inaugural speeches at Tygerberg Profs Elizabeth Wasserman, from the Division of Medical Microbiology and Bob Mash, from the Division of Family Medicine and Primary Care, recently delivered their inaugural speeches at Tygerberg Campus.  Wasserman delivered her speech on "Battles with bacteria: the history and future of staphylococcus aureus infection" and Mash on "Chronic disease, climate change and complexity". Photo (fltr): Profs Marietjie de Villiers (Deputy Dean: Education); Wynand van der Merwe (Dean); Elizabeth Wasserman; Julian Smith (Stellenbosch University Vice-Rector: Community Interaction and Personnel); Bob Mash; Dr Therese Fish (Deputy Dean: Community Interaction) and Prof Jimmy Volmink (Deputy Dean: Research). Faculty of Health Sciences Professor receives prestigious ASSAf Science-for-Society Award   Prof Paul van Helden, from Biomedical Sciences, was amongst two scientists who recently received the Academy of Science of South Africa's  (ASSAf) Science-for-Society Gold Medal.  ASSAf awards this prestigious award annually for scholarly excellence. Read more...   Winning poster at AMEE Dr Alwyn Louw's poster was recently selected as tbe best of 650 posters at the international AMEE conference in Malaga, Spain. Dr Louw is from the Centre for Health Sciences Education (CHSE). His co-investigators were Ms Martie van Heusden (CHSE) and Proff Ben van Heerden (Director: CHSE) and Juanita Bezuidenhout (Pathology). Inaugural Speeches Profs Soraya Seedat, from the Department of Psychiatry and Wolfgang Preiser, from the Division of Medical Virology, recently delivered their inaugural speeches at Tygerberg Campus.  Seedat delivered her speech on "Psychiatry: A time of disruptive insights?" and Preiser on "Diagnostic virology - excessive expenditure or essential contribution to healthcare?". Photo (fltr): Dr Therese Fish (Deputy Dean: Community Interaction); Profs Jimmy Volmink (Deputy Dean: Research); Soraya Seedat; Julian Smith (Stellenbosch University Vice-Rector: Community Interaction and Personnel); Wolfgang Preiser; Prof Wynand van der Merwe (Dean) and Marietjie de Villiers (Deputy Dean: Education). Stellenbosch scientists identifies the gene that causes inherited heart disease After a scientific search of more than three decades, researchers in the Faculty of Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University - in collaboration with international partners - have pinpointed the rogue gene that causes the inherited heart disease, known as progressive familial heart block type I, in a group of South African families whose ancestors can all be traced to one immigrant who landed on these shores in 1696. Read more... Photo: (From left standing) Sr Althea Goosen (Stellenbosch University); Prof Olaf Pongs (University of Hamburg); Prof Paul Brink (Stellenbosch University); Dr Lou Hofmeyr (Stellenbosch University). (Front left sitting) Prof Eric Schulze-Bahr (University of Munster); Prof Valerie Corfield (Stellenbosch University). Baromedicine & Occupation Health Facility officially opened The Hyperbaric facility was recently opened by Prof Arnold van Zyl, the Stellenbosch University Vice-rector (Research) during a formal function. Staff and role-players visited the facility and had an opportunity to ask questions regarding treatment possibilities and other relating issues. Photo: Profs Wynand van der Merwe (left) and Usuf Chikte accompanied Prof Arnold van Zyl while cutting the ribbon. » Click here for more information relating to the facility. The Sustainability Summit for Tygerberg Campus: Creating vision, taking steps. The Faculty of Health Sciences recently hosted a sustainability summit at Tygerberg Campus to address key issues with reference to a five year vision and an initial plan for Tygerberg Campus to become more sustainable. Speakers and participants included Profs Mark Swilling (back left), SU Sustainability Institute; Leopoldt van Huyssteen, SU Executive Director: Operations and Finance; Bob Mash, Executive Head: Family Medicine and Primary Care; Wynand van der Merwe, Dean: Faculty of Health Sciences; Dr Matthew Kuperus Heun (front left), Centre for Renewable and Sustainability Energy Studies (SU and Clavin College, USA) and Mr Patrick Costello, Shared Energy Management. Read more.. FHS Annual Academic Day once again a success The Faculty of Health Sciences' Annual Academic Day (AAD) was recently held at Tygerberg Campus and well supported by University and Faculty researchers, staff and students and the general public. Sir Iain Chalmers (left), AAD guest lecturer met with Drs Taryn Young, Co-convenor of the FHS Masters in Clinical Epidiomology, Pat Yudkin, Reader in Medical Statistics at Oxford University and Prof Jimmy Volmink, Deputy Dean: Research during AAD proceedings. Read more... Visit the AAD website (www.sun.ac.za/aad) to view winners and/or the abstract booklet. The Facutly's Annual Academic Day kicked off with a poster presentation of Community Interaction projects, managed by staff and students of Tygerberg Campus.Photo: Prof Usuf Chikte, Departmental Head: Interdisciplinary Health Sciences (right) view the LINK-project poster with staff members of the Nursing division, Dr Ethelwynn Stellenberg (left), mr Oswell Khondowe and prof Cheryl Nikodem, Head of Nursing. FHS to participate in international research initiative funded by the Wellcome Trust The Faculty of Health Sciences is amongst various Faculties and Universities from five countries in Africa - South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Malawi - to participate, under the leadership of Prof Jean Nachega, the Director of the Centre for Infectious Diseases, in international consortia under a £5 million over 5 years intitiative funded by the Wellcome Trust. Read more... SU Research study published in World Health Organisation paper: "TB vaccine could kill babies with HIV" A study by researchers at the Faculty of Health Sciences on the dangers of BCG vaccination for HIV-infected babies, used worldwide to protect babies with immune systems already weakened by HIV, was cited in the latest issue of Bulletin published by the World Health Organisation. Read more... The well none GESOG! programme took place from 28 June until 3 July. Grade 12 learners from various previously disadvantaged high schools across the country visited Tygerberg Campus. This residential programme is free of charge to grade 12 learners who have a genuine interest in a career in the health sciences and whose subjects include mathematics, physical science and biology. Inaugural Speeches: Prof Usuf Chikte, from the Department of Interdisciplinary Health Sciences and Prof Cheryl Nikodem, from the Division of Nursing, delivered their inaugural speeches on 17 June at Tygerberg Campus.  Chikte delivered his speech on "Reflections on Higher Education in transition" and Nikodem on "A signature pedagogy for Stellenbosch University Nursing Division (SUND)" Photo (fltr): Profs Marietjie de Villiers (Deputy Dean: Education); Jimmy Volmink (Deputy Dean: Research); Cheryl Nikodem; Julian Smith (Vice-Rector: Community Interaction & Personnel); Usuf Chikte; Wynand van der Merwe (Dean) and Dr Therese Fish (Deputy Dean: Community Interaction) New TB drug 'an enormous breakthrough' Prof Andreas Diacon of Medical Physiology and his colleagues recently reported, in an article in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine, the results of a clinical trial that they conducted with TB patients at four South African hospitals, using a novel new TB agent, known as TMC207. Diacon and his colleagues have found that when the experimental drug was added to the current standard combination of TB drugs for eight weeks of treatment, it was five times more powerful in successfully treating patients with multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB). Read more...   Achievers honoured by Health Sciences at annual Achievement Evening The Faculty of Health Sciences acknowledged their top achievers at the Faculty's recent annual Academic Achievement Evening. » Read more

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