Faculty of Health Sciences
Prof TJ Mariba, Dean
Telephone number: 012 354 2386
Fax number: 012 329 1351
E-mail address: thanyani.mariba@up.ac.za
Message from the Dean
The year under review was exciting as well as challenging for the Faculty of Health Sciences. The majority of faculty members are clinicians who have to spend long hours treating patients and they are under pressure to increase their clinical service load. Despite these pressures, the research and research output of the faculty as a whole is increasing as is clear from the increase in Departement of Education (DoE) subsidized publications for 2006, which is indeed remarkable.
The worldwide focus on the importance of infectious diseases creates unique opportunities for collaboration between various departments and schools in respect of research projects as diverse as Avian Flu and AIDS. Chronic diseases due to an unhealthy lifestyle, especially obesity and Diabetes Mellitus, currently viewed as a worldwide epidemic on the increase, also create research opportunities already utilized by the schools in the faculty.
The School of Medicine has two Medical Research Council units, both functioning well. Both units are particularly active and produce research and research publications of outstanding quality.
Much of this research contributes to improved medical service delivery to the people of South Africa. Various academics of the school also contributed significantly to international medical textbooks. The faculty, like the rest of the university is responsive to the needs of the country and the international community. A number of international congresses were presented at the faculty or are in the planning stage. This serves international contact and collaboration of various departments.
The School of Healthcare Sciences is involved in a variety of innovative projects, for instance the school’s participation in a national survey on the nutritional status of a segment of the population by using a World Health Organisation (WHO) evaluation tool.
The aim is eventually to assist the Community Development Committee in improving service delivery. This collaboration creates new research opportunities in the school. At the same time, there are also various longstanding research projects that continue.
The School of Health Systems and Public Health also continued with their research priorities, such as the influence of chemical exposure on health, public health management of communicable diseases and a multi-sectorial approach to alcohol and drug dependency. The school received substantial support from the National Institutes of Health in the United States of America (USA) to do research on the foetal-alcoholsyndrome, an existing problem in South Africa, which has developed into an extensive national multidisciplinary study.
The School of Dentistry is still focusing on the early diagnosis of oral cancer as well as the relationship between smoking and oral health under the youth in Limpopo Province. The research on oral cancer is recognized internationally for its outstanding quality.
The Faculty of Health Sciences’ vision is focused on making an important contribution to the improvement of the health of all South Africans in South Africa through the delivery of significant relevant research.
Prof TJ Mariba
Dean
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