by Lorato | Oct 21, 2026 | Accolades and Achievements, All News, Alumni, SMU Media, Student Media
Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University (SMU) academic Dr Veena Abraham has earned a PhD in Pharmacy through a collaborative doctoral programme with the University of Stirling in Scotland, highlighting the need for institutional policies that address mental health and burnout among university academics.
Awarded in 2026, her doctorate focused on developing and pre-testing an evidence-informed mental health promotion policy for academic staff at a historically disadvantaged South African university. Her research examined how workloads, organisational culture, leadership practices and limited institutional support affect staff wellbeing in higher education.
The study found that 49% of surveyed academic staff screened positive for severe psychological distress, while 27% reported high levels of burnout. The institutional survey involved 157 respondents and revealed that fewer than one-third felt comfortable disclosing mental health concerns, while more than half expressed dissatisfaction with institutional support.
“These findings highlight the importance of recognising mental health and burnout as workplace concerns that require institutional attention. Universities need to understand how working conditions, leadership practices and organisational culture affect academic staff and their ability to thrive professionally,” said Dr Abraham.
The findings highlight the scale of the challenge facing universities. As the study concludes, “Academic staff mental health is shaped by interconnected individual, organisational and structural factors.” This points to the need for institutions to look beyond individual wellness initiatives and address the workplace conditions contributing to psychological distress.
Dr Abraham’s research used a four-phase, mixed-methods approach, combining a systematic review of workplace mental health interventions, an institutional survey, qualitative interviews and a focus group, followed by policy development and stakeholder pre-testing. This enabled her to integrate international research evidence with the experiences and needs of academic staff in the South African higher education context.
“The research was driven by the need to develop a practical, evidence-informed response that reflects the realities of academic life in South Africa. Policies must be grounded in research and shaped by the experiences of the people they are intended to support,” she said.
The resulting policy framework addresses workload management, leadership accountability, psychological safety, access to mental health support and organisational culture. Stakeholder pre-testing indicated that the proposed policy was acceptable, although institutional readiness and implementation capacity remained important considerations.
Emphasising the need for sustainable institutional action, the study concludes that “sustainable mental health promotion requires coordinated institutional action addressing the underlying conditions contributing to distress and burnout.”
The findings therefore support a shift towards approaches that recognise staff wellbeing as an organisational responsibility rather than an issue for individuals to manage alone.
Dr Abraham’s interest in workplace wellbeing developed from her earlier research into patient safety culture at Dr George Mukhari Academic Hospital, which she completed for her Master of Pharmacy degree, awarded cum laude in 2017 from SMU. This work informed her broader interest in how organisational environments, leadership and workplace practices influence professionals’ experiences.
With more than 15 years of experience in health sciences education, Dr Abraham lectures in SMU’s Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, teaching across health sciences programmes, including medicine and dentistry. Her academic contributions also include curriculum development, assessment, postgraduate supervision and mentorship.
She received the SMU Teaching Excellence Award in 2022 and has published research on workplace mental health, patient safety and healthcare practice. Her scholarly work reflects a commitment to connecting research evidence with practical institutional challenges.
“Creating healthier academic environments requires a sustained commitment to supportive leadership, open communication and policies that can be implemented in practice. I hope this research contributes to conversations about how universities can better protect and promote the wellbeing of their academic staff,” said Dr Abraham.
Dr Abraham’s achievement reinforces SMU’s commitment to research that responds to pressing challenges in education and the health sciences. By developing a contextually responsive mental health promotion policy, her research provides a foundation for universities seeking to strengthen workplace support, improve organisational practices and create healthier academic environments.
By Tumelo Moila
by Lorato | Oct 21, 2026 | Accolades and Achievements, All News, Alumni, SMU Media, Student Media
Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University (SMU) continues to advance evidence-based healthcare through research that addresses critical public health challenges, as demonstrated by pharmacist and public health researcher Dr Tiyani Milta Maluleke, whose doctoral study explored strategies to promote responsible antibiotic use in rural South Africa.
Maluleke earned her PhD in Public Health Pharmacy during SMU’s annual Spring Graduation Ceremony, marking a significant milestone in a career spanning more than 22 years across South Africa’s public and private healthcare sectors. Her achievement reflects SMU’s commitment to developing skilled healthcare professionals and producing research that informs healthcare policy and practice.
Her doctoral research, titled Strategies to limit inappropriate purchasing of antibiotics without a prescription in a rural province, South Africa, examined factors influencing antibiotic access and identified opportunities to strengthen antimicrobial stewardship and patient education in underserved communities.
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) occurs when microorganisms develop the ability to resist medicines used to treat infections. Inappropriate antibiotic use contributes to this growing public health challenge, making responsible dispensing, patient education and accessible healthcare essential.
Maluleke’s mixed-methods study engaged community pharmacy personnel and patients to better understand antibiotic access, healthcare-seeking behaviour, and opportunities to improve antimicrobial stewardship. The research highlighted the importance of practical, collaborative interventions that support both patients and healthcare professionals.
The findings identified previous antibiotic use and long clinic waiting times as factors influencing healthcare-seeking decisions. Patients also strongly supported pharmacist-led antibiotic education, highlighting an opportunity to strengthen community pharmacies’ contribution to public health.
“These findings highlight the need for antimicrobial stewardship interventions that address both patient behaviour and the challenges within the healthcare system,” explained Dr Maluleke.
The study recommends strengthening community pharmacists’ involvement in patient education, appropriate referrals, quality improvement initiatives and collaboration with prescribers. It also advocates for appropriately regulated pathways to expand pharmacists’ clinical responsibilities and improve patient access to appropriate care.
“Community pharmacists are well positioned to support antimicrobial stewardship through protocol-led management of selected infections, patient education, referral and collaboration with prescribers,” said Dr Maluleke.
Maluleke’s research reinforces SMU’s mission to transform health services through excellence and innovation. By supporting postgraduate research exploring challenges affecting underserved communities, the university helps generate evidence that can inform policy, strengthen professional practice and improve patient outcomes.
Her achievement also builds on a longstanding commitment to pharmaceutical practice and research. Maluleke completed her Master of Public Health at SMU in 2019 and obtained her Bachelor of Pharmacy from MEDUNSA in 2003. Her scholarly contributions include eight publications in international peer-reviewed journals, three editorials and co-author contributions to five additional publications.
Beyond her professional career, she is the founder and minister of Ntshembo Healing Ministry, where she promotes community empowerment, mentorship and holistic wellbeing. As a motivational speaker and organisational leader, she seeks to bridge scientific knowledge, public service and faith-based leadership.
Through graduates such as Maluleke, SMU demonstrates the value of health sciences education and research in addressing South Africa’s healthcare priorities. Her doctoral work highlights the university’s contribution to developing research-informed professionals equipped to strengthen pharmacy practice, promote responsible medicine use and support better healthcare outcomes.
By Tumelo Moila
by Lorato | Oct 21, 2026 | Accolades and Achievements, All News, Alumni, SMU Media, Student Media
Dr Bonolo Mmereki has earned a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Public Health from Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University (SMU), following research highlighting the lasting impact of childhood trauma on young adults’ mental health in South Africa.
Awarded during SMU’s annual Spring Graduation Ceremony in September 2026, her qualification marks a significant milestone in her public health career and advances research into childhood trauma, mental health screening and interventions at the primary healthcare level.
Her doctoral study, titled The impact of childhood trauma on the mental health of young adults: a mixed method study among clinic attendees in Moretele Sub-health District, investigated the relationship between adverse childhood experiences and mental health outcomes among young adults aged 18 to 35 attending healthcare facilities in Moretele, North West.
Childhood trauma is a significant public health concern, with consequences that can persist long after the initial experience. Mmereki’s research examined how these experiences affect mental health, relationships, emotional wellbeing and everyday functioning, highlighting the need for early identification and appropriate support within healthcare services.
Using a convergent mixed-methods design, the study combined quantitative screening with qualitative interviews. Data were collected from 380 participants across five healthcare facilities, while in-depth interviews were conducted with 14 participants to explore their experiences of childhood trauma. The research used standardised questionnaires to screen for childhood trauma, depressive symptoms and anxiety.
The findings showed that 9% of participants had experienced childhood trauma, while 12% presented with depressive symptoms and 8% showed signs of anxiety. The qualitative findings further revealed the complex and enduring effects of traumatic experiences, including nightmares, social isolation, anger, and challenges affecting academic performance and personal relationships.
Thirteen themes and 17 sub-themes emerged from the qualitative data. These included different forms of trauma, the impact and consequences of traumatic experiences, triggers, perceptions that justice had not been served, the need for ongoing post-trauma support, and the development of coping mechanisms.
A key outcome was the development of a protocol for healthcare workers, along with recommendations and strategies to strengthen childhood trauma screening, policy development, and mental health services in primary healthcare facilities in Moretele.
The study has also contributed to academic knowledge through publications in international and local journals, demonstrating the potential of community-based research to inform healthcare practice and policy.
Mmereki’s achievement builds on a professional nursing career spanning approximately a decade, with experience in HIV/AIDS care, non-communicable diseases and public health. She holds a Bachelor of Nursing Science degree from North-West University and a Master of Public Health from SMU. Her work also includes adolescent and youth-friendly services, reflecting her commitment to improving access to responsive healthcare for young people.
Her research aligns with SMU’s mission to advance health services through excellence and innovation, particularly through education, research and the development of evidence-based approaches to healthcare challenges. By investigating the long-term effects of childhood trauma and proposing practical interventions, her work contributes to efforts to strengthen mental health support within primary healthcare settings.
Mmereki’s doctoral achievement reflects the role of postgraduate research in addressing pressing public health challenges and generating knowledge that can inform policy, improve clinical practice, and support community wellbeing.
By Tumelo Moila
by Lorato | Oct 19, 2026 | Accolades and Achievements, All News, Alumni, SMU Media, Student Media
Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University (SMU) has reaffirmed its place on the global higher education stage, with the 2027 Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings highlighting significant gains in industry engagement, a strengthening research environment and sustained international competitiveness.
The latest rankings, which assessed 2,297 universities across 118 countries and territories, position SMU among internationally recognised institutions contributing to the advancement of knowledge, research and innovation.
As South Africa’s specialist health sciences university, SMU continues to compete with established medical and health sciences institutions internationally, reinforcing its growing relevance in an increasingly competitive global academic landscape.
A key highlight of the 2027 results is SMU’s strong improvement in industry engagement, with its performance score rising from 19.2 to 29.4, a 10.2-point gain. This is the university’s greatest year-on-year improvement and reflects encouraging progress in an area that measures knowledge transfer, innovation and engagement with industry.
The university’s Research Environment score also improved from 11.1 to 14.6, signalling positive momentum in strengthening the institutional conditions that support research productivity, reputation and investment.
International Outlook remains SMU’s highest-performing indicator at 50.1, underscoring its competitive position in international academic engagement and research collaboration.
Equally encouraging is SMU’s Research Quality score of 41.9, which compares favourably with established specialist medical universities in China, Poland and Japan within the same global ranking band. This performance demonstrates the university’s capacity to produce research that competes within the international health sciences landscape.
Acting Vice-Chancellor and Principal Professor Dini Mawela describes the results as an affirmation of SMU’s academic potential and a key foundation for accelerating institutional excellence.
“Our ambition has never been simply to occupy a position on a global ranking table. It is to build a university whose knowledge, discoveries and graduates make a meaningful difference to healthcare and society. These results affirm that SMU possesses the research capability, international relevance and institutional potential to compete on the world stage. The significant improvement in industry engagement is particularly encouraging because it speaks to our ambition to translate academic knowledge into innovation and societal impact. We are building an institution that is not merely participating in global higher education but is determined to shape the future of health sciences in Africa and beyond.”
Acting Director: Advancement and Communications, Tshimangadzo Mphaphuli, says the results reinforce SMU’s positioning as a credible and competitive institution within the global health sciences education landscape.
“The strength of the SMU brand lies not simply in where we are ranked, but in what we represent and the value we deliver. For prospective students, our University represents an opportunity to pursue a future in the health sciences. For our partners and stakeholders, it represents an institution with growing research capabilities, international connections and opportunities for meaningful collaboration. Our global presence, coupled with measurable progress in key performance areas, gives us a compelling story to tell with confidence. We want every student, parent, alumnus, industry partner and member of the public to recognise SMU as a university of choice, whose relevance and contribution extend far beyond its campus.”
Mawela further emphasises that the university will use the findings to sharpen its strategic priorities, particularly research investment, postgraduate development, international partnerships and academic excellence.
While SMU is positioned in the 1401–1600 global band for 2027, up from 1201–1500 in 2026, underlying performance indicators reveal key institutional strengths and opportunities for continued advancement.
For SMU, the message extends beyond rankings: its growing research capability, international competitiveness and strengthening innovation ecosystem provide a foundation for advancing its contribution to health sciences education, research and healthcare development.
by Lorato | Oct 15, 2026 | Accolades and Achievements, All News, Alumni, SMU Media, Student Media
Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University (SMU) is advancing scientific innovation through the work of Dr Walter Bonke Mahlangu, who recently graduated with a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Chemistry at the university’s Annual Spring Graduation Ceremony. His research explores using artificial intelligence (AI) to improve the synthesis and application of organometallic compounds, with potential benefits for chemical research, industrial processes, and materials development.
Titled Developing an artificial intelligence predictive model for synthesis and application of organometallic compounds, the study addresses a longstanding challenge in chemistry: the time, resources and chemical waste associated with traditional trial-and-error approaches to developing and optimising chemical reactions.
Organometallic compounds, which contain covalent bonds between metal and carbon atoms, play an important role in organic synthesis, materials science and industrial chemistry. Mahlangu investigated how machine learning and deep learning could improve their identification, classification and design by predicting chemical structures and reaction characteristics from molecular data.
“Artificial intelligence offers an opportunity to rethink how chemists approach complex synthesis problems. By using predictive models to analyse molecular structures and identify patterns, we can work towards more efficient research processes and reduce reliance on trial-and-error experimentation,” explains Dr Mahlangu.
The research was conducted in three phases, combining molecular fingerprints with machine learning algorithms, including Random Forest, K-Nearest Neighbours, Support Vector Classification and Multi-layer Perceptron neural networks. The first phase developed a model to identify metal–carbon bonds, achieving an F1-score of 0.85 and an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC-ROC) of 0.837, demonstrating its ability to distinguish relevant molecular structures.
In the second phase, Mahlangu applied clustering techniques to classify organometallic reactions into six to eight major categories. Different algorithms performed well in identifying broad reaction groups, while hierarchical clustering proved more effective at distinguishing subtle differences between related reactions. These findings could support more systematic organisation and analysis of complex chemical reactions.
The final phase focused on predicting reaction yields and catalyst structures. While the models performed strongly when predicting certain intrinsic molecular properties, forecasting reaction yields remained challenging because these depend on multiple experimental factors. However, a deep learning model achieved a peak accuracy of 85.7% in predicting catalyst and reagent structural features, demonstrating potential for automated screening and chemical design.
Mahlangu’s research reflects the value of combining established scientific disciplines with emerging technologies. “The findings highlight the importance of selecting appropriate molecular descriptors and machine learning architectures for specific chemical problems. Although challenges remain, particularly in predicting reaction yields, the results provide a foundation for further research into AI-assisted catalyst design,” he shares.
His doctoral achievement builds on previous research, including published work on analysing bisphenols in canned foods and machine learning-based classification of organometallic reactions. He also helps develop future scientists through his work as a principal lecturer at Eduvos and by supervising and co-supervising undergraduate and postgraduate research at SMU.
Dr Mahlangu’s graduation highlights the growing importance of interdisciplinary research in addressing complex scientific challenges. By integrating computational methods and chemistry, his work helps explore more efficient, data-driven approaches to chemical synthesis and catalyst discovery.
SMU continues to advance academic excellence through postgraduate education, innovative research and scientific capacity development. Mahlangu’s achievement reflects the university’s commitment to excellence and innovation, supporting researchers whose work expands scientific knowledge and explores solutions to emerging challenges.
By Tumelo Moila
by Lorato | Oct 8, 2026 | Accolades and Achievements, All News, Alumni, SMU Media
Dr Rose Maluleka has made history at Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University (SMU) by becoming the first female PhD graduate in the Department of Mathematics and Applied Mathematics, marking a significant milestone for the university and an important achievement for women in the mathematical sciences.
Born and raised in Hammanskraal, Maluleka’s academic journey reflects perseverance, discipline and a sustained commitment to learning. She began her education at Motshegofadiwa Primary School, then attended Tsebe-Ntlha, and completed her basic education at Makgetse Secondary School. Her journey eventually brought her to SMU, where her academic excellence earned her recognition as Best Honours Student in 2016.
A decade later, Maluleka reached another historic milestone by completing her PhD, becoming the first female doctoral graduate in her department. Her achievement reflects years of study and research and sets an important precedent for women pursuing advanced qualifications in the mathematical sciences.
Her doctoral research, titled “Inertial approximation methods for solving some variational and fixed-point problems in linear spaces”, examines mathematical methods for addressing complex problems involving variational inequalities and fixed-point theory. The research demonstrates the advanced mathematical analysis required at the doctoral level and contributes to scholarship in mathematical sciences.
Dr Godwin Chidi Ugwunnadi, a Research Associate at SMU, and Professor Maggie Aphane, Associate Professor and Head of the Department of Mathematics and Applied Mathematics, supported Maluleka’s research journey. Their academic relationship extended beyond supervision, and the researchers collaborated on scholarly work in variational inequalities, fixed-point theory, and mathematical analysis.
For Maluleka, however, the path to a doctorate was not without challenges. She reflects candidly on her learning process and the persistence required to complete her studies. “I consider myself one of the slowest learners I know,” she says.
Rather than allowing this perception to define her academic journey, Maluleka turned it into a testament to perseverance. Her experience shows that academic achievement depends not only on how quickly one learns, but also on the ability to stay disciplined, consistent, and committed to a goal.
Her supervisors’ support played a central role in helping her navigate the demands of doctoral research. Their academic guidance, combined with their own expertise and scholarship, contributed to her development as a researcher. Her family also remained an important source of encouragement and strength throughout the demanding periods of her studies.
For Maluleka, mathematics extends beyond equations and theoretical concepts. She sees the discipline as closely connected to everyday life. “Mathematics is not just numbers — it is also our everyday language,” she says.
This perspective informs her desire to make mathematics accessible, meaningful and relevant. It also adds significance to her achievement as the first female PhD graduate in her department, particularly in a discipline that requires advanced analytical thinking, abstract reasoning, and sustained intellectual engagement.
From Hammanskraal to making history at SMU, Maluleka’s journey reflects resilience and academic excellence. Her story demonstrates the transformative power of persistence and challenges the notion that progress must be measured by speed.
Her doctoral achievement leaves more than a qualification. It establishes a legacy of possibility for aspiring researchers, particularly women seeking to advance in the mathematical sciences. Through milestones such as Maluleka’s, SMU continues to demonstrate the value of excellence in teaching, learning and innovative research, while contributing to the development of future scholars and knowledge in the broader academic community.
By Dimakatso Modise
