by Lorato | Jun 6, 2023 | Accolades and Achievements, Research, Student Media
Dr completed his Bachelor of science and honors studies with the University of Limpopo (Medunsa campus). He holds a Master of Science degree in nanoscience from University of Johannesburg and a doctoral degree in chemistry from Rhodes University. He does research in advanced drug delivery systems using metallic nanoparticles as drug carriers and photoactive dyes such as phthalocyanines as target drugs for photodynamic therapy of cancer. He has published in internationally scientific indexed peer reviewed journals amounting to 13 articles to date, with over 120 citations with H-Index of 7 on Google scholar, Scopus and Research Gate.
Dr Matlou has given oral talks at various international conferences and was a visiting student researcher at the Shinshu University, Ueda, Japan in 2016. His many accolades include being listed as one of the 2021 Top 200 Young South Africans, Mail and Guardian, under the Science and Technology category and attending the 2022 71st Lindau Nobel Laureate meeting, Lindau, Germany. Dr Matlou aspires to be a leading scientist/researcher within his specific subject in a near future. His skill set, determination, laser-focus and innovativeness are what sets him apart from the rest.
He recently joined the Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University within the school of pharmacy (pharmaceutical sciences department) as a postdoctoral research fellow focusing on development of target drugs conjugated to nanoparticles for effective delivery and efficacy on diseased site. NRF-Y rating is awarded to early career scientists/researchers who held the doctorate for less than five years at the time of application, and who are recognized as having the potential to establish themselves as researchers within a five-year period after evaluation, based on their performance and productivity as researchers.
by Lorato | May 30, 2023 | Accolades and Achievements, All News, Research, SMU Media, Student Media
The SMU Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Peter Mbati, on the 25 May 2023, hosted representatives from the Anhui Medical University, China, at SMU, where a Letter of Intent was signed between the two institutions. This was meant to explore the possibilities for collaboration and cooperative projects between the two institutions.
Anhui Medical University (AHMU) is one of the earliest institutions of higher education and the first medical university in the Anhui province, China. The University was founded in Shanghai in 1926 as the Southeast Medical University. In 1952, it moved to Hefei and changed its name to Anhui Medical College. It is considered to be a pioneer, incubator and pacesetter of higher medical education and health care in the Anhui province.
AHMU has established extensive cooperation and exchanges with universities in 16 countries and regions across the world. These involve exchange of experts, scholars, students, knowledge and scientific research. Anhui’s engagement with SMU is part of their collaborative efforts which perfectly aligns with the SMUs strategic intent on internationalisation.
In his address, the Education Counselor, Mr. Xudong LI, from the People’s Republic of China South African Embassy indicated that 2023 marks the 25th anniversary of the South Africa-China bilateral relations, cemented by the fact that both countries are partners within BRICS. In this context, this engagement is seen as another way through which the relationship between the two countries could be cemented.
Prof. Gu Jiashan, Chair of the University Council and current University President, further indicated that AHMU has produced world renown health practitioners, has expertise which could of immense benefit to the collaboration, indicating that the opportunities which have become available must be fully explored.
In acknowledging the number of international students at AHMU, Prof Huang Huaxing, AHMU’s Chair of the Council of School of International Education, indicated that the University organizes festivals and cultural events for international students, which exposes Chinese students to other international cultures and vice versa.
In his address, the SMU Vice Chancellor, Prof. Peter Mbati indicated that SMU is the only dedicated health sciences education institution in Southern Africa and has ramped up its research efforts which are driven through the following research units and centres: the Diarrhoeal Pathogens Research Unit, South African Vaccination and Immunisation Centre (SAVIC), MeCRU Clinical Research Unit (MeCRU), HPV and STIs Training Centre for Africa, SMU Minimal Invasive Surgery Unit, HIV-1 Resistance and Molecular Lab, Electron Microscope Unit, and the Centre for Entrepreneurship Rapid Incuba_on (CfERI).
In charting the way forward, both institutions expressed appreciation of the fact that they are both unique health sciences institutions with the potential to increase their influence in the health education space internationally.
by Lorato | May 23, 2023 | Accolades and Achievements, Research, Student Media
Prof Hyla Kluyts is the Head of Department of Anaesthesiology and Critical Care at Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University and directs anaesthesia services at the Dr George Mukhari Academic Hospital. She is an anaesthesiologist with a passion for understanding and addressing the barriers to accessing safe quality affordable perioperative care in the South African and African context.
Her research interest therefore aligns with the broader agenda of Global Surgery research and its implementation in education, clinical perioperative care, and surgical systems strengthening. Having spent 7 years in a private anaesthesia partnership practice, then returning to the academic sector, she has a fair grasp of the challenges faced in both the private and public healthcare sectors.
International collaboration and engagement have broadened her view of the local situation in the context of global health-care. She completed her doctoral degree in Anaesthesiology at the University of Pretoria on the topic of clinical risk prediction in surgical patients. She is the founder and executive director of a non-profit company and PBO, Safe Surgery SA (SSSA), that promotes the clinical use of perioperative healthcare data and offers research support to the African Perioperative Research Group (APORG). She is a member of the World Federation of Societies of Anaesthesiologists Safety & Quality of Practice committee and an honorary life member of the SA Society of Anaesthesiologists.
She is a consultant to the Clinical Services Unit of CareCon-nectHIE, the first non-profit Health Information Exchange in South Africa.
She is married with two daughters.
by Lorato | May 23, 2023 | SMU Media, statements
Media Alert
Date: 23 May 2023
For Immediate use
Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University (SMU) will award qualifications to over 1100 graduates from all its five Schools during its 3-day graduation ceremonies from 24-26 May 2023 at the University’s Sports Complex. A total of 12 doctoral Degrees will also be conferred during these events.
“SMU is on a trajectory of growth and success and plays a pivotal role in producing globally competitive and quality graduates. These graduations are a culmination of years of hard work by students and the academics as well as everyone involved in teaching, learning, community engagement and research”, said SMU spokesperson Dr Lusani Netshitomboni.
The details are as follows:
School of Oral Health Sciences and School of Science and Technology
Date: 24 May 2023
School of Health Care Sciences and School of Pharmacy
Date: 25 May 2023
School of Medicine
Date: 26 May 2023
Venue: SMU Sports Complex
Time: 10 am
Members of the media are invited to cover the graduations. The ceremonies will also be streamed live on the SMU YouTube channel.
Issued by Communication and Marketing
For more details, please contact Dr Lusani Netshitomboni, Director: Communication and Marketing at lusani.netshitomboni@smu.ac.za
Cell: 0833965885
Media Alert 2023 SMU Graduations Ceremonies final
File size: 140.22 KB
Created: 23-05-2023
Updated: 23-05-2023
Hits: 66
by Lorato | May 18, 2023 | Accolades and Achievements, All News, Research, SMU Media, Student Media
Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University’s renewed strategic intent to be a leader in health education, health services, research and innovation that contributes to the advancement of human health, is contingent on leveraging on partnerships, linkages and internationalization.
In support of this objective, coupled with a focus on expanding the University’s global footprint, the Office of the Vice-Chancellor invited the People’s Republic of China’s South African Embassy representatives to visit the University in July 2022. The Chinese delegation to SMU was led by Mr. Long SHEN and the second Secretary for Science and Technology, Mr. Wei XIE. It was during these initial discussions that the highly ranked Wenzhou Medical University (WMU) was identified as the partner of choice for collaboration with SMU.
The initial engagements with WMU, which commenced in July 2022, led to the introduction of an Ophthalmology and Optometry Advanced training programme for staff and students. As part of this programme, that took place in October 2022, 15 experienced academics from both institutions had an opportunity to share their insights during the lectures, with over 30 South African clinicians having attended the programme.
The successful hosting of this specialist training programme highlighted the compatibility of the two institutions as dedicated health sciences universities, and the mutually beneficial skills and knowledge that could be shared between them. Against the backdrop of these initial engagements, on 10 May 2023 the President of WMU, Prof. Lyu Yijun and the SMU Vice Chancellor, Prof. Peter Mbati signed an MoU to formalize collaboration between the two sister universities.
Whilst recognizing that this MoU sets out a broad frame-work on matters that both institutions intend to pursue and collaborate their efforts, the following are the main objectives of the MoU:
- To provide a broad framework within which the two institutions can develop and undertake collaborative projects in areas of common interests in, amongst others, research, teaching and learning or other mutually agreed initiatives.
- To promote cooperation in teaching, learning and research through an international exchange of students and staff.
In his address at the signing of the MoU, the WMU Chancellor, Prof. Lyu Yijun reflected on the initial engagements between the two institutions pointing to the fact that the success of the Ophthalmology and Optometry Advanced training programme was a good start to the collaboration, which led to the signing of the MoU. He further highlighted the following key aspects:
- The Wenzhou Medical University, jointly established by the Ministry of Education, the National Health Commission and Zhejiang Provincial Government, is one of the Priority Development Universities in the Zhejiang Province. In the past three years, the University has steadily developed and improved on the quality of its educational provision. Their nine disciplines have entered the top 1% of ESI global rankings. The University has also established national key laboratories, National Engineering Research Center and several high-tech innovation platforms; recruiting high-level talents such as academicians, “outstanding youth”, and Yangtze River scholars. WMU is among the top 100 universities in China in the Wushulian domestic University ranking, and ranks among the top 8 medical universities in the 2022 Shanghai Ranking Consultancy. With 5 affiliated hospitals, WMU enjoys abundant clinical resources, with the annual outpatient number exceeding 10 million.
- The signing of the MoU marks a new page of cooperation between WMU and SMU. Wenzhou Medical University will fully leverage our strength in medical education, research and healthcare to work closely with SMU and carry out multi-level collaboration in student and faculty exchange, joint research and publication, academic exchange and etc., setting an excellent example of China-South Africa collaboration in medicine and education as well as promoting the development of medicine in the two countries.
In his response, the SMU Vice Chancellor, Prof. Peter Mbati expressed appreciation for the Wenzhou Medical University’s willingness to enter into a partnership with SMU and further highlighted the following:
- The two countries are friendly allies who cooperate, economically, as part of BRICS. This cooperation also lends itself to opportunities for collaboration in other sectors, such as higher education.
- As the only purely health sciences university in Southern Africa, fit-for-purpose and mutually beneficial partnerships are important to SMU academically, but also for expanding our University’s global footprint. In this context, this partnership between SMU and WMU will allow for knowledge and skills exchange, student and staff mobility, training of academics as well as executive management, collaborative research opportunities and virtual student and staff exchange.
- Being a niche university, research and innovation is extremely important for SMU which conducts research housed in various units: the Diarrhoeal Pathogens Research Unit, a designated World Health Organisation Regional Rotavirus Reference Laboratory and Collaborating Centre; the South African Vaccination and Immunisation Centre; MeCRU Clinical Research Unit; the HPV and STIs Training Centre for Africa; the SMU Minimal Invasive Surgery Unit; the HIV-1 Resistance and Molecular Lab; the Electron Microscope Unit; the HIV and Hepatitis Research Unit, who recently added a new niche area in the field of genetic diversity of coronaviruses; and the Centre for Entrepreneurship Rapid Incubation. Prof. Mbati concluded his remarks by stating that SMU views this partnership with WMU as a mutually beneficial collaboration which enables the sharing of knowledge between the two institutions, leveraging on each institution’s strength.
In support of the signing of the MoU, Dr Prudence Makhura, Director: International Grants and Collaborative Initiatives at the National Research Foundation (NRF) stated that…
“The National Research Foundation (NRF) is in support of the MoU between Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University and the Wenzhou Medical University in China, especially, given the importance of China to South Africa, not only on a bilateral level but also as a member of BRICS. Health research is one of our strategic thematic research areas with our Chinese partners. We therefore, look forward to receiving research proposals between the two institutions when the SA-China Research Call (and the BRICS multilateral call) opens later in the year”.
