Health Care Sciences Research
HEALTH CARE SCIENCES RESEARCH
Human Nutrition & Dietetics
Research in the department is based on the three main focus areas in Dietetics: Community Nutrition (which also includes Food Security and Public Health), Food Service Management, and Clinical or Therapeutic Nutrition. The Department has a vibrant postgraduate programme with students that work in the areas of Chronic Diseases of Lifestyle, Infant and Young Child Nutrition, Health Promotion and Rehabilitation, Paediatric and Child Obesity. The Department closely collaborates with a variety of National and International Partners, including the Department of Health, local, regional and international universities, as well as the private sector.
Nursing Science
The research niche areas of the Nursing Science Department are women and child health, maternal and perinatal mortality, gender-based violence, HIV and AIDS, human nutrition, evidence-based practice and reproductive health. The number of post-graduate students is increasing on a yearly basis and the total number currently is 85 (6 Honours, 64 Masters and 15 PhD). All lecturers are involved in the supervision of the students and most of them are busy with PhD studies. The lecturers also take part in independent research.
Occupational Therapy
Research areas in the department are varied and the postgraduate programme is emerging increasingly. Staff members are involved in research and postgraduate study projects including inter-professional education, projects in the areas of community mental health and substance abuse, child psychiatry and paediatric health, occupational therapy and physical dysfunction and vocational training. The department collaborates and engages in research related activities with other universities, national bodies and NGOs in the community.
Physiotherapy
The research focus areas in the Department of Physiotherapy are presenting areas in which staff members are presently busy with PhD research and are: paediatrics, sports and musculoskeletal, adult neurology, community physiotherapy and community health. The golden threat for all these areas of physiotherapy research is the use of exercises in enhancing both the quality and quantity of life. The department has an ever increasing postgraduate programme which contributes tremendously to the growth of research in the department. The department collaborates with other institutions locally and internationally in research.
Speech Language Pathology & Audiology
The research areas of the department are varied. However, this year the department engaged in a collective research initiative focusing on early communication intervention and newborn hearing loss detection, namely the Go-Kwa project. Various undergraduate research projects are currently being undertaken as part of this collective research project aimed at the communities north of Tshwane. A number of staff members are also involved in postgraduate study projects, with two staff members who just completed their doctoral studies.