Dr Henriette Burger, newly appointed Head of the Division of Radiation Oncology in the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences (FMHS), has set her sights firmly on not only delivering a high-quality radiotherapy and chemotherapy service, but also on a bigger role for the Division in empowering healthcare practitioners caring for cancer patients in the community.

Burger, who says she is inspired by the dignity and comfort she can bring to patients by helping them  understand their illness and address their individual needs on their cancer journey, outlines her vision for the Division as follows: “My strategic plan will be based on four focus areas: 1) Nurturing human capital by creating a supportive work environment that validates growth and excellence; 2) delivering an efficient, high-quality radiotherapy and chemotherapy service; 3) building locally relevant research capacity; and 3) expanding oncology teaching and training, especially on regional and district levels."

One of her big concerns is the extent to which clinical and academic staff are supported to manage their ever-increasing workload. “I consider my team to be the most important resource in the Division. Their knowledge, skills, empathy for patients, and resilience, are what keeps the service standing. It is a reality that if our staff don't feel valued and supported, they will either burn out or seek better employment conditions elsewhere."

In terms of building of locally relevant research capacity, Burger says her predecessor, Prof Hannah Simonds, laid a strong foundation for radiotherapy-focussed research and development, which she intends to strengthen and grow.

“At Tygerberg Hospital (TBH) we are in the ideal position to develop research in the area of virally driven cancers that are linked to HIV, HPV, and other viral infections. The Oncology Division is very fortunate to already be part of a new multi-national research project lead by Prof Hennie Botha that is focussed on virally driven cancers, which could inform new treatment and prevention strategies for common cancers in Sub-Saharan Africa.

“We are also fortunate to have state of the art radiotherapy capabilities at TBH. The challenges we need to manage, are the efficient use of these technologies, keeping our specialists abreast of advanced treatment techniques, and ensuring rigorous quality assurance systems."

She believes doctors and nurses at all levels of the healthcare platform should feel confident when caring for cancer patients and know when and how to access tertiary level support when needed. “This will require us to invest in modern technologies to expand the teaching and training sphere and improve our clinical communication pathways."

Burger's journey into oncology

Burger says her interest in oncology was sparked when doing locums in the United Kingdom after having completed her community service in the Free State. She qualified as a doctor at SU in 2001 and in 2011 as a clinical oncologist at the University of Cape Town (UCT).

Burger says she owes a great deal to colleagues and mentors who inspired her on the road to her new position and encouraged her to achieve bigger things and not give up when the challenges started stacking up.

“I worked as a specialist in the Groote Schuur Hospital's (GSH) Oncology Division from 2012 to 2015, from where I transferred to the Tygerberg Hospital team. Here I was mentored by Prof Simonds in clinical research practice and gained valuable experience through leading collaborative research studies in the fields of palliative medicine, Kaposi sarcoma, and urological cancers.

“With her support as well as that of other senior SU researchers like Profs Hennie Botha, Johann Schneider, and Vikash Sewram, I have built collaborative research relationships with international investigators both in the USA and in Europe."

Palliative medicine

Since 2017, Burger and a network of external palliative care experts have played an important role in designing and implementing palliative care courses for the FMHS, including an undergraduate module for the MBChB group and a postgraduate short course for family physicians. “I also facilitate a targeted year-long palliative care module for oncology registrars and gynae-oncology fellows in collaboration with UCT." She is currently assisting the curriculum renewal team in integrating palliative medicine (PM) across the revised undergraduate MBChB curriculum and says that “my job will be done when the Faculty has built enough PM teaching capacity to support its own PM curriculum."

She is currently completing her master's degree in palliative medicine through UCT on the topic of advance care planning communication.

The bigger picture

When she is not absorbed by her very demanding job, Burger enjoys theatre, art, travelling, and all forms of music. “I make sure I get my fill of arts and literature at the US Woordfees and the Suidoosterfees every year". “I share my life with my space-engineer husband who is a cancer-survivor, my tweenager son, and my two stepdaughters, who are embarking on their university careers. They inspire and support me to take on new challenges and to always see the bigger picture."