Prof Novel Chegou has been elected as a Fellow of the African Academy of Sciences (AAS). The peer review process takes into account excellence in publications, innovations, leadership roles and contributions to policy and society. Chegou is currently mainly doing research that aims to discover and validate biomarkers that may be developed further into tools to manage tuberculosis.

Cot deaths, or sudden infant death syndrome, are tragic and often lack a clear medical explanation. Findings from the Safe Passage Study shed new light on this syndrome by highlighting the key role of abnormalities in brainstem serotonin in SIDS cases. The study highlights a strong link to maternal and prenatal stress in high-risk populations.

The Desmond Tutu TB Centre was recently awarded the 2025 Karel Styblo Union Public Health Prize. The Centre received the prize in recognition of its work and impact in TB control over the past decade. The prize acknowledges that DTTC's work has made a real difference in South Africa and around the world, said DTTC Director Prof Anneke Hesseling.

Prof Faadiel Essop and Prof Sian Hemmings were inducted as Members of the Academy of Science of South Africa. Prof Faadiel Essop is Director of the FMHS’s Centre for Cardio-metabolic Research in Africa and Prof Sian Hemmings is the Deputy Director of the South African Medical Research Council/Stellenbosch University Genomics of Brain Disorders Extramural Research Unit. The key objective of ASSAf when it was inaugurated in 1996 was to bring together the best scientific minds in the country in the service of society.

On 11 December, 21-year-old David Obagbuwa will graduate with an MBChB from Stellenbosch University, making him one of the youngest medical doctors to qualify in South Africa. Obagbuwa began his medical studies at the tender age of 15.

The Life Pod at Tygerberg Hospital recently housed its first organ donor. The first posthumous multi-organ donation in over two years facilitated through Tygerberg Hospital. Much work remains to raise awareness of organ donation.

Researchers from Stellenbosch University have found strong evidence from large trials that calcium supplementation during pregnancy does not reduce the risk of pre-eclampsia. These findings challenge long-held assumptions about the role of calcium in preventing hypertensive disorders in pregnancy. Pre-eclampsia is a life-threatening condition that can affect women in the second half of their pregnancy.

SU Co-Create Health Hub joined forces with Aurorah Kuils River Community Action Network to mark 16 Days of Activism with an event amplifying the voices of survivors of gender-based violence (GBV). The event featured survivors who shared their written stories, poems and reflections on GBV, all with the goal of taking a stand against the scourge of GBV. The highlight of the event was the launch of a book, titled The Horror of Trust, which features the writings of GBV survivors and inspires action against it.

The extent of the impact of the combined use of alcohol and nicotine, as well as other drugs, during pregnancy is only now becoming clear, thanks to the Safe Passage Study (SPS). The synergy between combined substance use contributes to major later-life problems such as diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and high blood pressure, which are linked to heart attacks and strokes later in life. Poor socio-economic conditions are major risk factors for combined substance use.

An estimated 1.2 million children fell ill with TB in 2023, yet less than half received proper diagnosis and treatment. To address this diagnostic gap, the World Health Organisation (WHO) introduced Treatment Decision Algorithms in 2022. A new international study, published in PLOS Medicine, provides the first large-scale external validation of these WHO algorithms.