Last week, partners from government, universities, and the public and private sectors descended on the Theewaterskloof sub-district to deliver health, wellness, and essential services to rural communities. The three-day InReach, held from 25 to 27 September, brought together healthcare professionals, academics, and non-governmental organisations to provide essential health services, education, and infrastructure support across Caledon, Grabouw, and Knoflokskraal. Led by Stellenbosch University (SU) in partnership with Western Cape Government: Health and Wellness, the initiative included health sciences and engineering students from SU, dental health experts and students from the University of the Western Cape (UWC), and students from the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT).

It's a well-known fact that foetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) in children is caused by mothers who drink during pregnancy. A team of international researchers — including contributors from Stellenbosch University (SU) — found that a father's alcohol use may have a small but direct negative impact on a child's development by the age of seven. A father's drinking contributes to the harm caused by alcohol use during pregnancy.

If we truly want to include people with disabilities in all spheres of society, we must look beyond the stereotypes through which they are viewed and recognise their shared humanity and individual strengths. This was the call from experts at Stellenbosch University in opinion pieces for the media in celebration of Casual Day on Friday 5 September.

Dr Robyn Adams of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at Stellenbosch University has been named South Africa's ambassador to the International Papillomavirus Society. She joins an elite group of just 27 ambassadors worldwide, representing the country on the global stage for the next two years, starting at the 37th Annual Conference of the IPVS in Bangkok, Thailand in October 2025. The IPVS brings together scientists, clinicians, public health experts, and advocates to advance knowledge about the human papillomavirus (HPV) and related diseases.

SU officially opened the Medical Morphology Learning Centre (MMLC), establishing Africa's largest and most technologically advanced facility of its kind. The MMLC blends cutting-edge technology with traditional anatomical resources, offering students access to human anatomy through multiple learning modalities. The centre includes virtual and augmented reality (VR/AR) systems, interactive touch tables enabling 3D anatomical exploration, and advanced 3D printing facilities for creating tactile models used in surgical planning and health sciences education.

Professor Soraya Bardien of has been awarded the prestigious Higher Education Resource Services South Africa (HERS-SA) Women Leaders Award in the Science category. Bardien leads sub-Saharan Africa's only research group investigating the genetic causes and disease mechanisms of Parkinson's disease. Her team's investigations have shown that South Africans typically do not carry the disease-causing genetic variants found in European and Asian populations.

SU took home three prestigious accolades at the annual National Science and Technology Forum (NSTF)/South32 Awards. Prof Shahida Moosa, Prof Yin-Zhe Ma and the Innovation and Commercialisation Division were recognised as winners in their respective categories. Moosa, Head of Medical Genetics at Tygerberg Hospital and Professor of Medical Genetics in the Division of Molecular Biology and Human Genetics, won the NSTF-SAMRC Clinician-Scientist Award.

Operation Maties Bikes has delivered 150 bicycles to rural communities where transportation barriers often determine life outcomes. The FMHS has distributed these Maties Bikes to under-resourced rural schools, undergraduate students on rural health placements, and NGOs supporting community health workers across the Western Cape. A key component of Operation Maties Bikes is the Pedal Forward programme, which bicycle use into daily school routines, encouraging regular physical activity while fostering learner autonomy.

Prof Louis Jenkins was been selected for the Africa Five Star Doctor Award from the World Organisation of Family Doctors (WONCA). The WONCA Five Star Doctor Award represents the pinnacle of achievement in family medicine. Jenkins will represent Africa at the WONCA World Conference in Lisbon this September.

Every year, FMHS staff and students undertake numerous activities to drive social change through projects designed to educate, empower, uplift, and build the communities they serve. In 2024 alone, FMHS staff were involved in 39 community initiatives. These projects engaged 225 students and 43 community partners, providing more than 800 health procedures and 10 rural outreach activities. The initiatives span diverse areas including health and wellbeing interventions, addressing healthcare needs of people with disabilities, education, and food security, among others.