Community - the research-minded way
forward together ● sonke siya phambili ● saam vorentoe
A Transformative campus experience
Maties are spoiled for choice with a wide variety of stimulating academic and social events. Please find below the details of select events particularly recommended to the doctoral and research community in the SU Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, on the SU Tygerberg campus.
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PhD Discussion Group
The FMHS Doctoral Discussion Group meets once a month, from 12:30 to 13:45, and provides a forum for PhD students to reflect on the doctoral journey. Meetings take place on the 6th floor of the Clinical Building, at the Department of Health Professions Education, Room 6054. The group will be running it's fifteenth year in 2026, after being founded in 2011 by Prof Susan van Schalkwyk, former head of the Department of Health Professions Education and rated researcher in this field. From 2025, the group is being convened by Dr Liela Groenewald with the help of the team at the Tygerberg Doctoral Office.
RSVP essential - sign up at this link.
Draft PhD Discussion Group Meetings for 2026 - To Be Confirmed
Date | Focus | Facilitator |
| 25 February | Leveling up: The Skills and Mindsets of Doctoral Success | Dr Mariëtte Volschenk (DHPE) & Prof Regan Solomons (Paediatrics) |
| 18 March | Setting goals: Planning for momentum in the months ahead | Dr Rhoda Meyer (DHPE) |
| 15 April | Scoping the scholarship: Reading for success and related thoughts on using literature | Dr Rhoda Meyer (DHPE) |
| 6 May | Your research, Funded: Pathways to support and sustainability | Prof Samantha Sampson (Molecular Biology and Human Genetics) |
| 3 June | Powerful writing: How coherence, golden threads, and conceptual frameworks can work for you | Prof Susan van Schalkwyk (DHPE) |
| 22 July | Ethical by design: Clarity and confidence for the ethics process | Dr Liela Groenewald (RIDS) |
| 19 August | Dealing with feedback: the good, the bad, and the ugly | Prof Hans Strijdom (Biomedical Sciences) |
| 16 September | Success in publishing: Tips for becoming a successful academic writer: Your PhD and publishing | Prof Susan van Schalkwyk (DHPE) |
| 14 October | Taking stock: milestones, timelines, challenges and successes | Dr Rhoda Meyer (DHPE) |
PhD Discussion Group Meetings for 2025
Date | Focus | Facilitator |
| Wednesday, 19 February | Setting goals: planning for success, getting the year started | Dr Rhoda Meyer (DHPE) |
| Tuesday, 18 March | Scoping the literature, reading for success and related thoughts on using literature | Dr Rhoda Meyer (DHPE) |
| Wednesday, 16 April | Powerful writing: How coherence, golden threads, and conceptual frameworks can work for you | Prof Susan van Schalkwyk (DHPE) |
| Tuesday, 13 May | Doctoral attributes and your professional identity | Dr Mariëtte Volschenk (DHPE) |
| Wednesday, 11 June | Mentoring: Have one, be one | Prof Regan Solomons (Paediatrics) |
| Tuesday, 29 July | Tips for becoming a successful academic writer: Getting Published Before, During, and/or After the PhD | Prof Susan van Schalkwyk (DHPE) |
| Wednesday, 27 August | Planning for post-PhD success: thinking about funding | Prof Samantha Sampson (Molecular Biology and Human Genetics) |
| Tuesday, 30 September | Dealing with feedback: the good, the bad, and the ugly | Prof Hans Strijdom (Medical Physiology) |
| Wednesday, 29 October | Taking stock: milestones, timelines, challenges and successes | Dr Rhoda Meyer (DHPE) |
The Spotlight Series
Bringing together the FMHS community
The bi-annual seminars of the Spotlight Series afford academics a platform for illuminating the link between their research and the topical themes of national and international commemorative days. This occasion creates a space for fostering a spirit of camaraderie within the SU Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences. It is particularly encouraged for doctoral candidates and postdoctoral fellows as a means to connect across disciplinary and institutional silos.
Please do register for the event, to join us for either kind of attendance. Although the seminar has been presented in hybrid format since the pandemic, in-person attendance in the BMRI building on Tygerberg campus is preferred. Both options for attendance require registration. Brief creative performances by FMHS students are included in the programme.
The proceedings start promptly at 11:30 and run until 2pm, with a light finger lunch served.
Details to be announced
Tuesday, 7 October 2025, in recognition of International Peace Day
together with South Africa's Women's Day and Heritage Day
Health, Human Rights and Legacy: Empowering Communities Through Care and Compassion
Speakers
Keynote - Dr Mohlopheni Marakalala: Marching towards a TB-free world: What would it take?
Director: South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) Centre for Tuberculosis Research, SU FMHS)
Panel
Prof Armand Bam (University of Stellenbosch Business School)
Dr Bih Chendi (Immunology Research Group, SU FMHS)
Ms Vanessa Mitchell (PhD candidate in the Department of Exercise, Sport and Lifestyle Medicine, SU FMHS)
Click here to register: https://forms.office.com/r/ym…
Tuesday, 27 May 2025, in recognition of Africa Day
Justice and inclusivity through transforming health care systems in Africa
Speakers
Keynote - Prof Hassan Mahomed, SU Division of Public Health
Panel
Ms Yeukai Chideya, researcher, SU Division of Public Health
Dr George Chingarande, SU Division of Medical Ethics and Law
Ms Carine Marks, SU Division of Clinical Pharmacology
