Every day, somewhere in South Africa, someone’s life is changed by the work of Stellenbosch University’s (SU) Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences (FMHS). This statement by Prof Elmi Muller, Dean of the FMHS, perfectly captured the essence of a gala dinner that celebrated the 70th anniversary of the faculty.

Against the sleek glass and steel backdrop of the Biomedical Research Institute (BMRI), one of Africa’s most advanced medical research facilities, the faculty marked a remarkable milestone: seven decades of advancing health, transforming lives and shaping the future of healthcare in South Africa.

Bathed in soft blue lighting, the BMRI atrium was transformed into an elegant red-carpet setting where science, history and human connection converged around the black-and-white themed tables. Silver tablecloths, ribbed crystal glassware and delicate floral arrangements glimmered beneath candlelight while the upbeat strains of an electric violin drifted through the hall. 

Members of the SU rectorate, deans, senior directors, faculty leadership, donors, alumni, students, representatives of partner institutions and friends of the faculty were treated to a refined menu that mirrored the sophistication of the occasion.

Held under the theme “Legacy through Impact,” the gala formed part of a broader year-long celebration honouring the FMHS’s extraordinary contribution to healthcare and health sciences training and innovation since its establishment in 1956.

A legacy built across generations

Master of ceremonies Dr Therese Fish, Vice Dean: Clinical Services and Social Impact, reflected on the faculty’s rich history and evolving future, highlighting the contributions of generations of staff, students, partners and leaders who helped shape and expand the faculty and its campuses.

In his welcoming message, Prof Nico Gey van Pittius, Vice Dean: Research and Internationalisation at the FMHS, reminded guests to see the anniversary not only as a celebration of history, but as a renewed commitment to shape the future of healthcare ethically, inclusively and with excellence in the face of rapid technological and social change.

Invitees were treated to a commemorative video that traced the faculty’s evolution through different eras of South African history – from pioneering scientific discoveries and breakthroughs in medical training to moments of transformation, resilience and global impact relayed by key role players.

Transformative social impact

Speaking on behalf of SU’s Rector and Vice-Chancellor Prof Deresh Ramjugernath, Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Social Impact, Transformation and Personnel Prof Nico Koopman described the faculty as a place where academic excellence and humanity intersect.

“We celebrate 70 years of academic excellence with you – excellence in learning and teaching, research and innovation, clinical services and social impact that is transformative, humanising and dignifying,” he said.

Koopman recalled some of the faculty’s landmark achievements, including its globally recognised tuberculosis research, decentralised rural clinical training programmes and pioneering surgical innovations, while praising its commitment to dignity, justice and equitable healthcare.

He also congratulated Muller on her reappointment as Dean for a second term, describing her leadership as deeply rooted in building a more humane society through medicine and education.

Muller’s own address gave the celebration its emotional centre. “Preparing for this evening made me ask a simple question: what exactly are we celebrating?” she asked.

Muller argued that the faculty’s identity could never be reduced to objects or metrics. “A faculty is not a building, it’s not a logo, it’s not a strategy document, it’s not an organogram,” she said. “A faculty is a group of people standing together with a shared purpose.”

For the FMHS, she said, that shared purpose has always been clear: “the health of people, the needs of patients, the wellbeing of community, the belief that knowledge, science, compassion and service can improve human lives”.

A future filled with possibility

The faculty’s impact, she noted, extends far beyond lecture halls and laboratories into hospitals, clinics, rural communities and moments of profound vulnerability and healing where “a patient recovers from illness, a family receives hope, a student learns how to care for another human being, a scientist makes a discovery that changes clinical practice.”

Some of the most meaningful forms of impact can never truly be measured, she stressed. “You see it when a patient gets better, when fear changes to relief, when a family member hugs you after a week of uncertainty, when suffering is eased, even when cure is no longer possible,” Muller reflected. “Those moments do not appear on dashboards or annual reports, but they are the reason many of us chose this profession.”

She also paid tribute to the often-unseen ecosystem of people who sustain the faculty’s work – administrators, technicians, researchers, support staff and healthcare workers whose contributions quietly underpin every graduation, publication, operation and consultation. For Muller, the Faculty’s future remains filled with possibility.

“After 70 years, we are still ambitious for what this faculty can become,” she said. “Tonight, as we celebrate this remarkable milestone, let us also look forward – forward to the next generation of students, scientists and healthcare professionals, forward to new discoveries and innovations, forward to a faculty that continues to grow in excellence, humanity and impact.”

Carrying the impact forward

Student leader Thandolwethu Noinyane, chairperson of the FMHS Student Representative Council, brought a younger generation’s perspective to the evening, speaking of the hopes and responsibilities carried by today’s healthcare students. “As students, we walk through these halls carrying more than just textbooks and stethoscopes,” she said. “We carry the hopes of our families, our communities, and our future.”

Noinyane echoed Muller’s message that the faculty’s legacy would not only be measured by rankings or milestones, but by the people it continued to uplift and the humanity it chose to protect. “We, as the next generation, are ready to carry this legacy forward with excellence, compassion and courage. Tonight is not just for celebration of where we come from, but it is a commitment to where we are going,” Noinyane concluded.

• Watch the video of FMHS’ history, 70 Years in the making, here.