Stellenbosch University (SU) awarded an honorary doctorate to pioneering South African social scientist and epidemiologist Dr Olive Shisana on Thursday (26 March) at the institution’s March graduation. Shisana received the degree Doctor of Science (DSc) (Medicine and Health Sciences), honoris causa, at a ceremony for the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences.

She was honoured for her commitment to justice, evidence-based policymaking, and the transformation of South Africa’s public health and research systems, and for her leadership in advancing science for social good.

In her acceptance speech, Shisana said she is privileged and proud to receive the honorary doctorate from SU. “As I accept this honour, I do so on behalf of all those who help to transform South Africa's health system.”

She highlighted the university's commitment to research, learning, and social impact. “This explicit commitments to excellence, inclusivity and collaboration drive efforts to strengthen the health system and advance health equity in South Africa and beyond.”

Shisana also recounted how she collaborated with colleagues at SU to establish the pioneering online HIV/AIDS management programme at the university, which has trained over 5,000 students from 40 countries, including 600 with master's degrees. 

“Many of these graduates now serve in senior positions in government, international organisations and civil society, as well as the health systems across Africa. We have shaped what would become one of the most influential academic training initiatives in HIV and public health on the African continent.”

She called on SU to prioritise training curricula and institutional partnerships that equip future health professionals to provide universal health coverage services across South Africa and on the continent as we move towards the United Nations programme on universal health coverage.

More about Shisana

As a pioneering social scientist and epidemiologist, Dr Olive Shisana has helped shape the country’s public health sector.

She served as the Director-General in the Department of Health during President Nelson Mandela’s administration where she played a central role in the post-apartheid reconstruction of public health. She was also the Chief Executive Officer of the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) for ten years. Under her leadership, South Africa conducted its first national population-based HIV surveys that provided critical data for policy and advocacy. Since then, the survey has been repeated five times between 2005 and 2022, and Shisana  continues to provide technical support to the HSRC on the longitudinal analysis of the data.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, she served as a global co-chair of the ACT-A Facilitation Council (2020–2022), which comprised approximately 33 countries across high-, middle- and low-income contexts. She helped guide the international community’s pandemic response with clarity, courage and integrity. 

She was also awarded The Order of the Baobab, a Presidential honour bestowed on South African citizens for distinguished service in the fields of HIV/AIDS science and community service. 

Shisana, who holds a Doctor of Science in Epidemiology from the Johns Hopkins (now Bloomberg) School of Public Health, has also worked at the World Health Organisation where she was responsible for programmes on HIV/AIDS, reproductive health, women’s and child health.