UWC School of Public Health

30/10/2026

That's a Wrap! KESS Research Day 2026!
Were you part of the day? Share your feedback with us! https://docs.google.com/forms/u/2/d/e/1FAIpQLSfG6W8H-rKZipU_ZmwtX6xYwGqNGqSThKheO8q8Hg8qGSW4Aw/viewform

30/10/2026

2026 KESS Research Day Is Here!
https://soph.uwc.ac.za/news/khayelitsha-and-eastern-sub-structure-kess-research-day-2026/

Tomorrow Prof Munya Saruchera will deliver the keynote address at the Khayelitsha Eastern Substructure (KESS) Research Day 2026, hosted by the Western Cape Provincial Department of Health and Wellness and the UWC School of Public Health. This year's theme (Evidence, equity and excellence: Advancing healthcare in KESS) seeks to showcase research that informs service delivery, promotes equitable health outcomes and contributes to excellence in healthcare.

Ethically-inclined researchers should be concerned about what many organisations refer to as community engagement. This often comes down to turning up in a community, undertaking a one-off engagement with individuals, followed by a quick survey and focus groups ‒ extract the information, write the report and move on.

When engagement becomes extractive, people quickly learn that their role is simply to provide information and opinions, rather than being involved in shaping change. The community needs to feel involved. They need to feel ownership. Without it, very little happens afterwards.

That’s where MEaL can become something much more meaningful. Not Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning as a compliance exercise, but as an ongoing cycle of reflection, adaptation and involvement.
Not “done to” communities but done WITH them. This requires relationships, presence, trust, ongoing involvement and investment in the relationship building and maintenance and much more, as well as sticking around much longer than the drive-through model allows.

Stellenbosch University

30/10/2026

Happening Today: 2026 KESS Research Day https://soph.uwc.ac.za/news/khayelitsha-and-eastern-sub-structure-kess-research-day-2026/
Throwback to last year's KESS

28/10/2026

Explore the latest SAHR edition focusing on Learning Health Systems.

A SYSTEM THAT CANNOT LEARN KEEPS REPRODUCING OLD PROBLEMS UNDER NEW NAMES.

The new Learning Health Systems edition of the SAHR explores what it will take to embed learning into South African health care so that local innovation transfers routinely across the system.

Browse the full edition here: https://sahr.hst.org.za/issue/14687-vol-28-2025

28/10/2026

Imarisha webinar starting soon!
Join the conversation: 𝗔𝗱𝗱𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗚𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗩𝗶𝗼𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲: 𝗔 𝗣𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗰𝘆 𝗔𝗻𝗮𝗹𝘆𝘀𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝗰𝗿𝗼𝘀𝘀 𝗕𝘂𝗿𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗮 𝗙𝗮𝘀𝗼, 𝗧𝗮𝗻𝘇𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗮, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗦𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗵 𝗔𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗮
𝗥𝗲𝗴𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲: https://go.unu.edu/qtzVQ

Find out more about the Imarisha consortium, Strengthening PHC by addressing gendered workplace violence in South Africa, Burkina Faso and Tanzania. https://soph.uwc.ac.za/project-item/imarisha-strengthening-phc-by-addressing-gendered-workplace-violence/

28/10/2026

Gender-Affirming Healthcare Remains Out Of Reach For Many South Africans, Study Finds
Lead researcher Lynn Bust, a PhD candidate at UWC’s School of Public Health and LGBT+ Research Programme Manager at the UCT-based Desmond Tutu Health Foundation, and co-authors, noted the findings revealed a significant gap between the gender-affirming healthcare and legal services that transgender and gender-diverse people need and what they can actually access.
Read the full story 👇

Accessing healthcare that recognises and supports gender identity remains a challenge for many transgender and gender-diverse people in South Africa.

26/10/2026

Spotlight NSP features SALAD, the South African Learning Alliance for the District Health System, and its contribution to addressing perennial challenges in the DHS.
SALAD is a learning network, including The University of the Western Cape School of Public Health, established in 2023 to support the District Health System (DHS). It operates as a knowledge network and community of practice, collaborating to generate evidence, share experiences, and support one another through activities that evolve in response to emerging opportunities.
Visit SALAD's website to find out more: https://soph.uwc.ac.za/project-item/the-south-african-learning-alliance-for-the-district-health-system-salad/

South Africa’s public healthcare system finds itself caught between two incomplete revolutions – the democratic dream of a decentralised District Health System, and the march toward National Health Insurance. Health systems experts argue that structural changes won’t save a system that is scar...

26/10/2026

New open-access book! Research Ethics and Integrity in Fragile Settings: Challenges, Complexity and a Global Code of Conduct
This book is open access, which means that you have free and unlimited access
* Cutting-edge scoping reviews and survey results combined in one book, for ease of access for readers
* Real-world relevance well illustrated through in-depth case study from Syria
* Will significantly assist all researchers who work in fragile settings to conduct their research ethically
For more information and to download 👇
https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-032-36141-7

26/10/2026

Strengthening Trauma-Informed Leadership: A Collaborative Engagement with City Health Managers
On 22 September 2026, the The University of the Western Cape School of Public Health and health managers from the City of Cape Town Health Area East came together to reflect on and strengthen trauma-informed leadership. The workshop highlighted the extent to which trauma is woven into the day-to-day experiences of health managers and their teams and the range of management responses and leadership needed.
Continue reading 👇

Area East City Health managers partnering with UWC School of Public Health to strengthen Trauma-Informed Leadership.

26/10/2026

CEPSA’s second annual pharmacovigilance training workshop
The Centre of Excellence for Pharmacovigilance in Southern Africa (CEPSA) is proud to announce the successful completion of its second pharmacovigilance (PV) workshop in September 2026, this time in a bilingual format, to promote inclusivity and strengthen PV capacity across Africa through immersive, hands-on training.
The second Advanced Pharmacovigilance Workshop took place from 31 August – 4 September 2026. A total of 28 participants from 24 African countries came together to strengthen pharmacovigilance across the continent. Continue reading 👇

The Centre of Excellence for Pharmacovigilance in Southern Africa (CEPSA) is proud to announce the successful completion of its second pharmacovigilance (PV) workshop in September 2026, this time in a bilingual format, to promote inclusivity and strengthen PV capacity across Africa through immersive...