Wishing all students and staff a restive and joyful holiday period.
- Dean: Prof Shabir Madhi
Dear Students and Staff at Wits Faculty of Health Sciences
As 2024 draws to a close, it is worthwhile to reflect on another year of resilience and accomplishments in the Faculty of Health Sciences at Wits University. Together, we continue our journey in achieving significant milestones, overcoming challenges, and advancing our mission of excellence in education, research, and ensuring the future of healthcare in South Africa.
This year marked a change in the admission criteria into our undergraduate program, focusing on redressing ongoing societal inequities and enabling admission of at least 40% of our students from disadvantaged communities (i.e. no fees paying schools). The overwhelmingly high pass rate in all our 1st-year undergraduate programs, irrespective of their socioeconomic background, is a testament to the students and their lectures’ effort. This is a cause for celebration as we journey on in the University to address transformation. Congratulations to all the 1st year students who have successfully navigated transitioning into life at University, as well as the rest of the student populace for your dedication and excelling in your studies.
We are ensuring that the training of our students equips them to adapt to a “new era” where generative Artificial Intelligence will heavily influence the practice of Medicine and the provision of healthcare. This consideration is incorporated in our curriculum revisions implemented in some undergraduate programs in 2024 and will continue to be rolled out over the next 2-3 years. The revisions and adaptations of the undergraduate curriculums in the Faculty will ensure that we train students who are fit for purpose and that Wits maintains its reputation of being a leading faculty in health sciences - training not only in South Africa but globally.
This year has also been another successful year in the growth of research at the Wits FHS, which remains among the top three Health Sciences Faculties on the African continent and among the top 250 globally. The notable success of the Researchers at Wits FHS is evident from multiple large grants that Researchers have been able to attract, enabling them to lead cutting-edge science that is highly regarded internationally. The Faculty can pride itself on the ongoing contribution which the Researchers at Wits make to informing policy in South Africa, in Africa and globally, including in the fields of non-communicable diseases, vaccines, TB and HIV. Furthermore, the development of the Wits Research Bio-hub, a 28,000-square-meter campus in close proximity to the Health Sciences Campus, is expected to be completed before the end of 2025. It will contribute to Wits FHS’ emergence to being even more competitive in growing research and innovation across multiple disciplines.
The ongoing success and growth of the Faculty would not be possible without the contribution of our academic and administrative staff, for their unwavering commitment to nurturing the next generation of healthcare leaders. The dedication, innovation and mentorship of Staff is inspirational to the students and enrich our Faculty. The contribution of staff is all the more noteworthy considering the resource constraints faced by the University, which mirrors what is happening in the Country. Nevertheless, the determination of staff to overcome the challenges is lending itself to innovations as we aspire to greater efficiency to cope with the pressures of rigorous academic programs and impact on broader societal issues in our community.
As we look ahead to 2025, I take the opportunity to wish all students and staff a restive and joyful holiday period. I look forward to welcoming you back in 2025, which I’m optimistic will herald in the maturation of many initiatives that are currently underway in the Faculty, which will continue to strengthen the Faculty through an upgrade of the facilities. May you return rejuvenated, ready to embrace the new year's opportunities with renewed purpose and determination.