The University of the Free State (UFS) is proud to announce the establishment of the Dr Maye Musk Scholarship. This prestigious scholarship aims to support deserving master’s students who intend to study Nutrition or Dietetics at the university’s Department of Nutrition and Dietetics.

The Dr Maye Musk Scholarship represents a significant step towards providing support for top-achieving students who wish to pursue a full-time master’s degree. This scholarship not only empowers the next generation of researchers but also enables the Department of Nutrition and Dietetics to expand its innovative work in maternal and child nutrition, particularly in maternal and infant body composition analysis.

“Studies in this field have the potential to revolutionise our understanding of how nutritional factors influence maternal and infant health outcomes, leading to more effective interventions and policies.  By advancing research in this crucial area, the scholarship helps address critical public health challenges, ultimately contributing to healthier communities and improved quality of life for mothers and children worldwide,” says Prof Corinna Walsh from the Department of Nutrition and Dietetics.

“The UFS, and in particular the Faculty of Health Sciences, is immensely proud of the university’s association with Dr Musk and this hugely positive contribution to our students. Dr Musk’s commitment to fostering education and providing opportunities for students is truly commendable.

Similarly, her support is a welcome vote of confidence in the excellent work that our Department of Nutrition and Dietetics is doing, and I am sure it will enhance their profile nationally and globally as well,” says Prof Francis Petersen, Vice-Chancellor and Principal of the UFS.

“The Department of Nutrition and Dietetics extends its deepest gratitude to Dr Musk for her generous support and commitment to the field. Dr Musk, an internationally renowned dietitian and nutritionist, received an honorary doctorate (DDiet [h.c.]) from the UFS in April 2023 – marking the first-ever honorary doctorate in dietetics awarded by the university,” said Prof Walsh.

The scholarship will provide annual financial support to two master’s students for a total of two years. This will enable the UFS to attract and retain excellent students and encourage contributions to the university, which will benefit students for years to come.

For more information and the application process – also if members of the public would like to contribute to the scholarship in acknowledgement of Dr Musk’s many accomplishments and the expansion of opportunities for deserving students to study Dietetics at the UFS – please contact Prof Walsh at walshcm@ufs.ac.za.

Dr Musk was accepted to study for a Diploma in Hospital Dietetics at the Universitas Hospital in Bloemfontein in the early 1980s. Following her diploma, she was awarded a bursary to pursue a Master of Science at the UFS. "Being a Doctor of Dietetics is the ultimate goal after dedicating my life to dietetics and nutritional sciences,” Dr Musk said on receiving her honorary doctorate. “I learned so much during my time at the UFS about nutrition-related chronic diseases, which helped me for the rest of my life in my dietetics private practice."