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03 September 2019 | Story Charlene Stanley | Photo Katleho Mbele
UFS-UCT workshop
Attendees at the successful inaugural UFS-UCT medical research training workshops.
“A pioneering training session.”
“Excellent attention to my specific challenges.”
“Research as a whole makes so much more sense now.”

These are some of the responses by attendees after first-of-its-kind workshops for supervisors and MMed students in the UFS Faculty of Health Sciences, recently held at the FARMOVS Clinical Research Facility on the Bloemfontein campus.

UCT trainers

The workshops were presented by two medical research experts from the University of Cape Town (UCT), Prof Delva Shamley and Ms Annemie Steward. 
The two facilitators went through the research process with attendees and helped to refine individual research questions.
“There was a fantastic turnout by our students and great engagement from them,” says Dr Claire Barrett, Clinical Research Director from the School of Clinical Medicine, who initiated the training.

Training research supervisors

Two “train-the-trainer” workshops were also presented to MMed research supervisors at the School of Clinical Medicine. 
“The mandatory research component in our MMed studies was only implemented in 2012 and is applicable to all medical schools in South Africa. This means many supervisors don’t really have a research background themselves,” Dr Barrett explains. “These workshops gave them the tools to effectively guide students through the research process.”  

Inter-institutional effort

The invitation was also extended to supervisors from the Faculty of Health and Environmental Sciences at the Central University of Technology, Free State (CUT).
Dr Barrett is hoping to have similar inter-institutional sessions at least once every three months.

She notes that these introductory workshops would not have been possible without the support of the Head of the School of Clinical Medicine, Prof Nathaniel Mofolo, and FARMOVS.

“We have a valuable mutually beneficial relationship with the Faculty of Health Sciences, whose clinical expertise is often put to great use in drug development trials,” says Dr Michelle Middle, CMO of FARMOVS, who hosted the workshop. 
“Medical research is something we’re passionate about – so it was a great privilege to contribute to the success of these groundbreaking workshops.” 

News Archive

Art on Disasters to heal communities
2014-05-27

 
Fadzai Nyamusamba showing interest in the work: "Working on fire". This artwork was painted and donated by Mariette Pretorius, a professional artist from Bloemfontein. This art piece will be displayed at the South African National Disaster Management Centre in Pretoria.
Photo: Supplied
The Disaster Management Training and Education Centre for Africa (DiMTEC) at our university, recently launched its Art on Disasters initiative at the Gallery on Leviseur in Bloemfontein. 

Disasters have a devastating effect on societies and are accompanied by fear, uncertainties and often post-traumatic stress disorders. The creative arts have the ability to comfort survivors and those affected by tragedy. Amid disaster, art serves as a memorial, aids in the healing process and helps these communities to interpret their emotions. 

This is precisely the main focus of the Art on Disasters project. It aims to develop paintings, sculptures, dramas, theatre productions, poetry and music in collaboration with artists. These productions will then be presented to communities at risk of, or affected by, disasters, to create awareness and foster healing. 

Furthermore, the initiative will conduct research on art as a form of therapy and co-ordinate rehabilitation experts to assist the relevant communities. The artworks collected by the project, will be sold or auctioned to help raise funds. The proceeds will then be donated to a worthy cause as part of DiMTEC’s commitment to community service. 

The project will help console and heal communities and aspire to generate greater resilience to trauma. It will also give humanitarian workers the opportunity to advocate for disaster risk reduction and offer them an opportunity for psychological debriefing after attending to affected communities. 

“We will collect different categories of art related to all forms of disasters. These include paintings, photography, sculptures, poetry, music, theatre productions and short stories,” said Dr Andries Jordaan, Director of DiMTEC. “Stephanie Peters, Thomas Hart Benton, Tania Kovats and Medhi Naimi are just a few of the many artists that paint on man-made and natural disasters. They are artists that believe in art therapy as a form of self-expression, well-being and recovery,” he added. 

For more information about this initiative, or to possibly contribute as an artist, please contact Olivia Kunguma from DiMTEC on +27(0)51 401 9699 or kungumao@ufs.ac.za .

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