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Health Sciences awards first Bongani Mayosi Medical Students Academic Prize

12 December 2020 | Story André Damons

Bongani Mayosi Prize Latest News — Drs Kaamilah Joosub (in front) and Lynette Upman, medical students in the Faculty of Health Sciences at the UFS, are the winners of the first Bongani Mayosi Medical Students Academic Prize for final-year medical students.

Two final-year medical students from the University of the Free State (UFS) became the first recipients of the prestigious Bongani Mayosi Medical Students Academic Prize which was bestowed on them 10 days before their graduation.

Drs Kaamilah Joosub and Lynette Upman, two final-year medical students in the Faculty of Health Sciences at the UFS are the first medical students from the university to be awarded the prize.This is the first year it has been awarded.

Drs Joosub and Upman received their awards at a function on Friday (4 December 2020) from Prof Hanneke Brits, Phase III chair and specialist in the Department of Family Medicine, on behalf of Prof Gert van Zyl, Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences.

The Faculty of Health Sciences will host a virtual graduation on 14 December 2020.

Prestigious national award

The Bongani Mayosi Medical Students Academic Prize is a prestigious national award which aims to recognise final-year medical students who epitomise the academic, legendary, and altruistic life of Mayosi. The awards are presented to final-year MB ChB students from all South African medical faculties. Each student is allowed one vote for one classmate who, in their private opinion, best balances:

Academic achievement
Emotional intelligence ‑ good interpersonal skills
Social accountability ‑ the ability to respond helpfully to the needs of others

Winners are determined by the highest number of digital votes, with the first-prize winner receiving R6 000 and second prize coming in at R4 000.

Dr Lynette van der Merwe, undergraduate medical programme director in the School of Clinical Medicine at UFS, commented that Drs Joosub and Upman are worthy winners, as they have continuously exemplified the ideals recognised by this award during their undergraduate training.

The School of Clinical Medicine is very proud of its newest Kovsie doctors who successfully completed the academic year despite the immense challenges associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. This is thanks to the commitment and hard work of students and staff at the UFS.

Name behind the prize

The late Prof Bongani Mayosi was an outstanding doctor who rose rapidly through the ranks to become a top cardiologist, internationally recognised as a leading clinician scientist. He completed his undergraduate studies at the age of 22, having graduated cum laude in both the Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery (MB ChB) and Bachelor of Medical Sciences (BMedSci) degrees.

He trained as a physician and cardiologist at Groote Schuur Hospital and completed his doctorate at the University of Oxford in the UK. At the age of 38‚ he became the first black to be appointed professor and Head of the Department of Medicine at the University of Cape Town (UCT). In 2016, he was appointed Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences at UCT. Before taking up his deanship, he completed the Advanced Management Programme at Harvard University in the US.

As a medical student Prof Mayosi excelled academically, was supportive of his classmates and enthusiastically involved in student residence committees and politics as well as community outreach programmes. As a researcher, he initiated an international programme of research focusing on solutions for poverty-related heart diseases and trained local clinician scientists and research leaders.

Prof Mayosi had an exceptional mixture of academic brilliance and vision; ambition and humility; kindness and generosity; passion and compassion; drive and empathy that complemented his ability to persuade and inspire others, which no doubt contributed to his 400 publications.

News Archive

It takes a village to raise a child

2016-06-13

Description: Valentino_Student Bursary Fund Campaign Tags: Valentino_Student Bursary Fund Campaign

Valentino Ndaba
Photo: Sonia Small

(Click on CC for subtitles)

Video
Student Bursary Fund Campaign booklet (pdf)
Donate
Student Bursary Fund Campaign launched: #FundAFuture and make a difference
Motho ke motho ka batho. A person is a person through others
Want to make a difference in the world? Here is how

South Africa has one of the most spectacular coastlines in the world. Take the ribbon of golden beaches sweeping along the shores of KwaZulu-Natal, for instance. But just beyond the kiteboards dappling the ocean and fields of swaying sugarcane lies one of the largest informal settlements in the province: Amaoti. A place where barefoot children are skipping alongside poverty, and violent crime incinerates hope.

Nonetheless, that place could not keep Valentino Ndaba from graduating at the University of the Free State (UFS), and setting her sails for post-graduate studies.

A village
It takes a village to raise a child. This African proverb ripples across Valentino’s life story. “My gran always used to say education is your eternal bread. She still says it to this day. She has always instilled in me the importance of education,” Valentino smiles. Her grandmother has been but one of several champions in Valentino’s life.

Maalthee Dayaram – a teacher at Brookdale Secondary School that Valentino attended – noticed a budding talent in the young girl’s writing. With dedicated attention and ceaseless encouragement, Mrs Dayaram helped pave the way for this young writer. “You might be talented and have potential, but having someone actually believe in you and tell you that you have potential makes such a difference,” Valentino says. “I fell in love with writing, and had an idea that writing might be my future.” Dire economic circumstances threatened to snuff out any sparks of hope from that fragile future, though.

Aided by Lungisani Indlela (a non-profit organisation that provides children in the Amaoti area with school fees, uniforms, shoes, etc), Valentino clung to faith in the power of education. With unwavering single-mindedness, she consistently earned top grades.

Description: Valentino Ndaba 2 Tags: Valentino Ndaba 2

Photo: Sonia Small

Not if, but when
“Dreaming of my future, my gran would always say to me, ‘when you go to university’ or ‘when you have graduated’, this and that will follow.” Her gran’s words proved to be prophetic. As the final matric results were published in early January 2012, Valentino received a phone call that would change her life irrevocably.

That call came from the well-known South African humanitarian, Tich Smith. “Would you be willing to go to university in another province?” Smith asked. Never having travelled beyond her immediate surroundings, Valentino’s brave answer was: “Yes.”

A few days later, she walked onto the Bloemfontein Campus of the UFS.

Changing futures
Valentino proceeded to obtain a BA degree in Media Studies and Journalism in 2014. She has now set her sights on an honours degree, and envisions pursuing a Master’s degree in creative writing overseas.

“Without the support I received, I would have been stuck without a future,” she says. “University has shaped me into a better version of myself. I’ve grown intellectually, spiritually, and emotionally.”

You can bring about the same change for other students in need. By contributing to the UFS Student Bursary Fund Campaign, you can change the future not only of individuals, but of communities and of our country as well.

The impact of your financial support reaches far beyond its monetary value. It pulls families from poverty. It sends forth experts and visionaries into the world. It sets in motion a culture of giving.

Visit our Giving page for ways to contribute.

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