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01 July 2020

The composition of the UFS Council is stipulated in the UFS Statute, which was published in the Government Gazette on 26 January 2018 and amended by publication in the Government Gazette on 29 March 2019.

The Convocation has to elect one (1) external (neither employee nor student of the UFS) representative to the Council to represent the Convocation and Alumni on Council, following the expiry of the term of office of the current representative on 23 November 2020. The elected representative will serve for a period of four years on Council.

The Convocation comprises all persons who obtained a formal qualification from the UFS, as  well as all permanent academic staff members.

Members of the Convocation are invited to submit written nominations by using the Nomination Form attached hereto.
 
Every nomination form must be signed by 4 (four) members of the Convocation and must contain the written acceptance of the nomination by the nominee under his/her signature, as
well as an abridged CV and a motivation of ± 200 words.

All nominations must reach the office of the Registrar no later than 16:30 on 4 September 2020.
 
If more than one person is nominated an election will be held as stipulated in the Institutional Rules.  More information regarding this process will follow at that stage. 


Nominations are to be submitted to:
 
• or by post (strongly advised not to use this method due to delays):
Mr NN Ntsababa  
Registrar
University of the Free State
PO Box 339
Bloemfontein
9300

• or hand-delivered to:   (depending on the lockdown level and the regulations that are in place).
Mr NN Ntsababa
Room 51, 1st Floor
Main Building
UFS Bloemfontein Campus
 

For enquiries, please contact Mr NN Ntsababa at registrar@ufs.ac.za or +27 51 401 3796.

Kindly take note that late or incomplete nominations will not be accepted or considered.
Every nomination must be submitted separately.

News Archive

#Women'sMonth: Lack of HIV education still affects children
2017-08-17

Description: Nickie Goedhals Tags: Dr Nickie Goedhals, Medical Microbiology and Virology, The Lancet, transmission of HIV, National Research Foundation 

Dr Nickie Goedhals, Senior Lecturer and Pathologist
in Medical Microbiology and Virology at the UFS.
Photo: Sonia Small



“Despite all the advances in the management and prevention of HIV, children still become infected every day, often due to lack of education and access to health care.” This is according to Dr Nickie Goedhals, Senior Lecturer and Pathologist in Medical Microbiology and Virology at the University of the Free State (UFS).

Study published in UK medical Journal 
A case study she was part of and published in the UK medical journal The Lancet in 2012, demonstrates the transmission of HIV to a child through surrogate breastfeeding. This study is one of the many highlights in the young researcher’s career. She received her first rating from the National Research Foundation (NRF) in 2017 for the work she has done in Medical Virology over the past eight years.

According to the above-mentioned study, only about 1% of infants in South Africa are being breastfed by a surrogate. However, results from a study in the Free State showed that shared breastfeeding by a non-biological caregiver was the most important factor associated with HIV infection in discordant mother-child pairs. Therefore, continued education about the risk of HIV transmission is needed.

Dr Goedhals is also continuing with research on HIV by looking at HIV drug resistance. She is in the process of starting new projects focusing on HIV infection and drug resistance in infants.

PSP helped with NRF-rating
She says, although her NRF Y2-rating is the starting point of a research career, it shows that she is heading in the right direction, and it “gives access to research funds through the NRF for future projects.” Other important research she conducted was on Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever – the study for her PhD.

The Prestige Scholars Programme (PSP) at the UFS is the reason that she applied for the rating. “With all the service delivery, teaching, and administrative responsibilities of academic medicine, it is easy to lose focus. The PSP has really helped to create a focused and stimulating environment for research.” According to her, the PSP also provides access to a network of peers and senior staff at the UFS, as well as exposure to national and international experts.

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