Latest News Archive

Please select Category, Year, and then Month to display items

Prof Hendri Kroukamp receives esteemed Donald C Stone Award

03 August 2021 | Story Dr Nitha Ramnath | Photo Sonia Small (Kaleidoscope Studios)

Prof Hendri Kroukamp, Dean of the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences at the University of the Free State (UFS), has been selected as the 2021 recipient of the Donald C Stone Award from the International Association of Schools and Institutes of Administration (IASIA). The award pays tribute to individuals who have made outstanding contributions to IASIA through excellence in leadership and enhancing the image of the profession, as well as other distinguished service to the success of the organisation. The award followed a call for nominations and a recommendation process managed by the Stone Award Selection Committee, after which the Management Board endorsed the award to Prof Kroukamp for his contributions to the organisation and to the advancement of public administration in the world.

“I am humbled by the gesture; it is a real honour to receive the award. For me, this is a validation of the work that members of the organisation do to find solutions to the problems faced across all levels in the public sector,” says Prof Kroukamp.

A dedicated public servant, Donald C Stone was the founder of the American Public Works Association. He is popularly recognised for his contribution to the implementation of the Marshall Plan, organising the executive office of the President of the United States, and the formation of action-oriented professional associations that serve global society. In 1961, Prof Stone was the founding member of the International Association of Schools and Institutes of Administration, an association of organisations and individuals whose activities and interests focus on education and the training of public administrators and managers. IASIA is an entity of the International Institute of Administrative Sciences (IIAS).

More about Prof Kroukamp

Prof Kroukamp is currently Dean of the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences at the UFS (in 2018, he acted as Vice-Rector: Academic at the UFS, responsible for, inter alia, providing strategic leadership to the university and for the overall operational management of the academic portfolio of the university). He is a National Research Foundation (NRF)-rated researcher in the field of public administration and management, and a member of various national and international associations, editorial boards, and management boards. Prof Kroukamp is married to Tertia, a clinical psychologist, and they have two children, Dinki (29 years) and Hendri (27 years).

News Archive

Heart-valve studies receive international recognition

2017-07-11

Prof Francis Smit, Head of the Department of
Cardiothoracic Surgery at the UFS, and Manager of the
Robert WM Frater Cardiovascular Research Centre, with
Kyle Davis, Mechanical Engineer at the centre.
Photo: Rulanzen Martin

Three heart-valve studies which have been developed at the Robert WM Frater Cardiovascular Research Centre at the School of Medicine at the University of the Free State (UFS) were recently presented in Monte Carlo at the conference of the prestigious global Heart Valve Society (HVS).

These studies are all headed by Prof Francis Smit, Head of the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery at the UFS, and Manager of the Robert WM Frater Cardiovascular Research Centre.
Prof Smit says the HVS is a combination of the former heart-valve societies of Europe and the US. “Studies on heart-valve disease, heart-valve-related products and operations, as well as the design and development of new valves were presented. There are both clinical and development divisions.

He says the study in which the hemodynamics of their redesigned mechanical poppet valve was compared to a commercial bi-leaflet mechanical heart valve, was named as the best poster presentation in the experimental valve development and numerical flow dynamics division. The study, which was presented by Kyle Davis, mechanical engineer at the centre, competed against some of the best heart-valve research units in the world.

The redesigned valve, based on the 1960s Cape Town poppet valve, has the potential to provide a low-cost solution for mechanical heart-valve replacement. It is possible to produce the titanium ring with 3-D printers and is, together with the silicon poppet valve, extremely inexpensive compared to current mechanical valve-manufacturing processes.
The advantages of this valve over current mechanical valves is that, due to the effective and laminar flow characteristics, as well as the simple locking mechanisms, there is a reduced chance of valve thrombosis, and the need for anti-clotting drugs is therefore limited.

It was also confirmed that the new valve more than meets the published FDA (Federal Drug Agency) requirements, which determine the minimum standards of valves for human use in the US.

The redesigned valve also has a very low platelet activation impact, which is responsible for platelet thrombosis and leads to valve thrombosis or strokes. This valve is another heart-valve project by the centre, which is also in the process of evaluating a tri-leaflet polyurethane valve developed by them.

Back

Economic and Management Sciences

Education

Health Sciences

The Humanities

Law

Natural and Agricultural Sciences

Theology and Religion

Open Distance Learning

Business School

We use cookies to make interactions with our websites and services easy and meaningful. To better understand how they are used, read more about the UFS cookie policy. By continuing to use this site you are giving us your consent to do this.

Accept