Latest News Archive

Please select Category, Year, and then Month to display items
Previous Archive
03 August 2021 | Story André Damons | Photo Charl Devenish
Elandré Williams is an analyst in the South African Doping Control Laboratory (SADoCoL), which is housed by the University of the Free State (UFS), and she is primarily responsible for all analyses and method development conducted by the GC-C-IRMS. She believes there are opportunities for more women to contribute to the ever-changing field of science and research. She is also part of the team responsible for all analytical work regarding the analysis of anabolic steroids by GC-MS/MS.

Diversity in the scientific community is of the utmost importance and it is important to know that the inclusion of women in science is inevitable. Women have done so much for the scientific community, and as time goes by, the impact of women in science will become greater, creating more opportunities for other women to come. 

This is according to Mrs Elandré Williams, analyst in the South African Doping Control Laboratory (SADoCoL), housed by the University of the Free State (UFS). Williams, who is primarily responsible for analyses and method development conducted by the GC-C-IRMS, believes there are opportunities for more women to contribute to the ever-changing field of science and research. She is also part of the team responsible for all analytical work regarding the analysis of anabolic steroids by GC-MS/MS.

Possibilities for women as scientists and researchers

“When I look at our field of expertise in the anti-doping community, there are a lot of possibilities for women as scientists and researchers to contribute to the science; the number of women in the laboratories is growing, again taking it back to our laboratory employees, consisting mainly of women scientists.” 

“Young women now have the ability and opportunities to study science, to do research, and to participate in scientific innovations. Scientific laboratories are encouraged to offer positions for women, which can contribute to the empowerment of young women and to encourage women to pursue a career in science,” says Williams. 

Having to find your own way in a scientific community that was once led by men only, can still be challenging at times, but, says Williams, even though women are climbing the ladder quickly, both women and men today still use the science that was once developed by men. This science is now evolving and changed by women. “It is an honour to be a female scientist and to know that the efforts and achievements of our scientific work and excellence will hopefully one day also benefit other women as scientists.”

Making a contribution to the Olympic Games

With the Olympic Games taking place this year, Williams and her colleagues are at the forefront of making a positive contribution to the Games as an anti-doping laboratory. Says Williams: “It is an honour to be a part of something that has a positive impact on sport, as well as something as big as the Olympics. Although the pressure of an Olympic year brought about several challenges, it taught me how to work well under pressure and made me aware of the kind of pressure I can work in.” 

According to her, her first Olympic year at SADoCoL made her realise that the more she does, the more she can do. It is, however, says Williams, not an individual goal, but a combined goal of the SADoCoL team to ensure that they make a positive contribution.  

What challenges do women still face?

Williams believes that women in the 21st century have more opportunities than in previous decades. “In the era we live in, women advocating for women are seen more often and it will remain this way if all women in all areas of life and careers continue to stand up for what they believe in and continue to influence other women in their professional careers. 

“Sexism is one of the biggest challenges facing women in society. Women are excluded from positions that hold power, they are unable to express their concerns, and are also unable to contribute to the authority that mostly men have. Young women are also faced with difficulties when making career choices due to the lack of information and available career opportunities that they can pursue,” says Williams.

These challenges can be addressed by simply realising the impact and role that women play in our society and all over the world. According to Williams, women should be introduced to leadership positions and should be given equal opportunities as men. 

“I do believe that if every person acknowledges the real worth of the person next to them, whatever gender, equality will be established in the near future. Women have become more than just housewives and ‘moms’; in fact, women, just as men, have an incredible force inside them that will be remembered forever if they are given the chance to showcase their capabilities and talents.”  

Science has helped to shape her

“Although these challenges might not be resolved quickly, I do believe that we as women have the power to overcome it, but it begins with us, all women today, to ensure that we leave a positive change in the world for the women coming after us.”

Williams concludes by saying that science – for which you need certain values, such as honesty, courage, being meticulous – helped to shape her into who she is today. “It taught me so much through challenging times where I had the option to either ‘jump in at the deep end and swim’ or drown’; I opted to ‘swim’, and this is a decision that I make every day, and I give it my utmost best. It has shown me what I am capable of and so much more – what I can achieve in the future.”

News Archive

“My time at the UFS was the golden gem of my career”
2016-07-04

Description: Zig Gibson Tags: Zig Gibson

Prof Alan St Clair Gibson
Photo: Oteng Mpete

“My time at the University of the Free State (UFS) was the golden gem of my career. I have worked at medical schools or biomedical research centres in the United Kingdom, United States and at some of the top medical schools in South Africa, but working at the UFS was one of the highlights of my career,” says Prof Alan St Clair Gibson, Head of the UFS School of Medicine.

After spending just over two years at the UFS, Prof St Clair Gibson resigned from the institution in June 2016 and will take up the position of Dean: Health and Human Performance Sciences at the Waikato University in New Zealand in mid-July, where he will assist to establish a new faculty for all the health-science disciplines. “It was a privilege to work at the UFS. I come from a strong research background and wanted to grow research at the university, which I achieved. I came to the UFS because of the Academic and Human Projects and am proud of what has been achieved at the School of Medicine during the time I was here,” he said.

Prof St Clair Gibson highlighted some of these achievements, including the development of a management infrastructure across the disciplines of the school. “The establishment of an executive management committee for the school, as well as research champions in departments, highlighted the importance of proper governance and strategic management. By developing data dashboards, my management team and I could develop an understanding of research income and productivity, how the school works, what the role of teaching and learning is, and how the school could benefit in terms of third-stream income from the many contracts obtained by its academic staff. As a result, contracts and the financial management model of the school have also been reconfigured to the benefit of the university so that the institution and school can benefit from it,” he said.

His strong belief in an open-door policy has made staff feel part of the environment and it has created an atmosphere of equality and inclusivity. He believes in staff development and has, for instance, established leadership and management courses for heads of departments. Another factor to be proud of is the increase in the number of young researchers who recently joined the school, such as Prof Ross Tucker, who is one of the foremost sport scientists in the country. “It is a fact that staff retire or resign in all schools and departments of any university. It is also true that these departures offer opportunities to bring new academic and professional staff into the UFS. In fact, for the first time virtually every department in the School of Medicine now has a full-time Head of Department and 46 new staff were appointed since January 2015,” said Prof St Clair Gibson.

“I am especially proud of contributing, together with the senior leadership of the UFS, to stabilise the relationship with the Free State Department of Health (DoH). With the assistance of these parties, as well as my executive management team, we could find a better way of working together to the benefit of the school and the province.’’

Transforming the student profile to be representative of the country’s demographics is another milestone Prof St Clair Gibson will remember. “The intake of black and white students is of such a nature that we now have a much more balanced ratio of black and white undergraduate students than before.”

“I wanted to stay longer to see the effect of all the changes I made at the school, but the deanship is an offer I cannot refuse. I would have liked to see a steadier increase in the number of permanent clinical staff and have worked hard with both the UFS management and the DoH to try and achieve that; but more work needs to be done.”

I have worked with a number of fantastic staff members at the school, who are determined to do good in a challenging environment. I am amazed at the energy of the university leadership and how the Human and Academic Projects are executed. My wish for the university is to maintain and grow its standards and for the School of Medicine to maintain its reputation as one of the best schools in the country. I will always be a proud alumnus of the UFS,” he said.

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