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Faculty of Health Sciences host another successful Crazysocks4Docs Day

08 June 2022 | Story Andre Damons | Photo Reuben Maeko

The high-pressure nature of working in the health sector and some of the conditions under which doctors have to work and to which they are exposed not only make them vulnerable, but it might have an effect on their mental state.

It is for this reason that the Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of the Free State (UFS) celebrates the CrazySocks4Docs campaign each year. In order to create awareness on the importance of medical students’ mental health, Investec once again sponsored crazy socks for our undergraduate medical students this year, after a very successful CrazySocks4Docs Day in 2021.

Crazy Socks for Docs was created in 2017 by Victorian doctor Geoff Toogood, who has a lived experience of depression and anxiety.

After wearing odd socks to work one day, Dr Toogood found that people were talking behind his back and questioning his mental health. The reality was that his new puppy ate his socks, but he was struck by the stigma and discrimination still associated with mental health and well-being.

Angie Vorster, Clinical Psychologist from the School of Medicine in the Faculty of Health Sciences, says students and staff were encouraged to wear mismatched, colourful, crazy socks on 3 June 2022 in order to draw attention to the mental health and well-being of our medical students and medical doctors – who have carried us through more than two years of a pandemic.

“The more we speak about mental health and change the narrative around mental illness as normal life experiences, the better we are able to reduce stigma and increase help-seeking behaviour among our healthcare professionals,” says Vorster.

Head of Surgery, Dr Nicholas Pearce; Acting Head of the School of Clinical Medicine, Prof Hanneke Brits; the Programme Director of the Undergraduate School of Clinical Medicine, Dr Yolandi Swart; and Arishka Kalicharan, the Phase I Chairperson, along with the School of Clinical Medicine's Clinical Psychologist, Angie Vorster, came to celebrate their socks with medical students.

“The students took a break from studying for their exams to have some fun. Even though it was freezing outside, our toes were as warm as our hearts. A great big word of thanks to Investec for caring about our students' mental health and always supporting our endeavours in the Faculty of Health Sciences. It takes a village to train a doctor!’

Time for a picture. Medical students take pictures of their crazy socks during the Faculty of Health Sciences’ CrazySocks4Docs Day.

From the left; Arishka Kalicharan, Angie Vorster,Dr Yolandi Swart, and Prof Hanneke Brits

A group of medical students show off their new socks in support of the CrazySocks4Docs Day.

News Archive

New violinist for Odeion String Quartet

2013-02-06

Samson Diamond
06 February 2013

The Odeion String Quartet has a new member, a young accomplished violinist with a string of awards to his name. Samson Diamond, who won the Standard Bank Young Artist Award for Music in 2010, has joined the quartet. He is the first male member the quartet has had for about five years. The Soweto-born violinist replaced Denise Sutton, former leader and first violinist. He will lead the quartet, a flagship of the university and the only resident string quartet at a South African university. The other three members are Sharon de Kock (violin), Jeanne-Louise Moolman (viola) and Anmari van der Westhuizen (cello).

Twenty-eight year old Diamond, a graduate of the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester, UK, says he is looking forward to working with students from the Odeion School of Music. “I am sure there are many talented students here.”

The musician, who obtained both his Bachelor of Music Honours degree and his Masters of Music Performance degree with distinction, will be based in Bloemfontein on a full time basis. As a member of the quartet, he will be giving concerts, coaching chamber music for the various chamber ensembles and will also give individual lessons to some of the violin students at the School.

Diamond, who started playing the violin at age ten, boast a long list of achievements. At age 12, he was leader of the Buskaid Soweto String Ensemble, one of the country's prominent youth projects. He was a founding member of the jazz classical band Quattro Fusion and former leader of the Diamond quartet. He has performed before many distinguished guests, including Queen Elizabeth II, the Duke of Edinburgh and former presidents Nelson Mandela and Thabo Mbeki.

Diamond says being the first male member in years will not bring about a change in the quartet He says it is about the standard of playing and the calibre of music.

“Music is music whether you work with men or women.”

Diamond’s first performance as member of the quartet will be on 21 February 2013. Details about the performance will be communicated later.

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