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08 June 2022 | Story Andre Damons | Photo Reuben Maeko
Dr Nicholas Pearce, Head of the Department of General Surgery in the Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of the Free State (UFS), shows off his new socks with some of the students who came out to celebrate the day.

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!’

News Archive

Six of our students on their way to Stanford Sophomore College
2014-08-21


Back, from the left are: Philip Kitsopoulos (BCom Law), Ulrich Kristen (Medicine)
and Stephan Erasmus (Medicine).

The university hosted a send-off function for our students who are about to attend a three-week seminar at Stanford Sophomore College (SoCo).

Six Kovsie students were selected to attend the seminar at the Stanford SoCo in September 2014. This programme is an immersive learning experience where participants attend class meetings during the morning. Their afternoons include class activities, explorations of Stanford, field trips as well as organised events.

UFS students were invited to apply for one of six SoCo courses in February 2014. After months of apprehension, the successful Kovsie applicants were announced in May this year.

These outstanding Kovsie students and the courses they will attend are:

  • Sebabatso Makafane, Vuyisile Kubeka and Philip Kitsopoulos – New Millennium Mix: Crossings of Race and Culture;
  • Ulrich Kristen – Resistance Writings in Nazi Germany;
  • Kaylene Pillay – Ghost Stories: Why the Dead Return and What They Want From Us; and
  • Stephan Erasmus – Responses to the AIDS Epidemic.

During the farewell function, Rudi Buys: Dean of Student Affairs, handed the students their flight tickets and visas. This was followed by messages of support from Dr Lis Lange, Directorate for Institutional Research and Academic Planning, and Prof Neil Roos from the Centre for Africa Studies.

Prof Roos concluded the evening’s programme with some advice for these students. “Don’t go there and come back to copy the students and personalities you meet there. Go there and show your own characteristics to them.”

The six Kovsies will depart on 29 August and return home on 19 September 2014.

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