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17 November 2023 | Story Reuben Maeko | Photo SUPPLIED
Prof Nyoni, Dr Omar Mohamed Al-Ansari and Dr James Campbell
Prof Nyoni hands over the Winterthur Doha Interprofessional Declaration to the President of Qatar University Dr Omar Mohamed Al-Ansari and the WHO Director for Health Workforce Dr James Campbell at the All Together Better Health Conference in Doha, Qatar.

A delegation of five academics from the University of the Free State (UFS) made significant contributions at the recently concluded All Together Better Health Conference (ATBH) in Doha, Qatar. Led by Prof Champion Nyoni, Senior Researcher in the UFS School of Nursing and current Chairperson of Interprofessional.Global, the team showcased their research to an international audience, further solidifying UFS’s commitment to advancing interprofessional education and collaborative practices. 

Engagement at the Conference

The esteemed UFS academics, including Dr Lizemari Hugo-van Dyk (School of Nursing), Dr Anke van der Merwe (School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences), Dr Riaan van Wyk (Clinical Skills and Simulation Unit), and Dr Benjamin Botha (Computer Science and Informatics), actively participated in the conference, presenting their research findings to over 600 delegates from around the world. The ATBH Conference brought together students, educators, researchers, and policymakers with a shared goal of advancing interprofessional education and collaborative practices. 

UFS’s leading role in Interprofessional Education

Interprofessional education (IPE), the focal point of the conference, involves collaborative learning among students from multiple health and social care professions. The UFS has been a trailblazer in the IPE domain, boasting a robust IPE programme that has been running successfully for nearly a decade.

Leadership excellence by Prof Nyoni

Prof Nyoni, as the Chair of Interprofessional. Global, played a pivotal role in the conference, showcasing leadership and communication excellence on a global scale. Interprofessional. Global is a confederation of regional networks worldwide purposed to embed IPE as part of mainstream training for the health workforce globally. His welcome address during the grand opening ceremony, attended by esteemed dignitaries including Her Highness Sheika Moza bint Nasser, the President of Qatar University, and the Director for Health Workforce at the World Health Organization (WHO), marked a momentous occasion. Moreover, Prof Nyoni presented the Winterthur-Doha Interprofessional Declaration to Qatar University and the WHO, symbolically endorsing IPE as a strategy to enhance global health outcomes. 

The Winter-Doha Interprofessional Declaration

Explaining the significance of the Winter-Doha Interprofessional Declaration, Prof Nyoni expressed his excitement, stating, “I am thrilled that the World Health Organisation was forthcoming to receive this declaration – symbolically endorsing IPE as a strategy to enhance our health outcomes.” He added that this declaration would influence global efforts towards true IPE integration, with global representatives within the IPE community contributing to this milestone. 

Research presentations by UFS Academics

The UFS academics delivered impactful presentations at the conference. Drs Hugo-van Dyk and Botha, along with Prof Nyoni, discussed “An Online Programme for Clinical Facilitators in Health Professions Education: A missed opportunity for IPE.” Additionally, they presented on desktop-based virtual reality to enhance role clarification in interprofessional education. Drs Van der Merwe and Van Wyk, along with Prof Nyoni, presented “Educator needs regarding a simulation debriefing programme: A missed opportunity for interprofessional practice at a South African University.” 

Global collaboration and appreciation 

Dr Botha, a member of the African Interprofessional Education Network (AfrlPEN), expressed appreciation for the opportunity, stating, “We have made good milestones globally and we are committed to continue to impact and influence the global space.” Dr van der Merwe echoed this sentiment, acknowledging the chance to connect with like-minded professionals worldwide and expressing gratitude to the UFS for facilitating this opportunity. 

Closing thoughts 

The UFS delegation’s active participation at the ATBH Conference not only underscores the university's commitment to advancing interprofessional education but also reinforces its global leadership in this critical domain. The contributions made at this prestigious event exemplify the UFS’s dedication to collaborative practices that enhance healthcare outcomes on a global scale. 

Dr Lizemari Hugo-van Dyk, Dr Anke van der Merwe, Dr Bennie Botha, Prof Champion Nyoni, Dr Riaan van Wyk- The UFS team at the All Together Better Health Conference in Doha, Qatar
Dr Lizemari Hugo-van Dyk, Dr Anke van der Merwe, Dr Bennie Botha, Prof Champion Nyoni, Dr Riaan van Wyk- The UFS team at the All Together Better Health Conference in Doha, Qatar
Closing panel of the ATBH conference 2023
Closing panel of the ATBH conference 2023
Her Highness Sheika Moza bint Nasser at the 11th ATBH conference
Her Highness Sheika Moza bint Nasser at the 11th ATBH conference
Dr Champion Nyoni delivers the keynote address.
Dr Champion Nyoni delivers the keynote address.

News Archive

UFS researcher selected as emerging voice
2016-11-03

Description: Andre Janse van Rensburg Tags: Andre Janse van Rensburg

André Janse van Rensburg, researcher at the
Centre for Health Systems Research and Development
at the University of the Free State, will be spending
almost three weeks in Vancouver, Canada. He will be
attending the Emerging Voices for Global Health programme
and Global Symposium on Health Systems Research.
Photo: Jóhann Thormählen

His research on the implementation of the Integrated School Health Programme (ISHP) in rural South Africa led to André Janse van Rensburg being selected to become part of the Emerging Voices for Global Health (EV4GH) group.

It is a collection of young, promising health policy and systems researchers, decision-makers and other health system professionals. A total of 222 applications from 50 countries were received for this programme, from 3-19 November 2016 in Vancouver, Canada.

The EV4GH is linked to the fourth Global Symposium on Health Systems Research (HSR2016), from 14-18 November 2016. It also taking place in Vancouver and Janse van Rensburg will be taking part, thanks to his research on the ISHP in the Maluti-a-Phofung area. He is a researcher at the Centre for Health Systems Research & Development (CHSR&D) at the University of the Free State (UFS).

The theme of the HSR2016 is Resilient and Responsive Health Systems for a Changing World. It is organised every two years by Health Systems Global to bring together roleplayers involved in health systems and policy research and practice.

Janse van Rensburg also part of Health Systems Global network
The EV4GH goals relate to the strengthening of global health systems and policies, particularly from the Global South (low-to-middle income countries with chronic health system challenges). The initiative involves workshops, presentations, and interactive discussions related to global health problems and solutions.

As an EV4GH alumni, Janse van Rensburg will become part of the Health Systems Global network. Partnering institutions include public health institutes from China, India, South Africa, Belgium, and the UK.

“The EV4GH is for young, promising health
policy and systems researchers, decision-makers
and other health system professionals.”

Research aims to explore implementation of schools health programme
In 2012, the ISHP was introduced in South Africa. This policy forms part of the government's Primary Health Care Re-engineering Programme and is designed to offer a comprehensive and integrated package of health services to all pupils across all educational phases.

Janse van Rensburg, along with Dr Asta Rau, Director of the CHSR&D, aimed to explore and describe implementation of the ISHP. The goals were to assess the capacity and resources available for implementation, identify barriers that hamper implementation, detect enabling factors and successful aspects of implementation and disseminate best practices in, and barriers to, ISPH implementation with recommendations to policymakers, managers and practitioners.

“A lot of people were saying they don’t
have enough resources to adequately
implement the policy as it is supposed to
be implemented.”

Findings of project in Maluti-a-Phofung area
Janse van Rensburg said the ISHP had various strengths. “People were impressed with the integrated nature of the policy and the way people collaborated across disciplines and departments. The school team were found to work very well with the schools and gel well with the educators and principles.”

He said the main weakness of the implementation was resources. “A lot of people were saying they don’t have enough resources to adequately implement the policy as it is supposed to be implemented.

“Another drawback is the referral, because once you identify a problem with a child, the child needs to be referred to a hospital or clinic.” He means once a child gets referred, there is no way of knowing whether the child has been helped and in many cases there is no specialist at the hospital.

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