Latest News Archive

Please select Category, Year, and then Month to display items
Categories
UFS News Media Release Research
Years
2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025
Months
January February March April May June July August September October November December
Previous Archive
07 November 2024 | Story André Damons | Photo Supplied
Implementation Science Workshop 2024
Building capacity for the use of implementation science. The Principal Investigators of the project; Dr Phindile Shangase from UFS, left, and Dr Lebogang Mogongoa from the Central University of Technology, with Dr Shalini Ahuja from King’s College London, centre, who facilitated the workshops.

The Division of Public Health at the University of the Free State (UFS) together with the Central University of Technology (CUT), held a successful workshop (first phase) for their project: Capacity building for the use of implementation science in various typologies in low- and middle-income countries for the prevention and/or management of the quadruple burden of disease.

According to the National Institute for Health as well as the World Health Organisation, implementation science supports innovative approaches to identifying, understanding, and overcoming barriers to the adoption, adaptation, integration, scale-up and sustainability of evidence-based interventions, tools, policies, and guidelines. Implementation research therefore pertains to gathering and analysing implementation evidence of effectiveness that determines if the intervention works in real-world circumstances.

The Principal Investigator at UFS is Dr Phindile Shangase from the Division of Public Health, supported by colleagues in the Division, as well as the CUT team, led by Dr Lebogang Mogongoa. The first phase of the project took place from 14-17 October 2024 with the first two days held at UFS.

In this co-funded project, UFS and CUT engage in partnership capacity building for academics and postgraduate students. At the UFS, the project is funded by the Office of the Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Research and Internationalisation and resulted from the CUT and UFS Joint Research Programme Research Grant 9th Call.

Contributing to evidence-based policies and practices

Dr Shangase says the workshops of this project were well attended by academics, researchers, postgraduate and postdoctoral students from different disciplines, and community organisations, including programme managers, as well as clinicians from the Department of Health. Other stakeholders and international students who could not travel for face-to-face interactions attended live on UFS YouTube.

Workshops were facilitated by Dr Shalini Ahuja from King’s College, London, who is an international expert and experienced in this field through engaging in research as well as field facilitation in various low- and middle-income countries.

Says Dr Shangase: “Implementation science is the study of methods and strategies to promote the systematic uptake of research findings. It contributes to evidence-based policies and practices and ensures that they are implemented effectively to achieve their intended outcomes, through the identification of barriers and facilitators to implementation. These strategies can therefore be integrated effectively into routine practice in healthcare, public health, and other fields.

“Reviewed studies indicate that the effectiveness of implementation research is noted in the identification and investigation of factors that address disparities in healthcare delivery and outcomes, including those within the health systems and in the population. In simple terms, the goal of implementation science is to understand how and why some interventions succeed while others fail, and to identify the best ways to integrate research-backed interventions into real-world settings for maximum impact and to ensure they continue to be used and remain effective over time,” says Dr Shangase.

Purpose of project

According to her, in the context of South Africa, implementation science has potential to assist in addressing the quadruple burden of disease which comprise of these colliding epidemics: maternal, newborn and child health; HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis (TB); non-communicable diseases (e.g. cardiovascular diseases, chronic respiratory diseases, cancers, and diabetes); and violence and injury.

The purpose of this project, explains Dr Shangase, is to capacitate academics and postgraduate students at the UFS and CUT as well as community stakeholders with knowledge and skills regarding the processes and factors involved in the successful integration of evidence-based public health improvement interventions into routine practice and policy.

“Implementation science offers a strategic, data-driven approach for South Africa, especially in addressing the country’s unique and complex healthcare challenges. These advantages stem from its focus on translating evidence-based interventions into real-world practice, addressing the quadruple burden of disease and helping overcome systemic obstacles to effective healthcare delivery.

“These advantages make implementation science a vital tool for improving health outcomes and achieving sustainable public health progress in South Africa.”

The next phase of this project is expected to be more innovative and takes place between February and March in 2025 with the inclusion of a multistakeholder team.

News Archive

Access to the Bloemfontein Campus
2015-04-02

Access Control Made Easy

The first phase of access control at the University of the Free State (UFS) was implemented in August 2014. The aim of this initiative is to tighten security measures on the Bloemfontein Campus.
 
Since November 2014, access control has been implemented at all five gates on the Bloemfontein Campus. These are:

  • The Main gate in Nelson Mandela Drive (Gate 1)
  • The gate in DF Malherbe Drive (Gate 5)
  • The gate in Wynand Mouton Drive (Gate 3) 
  • The gate in Furstenburg Street (Gate 4)
  • The gate in Badenhorst Street (Gate 2)

Here is some useful information about the access control system:

1. Remember your access card when you enter the campus

Dual-function cards (with distance reader compatibility) will make your movement through the gates more convenient. The university’s access system works automatically with remote or swipe action. Please make sure that you drive close to the reader or, better still, get the dual-frequency card to manage the distance between your vehicle and the remote card reader.

As of 23 March 2015, the extra security staff, who have been assisting at the gates since the implementation of access control on the Bloemfontein Campus, are no longer manning the card readers at the gates. Therefore, persons without cards will be able to enter the campus only at the one gate in DF Malherbe Drive where the Visitors Centre is situated. They will be referred to the Visitors Centre, where a day visitor’s card will be issued to them. You will need to produce a formal identification document (e.g. ID book, driver's licence).

Security will continue their normal duties at the guardhouses for the various gates on the campus.

2. Where do I get an access card?

You can apply at the university’s Visitors Centre front desk by producing your positive identification (ID book/passport/driver’s licence) and proof of payment for your access card.

You will then be directed to the Thakaneng Bridge where you will be able to collect your access card.

  • Go to the Cashier on the Thakaneng Bridge and pay your R65 for the dual-frequency card
  • Take your receipt, together with your existing card (if you have one), to the Card Division on the Thakaneng Bridge (next to Mellins Optometrists)
  • A new photo will be taken of you at the Card Office for your new card. Your new card will then be issued immediately.

Currently, there is a sufficient stock of the dual-frequency cards available at the Card Division on the Thakaneng Bridge.
 
Alternatively, you can apply online for your access card: http://apps.ufs.ac.za/cardapplication/application.aspx

Make sure you have the following documents ready to attach when completing the online form:

  • Copy of positive identification: ID/Driver's Licence/Passport
  • Signed declaration (http://supportservices.ufs.ac.za/dl/Userfiles/Documents/00007/4668_eng.pdf) by your service provider/employer (if you are a service provider) or a letter of confirmation from your spouse/partner/relative/coach/relevant UFS staff member or student in cases where you have to visit, pick-up or drop off your spouse/partner/relative frequently on the UFS Bloemfontein Campus.

Cost: R65 for a long-term card and free of charge for short-term visits and conference delegates. Pay at the Cashier on the Thakaneng Bridge or at Absa Bank, Account Number: 1 570 8500 71, Ref: 1 413 07670 0198.

3. Cutoff Date: 7 April 2015

After 7 April 2015, no pedestrian or motorist will be able to enter the campus without a valid access card. Persons without access cards will have to enter the campus at the gate in DF Malherbe Drive where the Visitors Centre is situated. You will then be referred to the Visitors Centre where you will have to apply for a day visitor’s card. It is important to note that no one will be able to enter the campus at the Visitors Centre without a formal identification document (e.g. ID book, driver's licence).

4. Dual-frequency card simplifies access to the campus

It is important to have your card ready on entering the campus.

This card will simplify access to the campus considerably, as the card reader will read the card when it is held in a vertical position at the driver’s side window in the direction of the distance reader. Please do not place the card on the dashboard. There is an antenna wire in the card. If the card is placed on the dashboard, you are not exposing the card surface to the reader, and that might influence the antenna’s response to the reader.

Remember, the distance between the reader and the boom is only a few metres.  If you approach the reader at a ’high’ speed, you are not allowing the system to identify your card, match it to the entry in the database, check if you are ‘legal’, and then send a signal to open the boom. 

All five gates are equipped with distance readers. Within the next three weeks, two extra distance readers will also be installed at the Main Gate in Nelson Mandela Drive.
 
Please note that the dual-frequency card is needed only when you enter the campus with a vehicle and you want to activate the distance reader. All the older cards will continue to work at the tag readers. 

5. Use alternative gates

At times, some of the gates carry more traffic than others, especially with the peak morning and afternoon traffic. Gates with less traffic include:

  • The gate in Badenhorst Street
  • The gate in DF Malherbe Drive
  • The gate in Nelson Mandela Drive

You are welcome to make use of one of these alternative gates.

6. Pedestrians

No pedestrian will be able to enter the Bloemfontein Campus without a valid access card. If you have left your card at home or have lost it, you should enter the campus at the gate in DF Malherbe Drive where the Visitors Centre is situated. You will be referred to the Visitors Centre where you can apply for a day visitor’s card. You will still need to produce a formal identification document (e.g. ID book, driver's licence).

7. More information

Email: visitorscentre@ufs.ac.za
Visitors Centre front desk: Tel: +27 51 401 7766 (Mondays-Fridays 07:45-16:30)
Card Division: Tel: +27 51 401 2799 (Mondays-Fridays 07:45-16:30)
Protection Services duty room: +27 51 401 2634 (24 hours)

 

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