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UFS strengthens campus health leadership at annual SA Association of Campus Health Services Conference

05 February 2025 | Story Vuyelwa Mbebe | Photo Supplied

Regional Committee SAACHS — The Kovsie Health staff members who also serve on the SAACHS regional committee: Shibashiba Moabelo, Riana Johnson, Sarien de Necker, Theresa de Vries, and Emmerencia Sibanda.

The University of the Free State (UFS) took centre stage at the annual South African Association of Campus Health Services (SAACHS) Conference, held at the Windmill Casino Conference Centre in Bloemfontein from 8 to 10 January 2025.

The conference was themed ‘Student Centredness’ and brought together representatives from 22 higher education institutions to explore critical issues related to student health and wellness.

SAACHS is a national association comprising tertiary institutions that offer primary and occupational healthcare services on campuses across South Africa. This year’s conference covered a range of pressing topics, including HIV support for students, strategies to assist pregnant students, telehealth collaborations, caregiver self-care, student health-seeking behaviours, food insecurity, and best practices in campus health emergency medical services.

Sr Riana Johnson, Deputy Director of Kovsie Health and regional chair of the Free State and Northern Cape SAACHS committee, emphasised the impact of the UFS’s involvement. “The strong representation of UFS speakers highlighted the strides we have made in campus health services and the invaluable contributions our institution brings to these crucial discussions,” she said.

As key organisers, Johnson and her team – including Sr Sarien de Necker and colleagues from the UFS and the Central University of Technology (CUT) – were instrumental in securing speakers, selecting relevant topics, and managing conference logistics. Their efforts ensured the smooth running of an event that encouraged knowledge-sharing and collaboration among campus health professionals.

“The conference provided a vital platform for networking and exchanging ideas,” Johnson said. “UFS’s active participation helped strengthen partnerships with institutions such as the Department of Health and promoted shared solutions to student wellness challenges.”

She added that hosting the event underscored the UFS’s leadership in campus health and allowed other institutions to learn from its initiatives. Discussions and collaborations at the conference enhanced awareness campaigns and reinforced a collective commitment to student well-being.

Looking ahead, Johnson believes the insights gained will shape the future of Kovsie Health. “Exploring new health technologies and expanding student-centred health initiatives are among our top priorities,” she concluded. “The knowledge shared at this conference will undoubtedly influence how we evolve our services to meet the needs of our students more effectively.”

News Archive

Nutrition congress to be held at the UFS

2012-09-21

About 1 000 experts, researchers, nutritionists and policy makers in nutrition and feeding from all over Africa and some abroad will gather at the University of the Free State for the Nutrition Congress Africa 2012.

This congress will take place at the Bloemfontein Campus from 1 to 4 October 2012 where various national and international experts will deliver presentations on the latest research and developments on nutrition and dietetics in Africa.

The Nutrition Congress Africa 2012 is a joint scientific meeting of the 24th congress of the Nutrition Society of South Africa, the 12th congress of the Association for Dietetics in South Africa and the 5th African Nutrition Epidemiology Congress .

The theme for the congress is “Transforming the Nutrition Landscape in Africa” and it motivates nutrition experts and scientists to take action and apply knowledge and skills to improve nutrition in Africa.

Plenary, as well as five parallel sessions will be presented over four days, covering topics which include amongst others addressing poverty and food insecurity, food regulatory and labelling issues, the food industry, HIV and nutrition, the sports nutrition industry, nutritional management of renal and GI-related diseases, food security, maternal and infant nutrition.

“We believe that working together as nutrition experts will strengthen professional networks and allow us to share expertise and exchange experiences to the benefit of all,” says Dr Ronette Lategan, chairperson of the Nutrition 2012 congress and lecturer at the UFS’ Department of Nutrition and Dietetics.

“Nutrition is a fast developing science and a wide spectrum of topics with the latest research and developments will be included in the programme.

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