Prof Ray Maharaj, Head of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the University of the Free State (UFS), has been nominated for the prestigious 2024/2025 NSTF-South32 Awards, popularly known as the ‘Science Oscars’ of South Africa – the largest, most comprehensive, and most sought-after national awards of its kind in South Africa, as well as the first science awards in the country under the democratic dispensation.
Prof Maharaj has been nominated in the NSTF-SAMRC Clinician-Scientist category for his contributions to medical science, women’s health, medical law/ethics, and medical education. “I am deeply honoured and humbled to be recognised in this way,” says Prof Maharaj. “This nomination is not only a personal milestone, but a tribute to the many individuals who have guided and supported me along the way. It inspires me to continue pushing the boundaries of continuous learning, research innovation, and health-care improvement,” says Prof Maharaj.
National acknowledgement of clinician-scientists’ value
Prof Maharaj considers the Clinician-Scientist category of the Science Oscar Awards as a national acknowledgement of the value that clinician-scientists bring to South Africa’s health research landscape. “The awards serve as an inspiration to all clinicians, researchers, and academics who dedicate themselves to finding solutions to real-world health challenges by integrating science with clinical medicine,” he explains.
However, he also expresses concern about the relatively few clinician-scientists in South Africa, and the systemic challenges and barriers they face. In a country such as South Africa, where health-care challenges are complex and multifactorial, clinician-scientist-led research is crucial to ensure that evidence-based solutions are both contextually relevant and practically implementable. Prof Maharaj also expressed concern about the detrimental impact that the recent global research funding cuts will have on biomedical, health, and other collaborative research programmes in the country.
Research portfolio
Prof Maharaj’s portfolio includes diverse interests, such as medical science, women’s health, medical law, and medical education. His research interests include hypertension in pregnancy, HIV, immunogenetics, obesity, adolescent pregnancy, alternate dispute resolution, health-care ethics, and health professions education, among other focus areas.
“An interprofessional, interdisciplinary, and collaborative research approach explores the intersection of clinical medicine, scientific advancement, and societal benefit,” he states. “This has the potential to enhance screening and treatment methods, integrate emerging technologies into health care, and uphold core principles such as patient and practitioner rights, legal advocacy, and transformation in medical education.”
His current research interests include the development of scientific biomarkers for conditions such as cervical cancer and hypertensive disorders during pregnancy, which remain the leading causes of morbidity and mortality among women in South Africa.
According to the National Science and Technology Forum (NSTF), this award is for candidates with a degree in medicine (MB ChB) or dentistry (BDS) who hold a PhD and who are working in the South African academic, clinical, and research sectors. These candidates have demonstrated the ability to conduct impactful research in biomedical areas and to make a contribution to science, engineering, and technology (SET) through such research and its outputs over a period of up to six years from the commencement of the research career, in conjunction with their own or other clinical practice, for the purpose of enhancing life and improving the health of the community.