The Discovery Foundation AwardsInvesting in medical education. Creating a healthier South Africa.

Discovery is proud to introduce the first

recipients of the Discovery Foundation Awards

“Education is the most powerful weapon that you can use to change the world.” Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela

In August 2006, Discovery Holdings launched the Discovery Foundation as part of its black economic empowerment transaction. The Discovery Foundation is an autonomous shareholder of Discovery, with independently-elected trustees. The principal aim of the Discovery Foundation is the training and education of specialists in rural areas. The Discovery Foundation also aims to assist in the development of academic and research centres, and to assist in increasing numbers of previously disadvantaged graduates to become specialists.

Discovery’s core purpose is to make people healthier and to enhance and protect their lives Our health and life assurance products and our Vitality wellness programme deliver on this purpose to two million Discovery members in South Africa. Their health and wellbeing are important to us, and a world-class health care sector, is crucial to achieve this. We believe in investing and developing South Africa’s health care sector further as a national asset. South Africa is home to talented medical experts, outstanding academic institutions and excellent health care facilities. Even so, most South Africans are unable to afford anything more than the most basic care and the facilities they depend on are often over-burdened and under-staffed.

Through our social responsibility initiatives we are committed to deliver health care to the broader community by bringing quality health care infrastructure and services within reach of many communities who have previously not had access.

Discovery’s BEE transaction embraces the opportunity to extend our philosophy

Through the Discovery Foundation’s considered interventions in the health care arena, we believe we can further contribute to the future health and wellbeing of all South Africans.

Foreword Vincent Thabane Maphai, Chairperson of the Discovery Foundation ..........2

Overview of the Discovery Foundation Awards .............................................3

The Discovery Foundation is pleased to announce the first recipients of the four awards:

1. Discovery Foundation Academic Fellowship Awards ............................6

2. Discovery Foundation Rural Fellowship Awards ..................................13

3. Discovery Foundation Specialist Awards ..............................................15

4. Discovery Foundation Excellence Awards ............................................17

Inside...

Our first recipients – dedicated to advancing health care in South Africa

Foreword by Vincent Maphai, chairperson of the Discovery Foundation

In August last year, we launched the Discovery Foundation to our stakeholders, and most importantly, to the medical profession. As the chairperson of the Foundation, I was tremendously excited by what we wanted to achieve – imagine a corporate company in South Africa, investing considerable funds and resources in the development of South Africa’s talented health care professionals for the benefit of all communities in our country. This philosophy, I believe, ties in with the core purpose of Discovery as a company – to make people healthier and to protect and enhance their lives. It also extends to the social responsibility of Discovery as a corporate citizen. By investing in the training and education of health care professionals, we want to help develop South Africa’s health care sector further.

South Africa’s health care sector is world-class, boasting excellent facilities, academic institutions of the highest standard and medical specialists that are highly sought after around the world. It is a national asset and one we need to develop and maintain to benefit all the citizens of our country. At the same time, there are also areas of great need in our health care sector. One of the most fundamental challenges it faces is the shortage of medical skills – South Africa’s medical schools are currently only producing about two thirds of the numbers of doctors needed. Skills and facilities are concentrated in the private sector and in urban areas. In fact, 75% of South Africa’s specialists work in the private sector and 40% of them are based in Gauteng. While 54% of the country’s population is reliant on the public sector for care, only 15% of the country’s health care spend goes to the public sector. Based on these findings, the Discovery Foundation developed four award categories that will focus on improving primary care in rural communities, advancing academic medicine and encouraging more doctors to train further in specialist fields, including family medicine.

Over the past few months, we followed a rigorous process to select the recipients of the Discovery Foundation Awards. We were astounded, and humbled, by the dedication all the candidates showed in the work they currently do, and their aspirations for health care in South Africa. Our recipients are doing research and working in a variety of disciplines, some highly specialised with scarce resources – all to the benefit of communities in South Africa. This bodes well for the future of health care in our country.

We wish you well in your chosen fields, and are proud to be working with you.

Vincent Maphai

Chairperson Discovery Foundation

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Overview of the Discovery Foundation Awards

Discovery Foundation Academic Fellowship Awards

The Discovery Foundation Academic Fellowship Awards aim to address shortfalls in medical training in the field of Academic Medicine in South Africa. It will afford the recipient the opportunity to undertake a twelve to eighteen month period of full-time study and research for a MMed degree (by dissertation), publish research or undertake research leading to publication, and generally enhance his or her training in a chosen field of specialisation.

During this time, the Fellow may choose to spend up to six months at a leading research centre abroad. In general, the candidate will be expected to work full-time on research other than for limited clinical work in an academic setting and may not undertake other employment or private practice during the Fellowship.

Discovery Foundation Rural Fellowship Awards

The purpose of the Discovery Foundation Rural Fellowship Awards is to address the shortage of specialist medical doctors in rural areas. These are intended to recognise and encourage outstanding medical graduates wishing to specialise in Family Medicine and to pursue a career in a rural community.

Discovery Foundation Specialist Awards

The purpose of the Discovery Foundation Specialist Awards is to address the shortage of black African specialist medical doctors. These awards are intended to encourage outstanding medical graduates to undertake specialist training in disciplines other than Family Medicine. These awards are specifically intended to benefit outstanding students who wish to register for postgraduate training in a medical speciality other than Family Medicine.

Discovery Foundation Excellence Awards

The Discovery Foundation Excellence Awards reward organisations or institutions that demonstrate excellence in service delivery, training and innovation for the benefit of South African health care, particularly of strengthening human resources in the health sector.

The awards, to a maximum value of R1 million, will be made at the discretion of the Foundation in early 2007 to recognise performance and further the work of the selected organisations or institutions.

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Overview

The Discovery Foundation is pleased to announce the first recipients of the four awards

Discovery Foundation Academic Fellowship AwardsIn search of excellence through knowledge

Dr Ismail S Kalla Dr Nonhlanhla P Khumalo

Dr Nombulelo Magula Dr Mushi J Matjila Dr Vinola Naidoo

Dr Hopewell N Ntsinjana Dr Zwelithini B Vezi Dr Dawid Slabbert

Dr Richard van Zyl-Smit Dr Charles H Kruse

Dr Renata Schoeman Dr Omolemo Kitchin

Dr Bhavanesh Makanjee

Discovery Foundation Rural Fellowship AwardsAddressing the most pressing health care needs of communities

Dr Aluwani G Ndwambi Dr Biano Hobson Dr Richard Cooke

Discovery Foundation Specialist AwardsEncouraging our leading experts

Dr Vuyokazi J November Dr Linda Mothobi

Discovery Foundation Excellence AwardsService delivery, training and innovation

Centre for Rural Health, University of KwaZulu-Natal Friends of Mosvold Hospital Trust

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Recipients

Academic Fellowship Awards

Dr Ismail S Kalla (33)MB BCh, University of Witwatersrand; FCP (SA); Cert. Pulmonology (SA), College of Medicine

Dr Kalla is currently a Fellow in the Department of Medicine, Division of Pulmonology and Critical Care at the University of the Witwatersrand. He is also the clinical coordinator of the final year medical students at the Johannesburg Hospital. Dr Kalla has received numerous awards during his career as a registrar including a medal for his Specialist Fellowship Examination. He has extensive experience as a lecturer at the University of the Witwatersrand in the disciplines of Internal Medicine, Pulmonology and Critical Care Medicine. He was also a Medical Registrar at the Helen Joseph and Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospitals and was the recipient of the Jock Gear Award for the most accomplished registrar during his specialist training. Dr Kalla’s research interests are in the fields of Immunology of Airway Inflammation, HIV and Cytokines, Asthma and Idiopathic Interstitial Pneumonia. Dr Kalla’s proposed research into Inflammatory Pathways in Asthma will prove extremely valuable for patients suffering from asthma.

Dr Nonhlanhla P Khumalo (40)MBChB, University of Natal; FCDerm (SA College of Dermatolgy)

Dr Khumalo, a researcher and consultant in the Division of Dermatology, is currently doing a PhD in Public Health at the University of Cape Town. After a four-year stint as a GP in Langa township, Dr Khumalo received clinical and research training in dermatology at Groote Schuur Hospital and at the Churchill Hospital in Oxford in the UK. She has published 25 articles in peer-reviewed journals. Her achievements to date include publishing the first comparative electron microscopic study of the effects of combing in different hair phenotypes. In addition, two population studies (in children and adults) demonstrating the association between hairdressing and scalp disease, are currently in press. Her proposed study “The effect of chemical straightening (relaxers) on African hair – a microscopic study” may provide insight into a form of permanent hair loss unique to Africans – an area that has not received much research attention.

Academic Fellowship Awards

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Dr Nombulelo Magula (38)BSc (University of Cape Town); MBChB (University of Limpopo, Medunsa); MSc (Tufts University, Boston, USA); FCP (SA)

Dr Magula is a lecturer in Internal Medicine at the University of KwaZulu-Natal and is a Principal Specialist in the same department at King Edward VIII Hospital in Durban. From 1998 to 2002, she was a Registrar in Internal Medicine at this hospital. She is currently engaged in research to establish an inception cohort for the South African Government highly active anti-retroviral therapy (HAART) roll-out programme at King Edward VIII Hospital. In 2006, Dr Magula received a Master of Science degree in Clinical Research from Tufts University, Boston, USA. Her thesis title was “Adherence to HAART in the First Year of the Rollout Programme at King Edward VIII Hospital, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa”. Her other research activities have included work in the fields of HIV and AIDS and other infectious diseases. She was invited by the College of Medicine of South Africa as an observer in the May 2007 Fellowship of the College of Dermatologist (SA) Part II examinations. Currently, Dr Magula is pursuing her interests in establishing a career in academic medicine. Her doctoral scholarly work will lay a foundation for her to lead a research unit in clinical research and evidence-based medicine which will inform policy and contribute to improving service delivery and patient care in South Africa and the developing world.

Dr Mushi J Matjila (34)BSc (Biochemistry,Microbiology), University of Cape Town; MBChB, University of KwaZulu-Natal; FCOG (CMSA)

Dr Matjila is currently Senior Specialist in Obstetrics and Gynaecology at Groote Schuur Hospital, where he works in tertiary level maternal-feotal medicine, high-risk obstetrics and reproductive medicine. Previously, Dr Matjila held the senior registrar positions of Perinatal Fellow and Reproductive Medicine Fellow, both at Groote Schuur’s Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology. He is currently preparing research projects for publication on feotal renal pelvis dilatation and outpatient hysteroscopy. In 2004, Dr Matjila received the Cecil Craig Award for Registrar Excellence. Dr Matjila is interested in researching the role of postglandins and their signalling pathways in endometriosis.

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Dr Vinola Naidoo (33)MBChB, University of Natal; FCPaed (SA)

Dr Naidoo is currently the Registrar of the Department of Paediatrics and Child Health at the Dr George Mukhari Hospital, Gauteng Province. She is also acting specialist consultant in neonatology, oncology and general paediatrics; and has completed several courses in life and advanced cardiac life support, as well as advanced paediatric life support. Further to this, Dr Naidoo has worked extensively in community paediatrics and in HIV clinics. She has a keen interest in paediatric oncology and her research and work in this field will be of huge benefit to the various communities the Dr George Mukhari Hospital serves. Dr Naidoo’s proposed research will focus on the effect of nutritional status at diagnosis on the outcome of children with malignancy.

Dr Hopewell N Ntsinjana (35)MB BCh, University of Witwatersrand; FCPaed (SA)

Dr Ntsinjana has worked as the Senior Paediatric Registrar at the Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital, and as a research registrar in paediatric cardiology. He has been a junior consultant since January 2007 and is registered to complete the MMED in paediatric oncology. Dr Ntsinjana’s aspirations are to provide valuable research into diseases such as rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease that still affect third world countries; and to establish the first Paediatric Cardiovascular research unit in South Africa. His proposed study will assess dilated cardiomyopathy in children, based on left ventricular function and plasma levels of inflammatory cytokines; and will provide valuable research on a very common, but neglected disease.

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Dr Zwelithini B Vezi (38)MBChB, University of Natal; FCP, College of Medicine of South Africa; MPharmMed, University of Pretoria

Dr Brian Vezi is currently the senior Registrar in Cardiology and Electrophysiology at the Groote Schuur Hospital in Cape Town and is a qualified cardiologist. He has extensive experience as a private practitioner and specialist physician; and has published several research papers and attended several international academic meetings. Dr Vezi’s interests are cardiology and electrophysiology. In South Africa there is a dire need for facilities in specialists in this field. His aspiration is to establish the first formal electrophysiologist centre in KwaZulu-Natal. He has commenced elementary studies in this field with the view of going overseas to complete his studies, as there are no dedicated training centres or facilities in South Africa. The Academic Fellowship was granted to Dr Vezi for his studies overseas.

Dr Dawid Slabbert (36)MBChB, Stellenbosch; Dip (Obst), College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (SA); DRCOG, Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, London; MMed (O & G), Stellenbosch

Dr Slabbert is currently a Fellow in Reproductive Medicine at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the Stellenbosch University. He has worked extensively as a Senior House Officer in Obstetrics and Gynaecology in hospitals in the UK, and was the Registrar for the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the Tygerberg Hospital. Dr Slabbert has an excellent track record in research and has published several national and international research papers. His proposed research for a PhD is on the topic of minimal stimulation artificial reproductive techniques. Dr Slabbert’s aspiration is to follow a career in academic medicine and to deliver research that will allow infertile couples from all socio-economic groups, access to infertility treatment.

Dr Richard van Zyl-Smit (33)MBChB (UCT); MRCP (UK); FCP (SA); DIP HIV Man (SA); MMed (UCT); Cert Pulm (SA) Dr van Zyl-Smit is currently the Senior Registrar in Respiratory Medicine at the Groote Schuur Hospital in Cape Town. He has experience and training in general respiratory medicine and intensive care, and was a Senior House Officer in Nephrology, Elderly Medicine and Haematology and Oncology at the Middlesex Hospital in London and the Queen Mary’s Hospital in Kent. He has published several research papers and has been a speaker at several conferences on the topics of critical care medicine, pulmonology and HIV-related medicines. His proposed research on lung remodelling in pulmonary tuberculosis will benefit South African health care and communities affected by the disease and HIV and AIDS.

Dr Carl H Kruse (31) MBChB, Pretoria; FCOphth (SA) College of Medicine of South Africa; MMed (Ophth)

Dr Kruse is currently the Registrar in Ophthalmology at the Nelson R Mandela School of Medicine at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. Dr Kruse has been involved in several research projects and publications and is also involved in two multi-centre trials that are being done at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. His career aspirations are in the research and academic medicine fields, and specifically in South African-related ophthalmology diseases. His proposed research study on “The Durban Eye Disease in HIV” is of particular interest to South African society, and will be highly valuable.

Dr Renata Schoeman (30)MBChB, University of the Free State; BSocSc (Hons) (Psychology) (Cum Laude), University of Free State; Diploma in Mental Health (SA), MSocSc (Psychology), University of the Free State; MMed (cum laude); FCPsych (cum laude)

Dr Schoeman is currently the Senior Registrar at the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Stellenbosch. Dr Schoeman has a strong academic career, and has been awarded numerous bursaries. She has also published several articles in peer-reviewed journals. Dr Schoeman’s career aspirations are in academic psychiatry with the emphasis on teaching and community development. Dr Schoeman is currently registered for DMed (Psych) and her proposed study will focus on the cognitive deficits in first-episode psychosis.

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Dr Omolemo Kitchin (35)MBChB, University of KwaZulu-Natal; FCpaed (SA), College of Medicine South Africa

Dr Kitchin is currently a Paediatrician in private practice and is voluntarily giving up his time to attend teaching and working rounds in Paediatric Pulmonology at the University of Pretoria. Dr Kitchin has also worked as the Head of Department of Paediatrics at Tambo Memorial Hospital and as a consultant and registrar at the KZNPA-Department of Paediatrics and Maternal Health. His research interests and career aspirations are in the fields of Respiratory medicine in Paediatrics, and he intends to qualify as a Paediatric Pulmonologist and complete an MMed and PhD in this field. This is highly valuable given South Africa’s need for Pulmonologists.

Dr Bhavanesh Makanjee (35)MBChB, University of KwaZulu-Natal; MRCP (UK), FCP (SA); Certificate in Cardiology

Dr Makanjee is currently the senior Registrar in cardiology at the University of Cape Town. He has worked as a locum consultant in general medicine in the UK. Dr Makanjee has also received several awards during his academic career. His special interest is to sub-specialise in electrophysiology and he has received a two-year clinical fellowship in electrophysiology at the Electrophysiology (EP) Lab at Hamilton General Hospital MacMaster University in Canada. As there are no dedicated training centres or facilities in South Africa to train this specific discipline, the Academic Fellowship was granted to Dr Makanjee for further studies overseas. Dr Makanjee plans to return to South Africa to further his academic career.

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Rural Fellowship Awards

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Dr Aluwani G Ndwambi (39) BsC, UNISA; MBChB, Medunsa

Dr Ndwambi is currently the Medical Officer at the Donald Fraser Hospital, and oversees the running of 11 clinics in the rural areas of the Vhembe district. Her career aspiration is to become a specialist family physician and she has enrolled for the MMed in Family Medicine. She is committed to practicing in rural areas and is gaining invaluable experience in this field.

Dr Biano Hobson (25) MBChB (Stellenbosch)

Dr Hobson is currently registered for the MMed in Family Medicine, and has completed her internship and community service at the Nelson R Mandela Academic Hospital. Her career aspirations are to remain full-time or part-time in the public sector and specialise as a specialist family physician. She would also like to attend conferences internationally to gain more knowledge and experience in the fields of family medicine.

Dr Richard Cooke (37)B. Bus Sci, University of Cape Town; MBChB, University of Witwatersrand

Dr Cooke is currently the Principal Medical Officer and HIV and AIDS Clinician at the Madwaleni Hospital. He has previous experience in the marketing and finance sectors, but decided to follow a life-long dream of becoming a doctor. He is committed to working in the public sector, and his aspiration is to set up a Palliative Care Facility in Madwaleni where further training and support will be given to nurses and community health workers. He is currently registered for the MMed Family Medicine.

Rural Fellowship Awards

Specialist Awards

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Specialist Awards

Dr Vuyokazi J November (26)MBChB, University of Cape Town

Dr November is currently the Junior Registrar in Chemical Pathology at Groote Schuur Hospital for the National Health Laboratory Service. She completed her internship at Port Elizabeth Hospital Complex. She also completed her community service at S.S. Gida Hospital in Keiskammahoek in 2006. Dr November intends to specialise in chemical pathology and her career aspirations as a pathologist, will be to contribute towards the overall management of a patient and to promote access to rapid diagnostic tools in rural areas.

Dr Linda Mothobi (29) MBChB, University of Limpopo

Dr Linda Mothobi is currently the Registrar in paediatrics and child health at the university of Limpopo Medusa campus. She completed her junior degree at the Nelson R Mandela School of medicine in 2001. Dr Mothobi also completed her internship and community service at the Dr George Mukhari Hospital and Warmbaths Hospital respectively. She has experience in basic and paediatric life support. Dr Mothobi’s special interest lies in neonatology and her aspiration is to specialise further in the field.

Excellence Awards

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Excellence Awards

Centre for Rural Health, University of KwaZulu-Natal

The Centre for Rural Health was established as the Centre for Health and Social Studies (CHESS) in 1987 and since 1994 has focused on supporting the development of the District Health System through education, research, advocacy and networking. A recent focus for the centre has been on community service and the impact of the compulsory service year for South African public health care. The centre is well-positioned to make a practical difference in the planned year of intervention. The programme has researched the effects of disruption and cost of the cycle of new community service officers moving through the system annually. They propose strengthening the support provided to them to encourage doctors to train further or to remain as medical officers. The Centre is coordinating the project drawing on the resources of the whole of the Nelson R Mandela School of Medicine at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, which has a proud record of training black doctors in South Africa. The project sets out a year’s programme of sustained interventions for the estimated 200 community service doctors working in district hospitals in KwaZulu-Natal. The Centre employs 16 facilitators and researchers (six of them as part-time employees) and has an annual budget of R7, 3 million.

Friends of Mosvold Hospital

The Friends of Mosvold Hospital Trust was established in 1995 to facilitate health development in the Umkhanyakude district of northern KwaZulu-Natal. Mosvold Hospital is one of five hospitals in the district servicing about 555 000 people. The hospital has played a powerful developmental role in the wider community with its commitment to quality care and outreach. In 1998, they launched an innovative scholarship programme to encourage people from the area to become health professionals. The trust currently supports 35 students across 16 disciplines, and many students have since established new services at the hospital. The programme for example, has supplied the first optometrists in the district. The programme is a practical response to the enduring staff shortages in rural hospitals. Dr Andrew Ross, who heads up the hospital, has introduced a successful model that has encouraged other institutions to adopt similar approaches to recruitment and support for students from rural areas.

Friends of Mosvold Hospital

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