Researchers shared their knowledge and experience in sustainable rural health research with one another at the annual Sustainable Rural Health Research Days hosted at Stellenbosch University's (SU) Worcester Campus in May this year.
The Ukwanda Centre for Rural Health at the SU's Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences (FMHS) organised this important event for the sixth year in a row.
"The theme, 'Illuminating Health Impact for Social Innovation', was carefully chosen to focus on innovative rural health research done with social impact potential," said Dr Guin Lourens, Manager of the Clinical Training Platform at the FMHS.
About 150 delegates attended the event, which is the cornerstone of the combined support of the Department of Health, teaching and research institutions and non-governmental organisations for health research in the rural areas of the Western Cape.
The two day event provided the opportunity for researchers and academics whose research is based on issues related to rural health to disseminate their research findings to a wide audience of researchers, academics, non-government organisations and Department of Health managers.
This year, 21 oral presentations were presented which focused on health systems, health professions education, community health, rehabilitation and rural health.
"Poster presentations were allowed for the first time in the history of the research days and nine presentations which focused on Health Professions Education and Rural Health were delivered," Lourens said.
She added that the event was a successful collaborative effort with the Anova Health Institute and it will be hosted again next year.
The new director of the Ukwanda Centre for Rural Health, Prof Ian Couper, expressed his enthusiasm for the event. "It is wonderful coming into the Centre to find such a vibrant rural health research community. I hope we can build on the partnerships so evident in the rural health research days to grow our research capacity and output, and to develop a research hub in Worcester."
Photo: The winners of the best poster award in the category for Rural Health were three final year medical students who completed a project during their elective in Malawi. They are (from left to right) Lisa van der Merwe, Rachel Wood and Vanessa Viljoen.
