Mental health in the healthcare system is beginning to receive the attention it deserves. Prof Leepile Sehularo, a professor of psychiatry and mental health nursing at the North-West University (NWU), has been nominated for the Nurse Researcher Award at the South African Nursing Council (SANC) Nursing Excellence Awards.

The SANC is an independent regulatory body that oversees standards in nursing education and practice throughout South Africa. It was established by the Nursing Act of 1944 and now operates under the Nursing Act of 2005.

The Nurse Researcher Award recognises notable contributions to nursing research as part of the SANC’s 80th anniversary celebrations.

Prof Sehularo, who is the director of the Lifestyle Diseases research focus area at the NWU’s Mahikeng Campus, has supervised eight PhD and 20 master’s students at the NWU and Shifa-Tameer-e-Millat University in Pakistan. He has delivered research presentations at both national and international conferences and published over 70 articles in accredited journals, along with two book chapters. His research addresses mental health nursing and lifestyle medicine.

“This nomination is an opportunity to reflect on the role of mental health in our healthcare system and how we can respond to its challenges. It is an honour to be recognised by the South African Nursing Council, and I am motivated to keep advancing this field,” Prof Sehularo says.

“This acknowledgment also belongs to the students and colleagues I have worked with, as well as to the communities whose stories inform this research,” he emphasises.

The awards dinner, where Prof Sehularo’s nomination will be acknowledged, is set for 8 November 2024 at The Capital Hotel, Menlyn Maine, Pretoria.

The nomination of Prof Sehularo reflects the NWU’s engagement in health sciences research that responds to South African health needs. His contributions are part of the university’s broader mission to impact healthcare through research on mental health and lifestyle diseases.

Prof Leepile Sehularo.