The Faculty of Health Sciences held its annual Research and Innovation Awards on 12 November 2025, recognising outstanding academic and research excellence across various disciplines. The event acknowledged researchers and research bodies that have made exceptional contributions to innovation, impact and scholarship at the North-West University (NWU).

This annual event has become a highlight on the faculty calendar – a moment to acknowledge the dedication, collaboration and perseverance driving health sciences research that matters.

Recognising exceptional achievements

In an era when healthcare is increasingly shaped by technology, efficiency metrics and digital interfaces, the oldest element of care remains the most radical: the act of being fully present. At North West University (NWU), Prof Tinda Rabie from the Quality in Nursing and Midwifery (NuMIQ) programme, argues that the future of compassionate care depends not on machines but on the ability of healthcare professionals to “guide the carescape with light, wisdom and prudence.” Presence in caring, she insists, is not sentimental rhetoric.

• Engineers cannot fix healthcare alone, and clinicians cannot carry the burden without systems support. The NWU is bridging this gap.

• Healthcare systems engineering can be seen as an umbrella term where the healthcare habitat is viewed as a complex system that encompasses technical, organisational, human, and policy dimensions.

By Gosego Phutieagae

As the world commemorates International Diabetes Day on 14 November, the Mahikeng Campus of the North-West University (NWU) reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening awareness on diabetes prevention and management. In the weeks leading up to the global observance, the Obesity and Metabolic Disease Research Group (OMDRG) at the Biochemistry department in Mahikeng, under the leadership of Prof. Sithandiwe Mazibuko-Mbeje, hosted a successful Diabetes Awareness Drive on 23 October 2025.

For more than two decades, the African Nutrition Leadership Programme (ANLP) of the North-West University (NWU) has been shaping the future of nutrition leadership on the continent. Since its first programme in 2002, this flagship 10-day residential initiative, hosted annually at the NWU, has developed over 500 professionals from more than 40 African countries. This year alone this flagship programme will reach close to 50 professionals from 10 African countries.

The South African Health Excellence Awards has recognised Prof. Leepile Sehularo, director of the Lifestyle Diseases research entity at the North-West University (NWU), who received the Second Runner-up Award for Scientific Excellence.

The awards ceremony was held on 8 November 2025 at the Sandton Convention Centre in Gauteng, co-hosted by the Clinix Health Group and the South African Clinician Scientists Society.

The atmosphere was charged with purpose and pride at the solemn declaration of second-year social work students on the North-West University’s (NWU’s) Vanderbijlpark Campus. 

Held at the Tsebonokeng Hall in October, the solemn declaration holds profound meaning. It is a professional and ethical pledge taken by social work students as they transition from learners to practitioners. 

Community engagement is not just a programme. It is a partnership, a shared journey, and a commitment to listen, understand, and grow together,” said Prof Awie Kotze, Executive Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences at the North-West University (NWU).

The battle against HIV in sub-Saharan Africa has always been as much about systems and science as about the virus itself. Antiretroviral therapy has turned what was once a death sentence into a manageable condition.

Yet, as Dr Monray Williams of the North-West University (NWU) cautions, “millions of people still face barriers to prevention and treatment. Poverty, limited healthcare infrastructure, and social stigma continue to shape who gets care and who does not.”