What happens in the lab should not stay there. That was the central message from Prof Anja Franken of the North-West University’s (NWU’s) Faculty of Health Sciences, who used her inaugural lecture to argue that occupational health research must move beyond academic journals and into workplaces where it can save lives.

“Research must not remain in journals and laboratories,” Prof Franken said on 19 September 2025. “Like a baton, it must be passed from theory into training, from data into decisions, from experience into education.”

Dr Sabelilie Tenza, a patient safety expert at North-West University (NWU), led a powerful conversation about strengthening patient safety and healthcare in Africa at the recent Quality Management and Patient Safety – Reimagined Forum, which was held at the WHX Labs in Cape Town.

Hosted in partnership with the Council for Health Service Accreditation of Southern Africa (COHSASA), the forum aimed to find solutions to create a culture in which families and communities play an active role in safety and care.

North-West University (NWU) extraordinary professor Linda Godfrey has been elected as an International Fellow of the prestigious Royal Academy of Engineering (RAEng) in the United Kingdom.

This is the second key role she has had within the ambit of the RAEng. For the past four years, Prof Godfrey has served on the Board of the Academy’s Safer End of Engineered Life Programme, which aims to improve safety in the decommissioning of engineering products, structures and infrastructure.

When most people wake up, go to work and tackle life’s daily challenges, they rarely expect recognition. Yet, for Makhotso Mosikidi, senior administrative officer in Student Life at the North-West University (NWU), these everyday acts of resilience are nothing short of heroic.

A mother of two young daughters, working three jobs while pursuing an MBA, Makhotso knows first-hand the balancing act of life. “I have met countless people who simply show up every day, despite the hardships, without expecting acknowledgement. They are the real superheroes,” she says.

In a world where numbers and words often dominate research, a North-West University (NWU) scholar is urging academics to “picture it”. During her inaugural lecture Prof Vicki Koen from the Faculty of Health Sciences argued that images, drawings and photographs can unlock new ways of understanding family well-being that traditional methods cannot.

The North-West University (NWU) is proud to celebrate the recent graduation of Dr Nozipho Phila Gamedze, who received her PhD on 16 July 2025. Her research marks a significant contribution to both sustainable agriculture and nanotechnology, showcasing the power of interdisciplinary science rooted in African innovation.

Agriculture, a sector highly vulnerable to climate change, relies heavily on credit to invest in modern technology for efficiency and production. Despite this, many smallholder farmers in South Africa remain excluded from commercial bank loans, even though they make up a significant portion of the farming population.

The North-West University (NWU) celebrated a significant academic milestone on 2 September 2025 with the inaugural lecture of Prof Eunice Ivala, held at the Mahikeng Campus with the theme: “Scholarship of teaching and learning: towards holistic student success”.

This important occasion brought together members of the academic community, leadership and guests to honour Prof Ivala’s promotion to full professor and to hear her insights on improving the student experience through a research-led approach to teaching and learning.

Globally, World Patient Safety Day (WPSD) is celebrated on 17 September to raise awareness on healthcare safety and quality. This initiative by the World Health Organisation (WHO) inspires healthcare professionals to show their commitment to patient safety.

The theme for 2025 is “Safe care for every newborn and every child”, emphasising that each child has the right to safe and quality care from birth.

The North-West University (NWU) joined forces with the Potchefstroom Hospital to host a Patient Safety Seminar at the hospital’s Residence Hall, focusing on strengthening healthcare delivery and improving patient safety.

This seminar showcased innovative research from recent patient safety projects at the Potchefstroom Hospital, addressing how medical facilities handle incident reporting, encourage organisational culture, respond to medical errors and develop strategies for delivering safer and quality care.