We would like to extend our hearty congratulations to Prof Jan Steenekamp and Prof Jacques Petzer, who recently received awards as “Best Moderator” and “Best Examiner” respectively from the South African Pharmacy Council (SAPC) at the SAPC Examiners/Moderators Lekgotla. The SAPC is a collective of experienced pharmacy professionals, educators and professionals from other key professions. The collective is focused on promoting universal health coverage by ensuring excellent and sustainable patient-centred pharmaceutical services by developing, enhancing and upholding acceptable norms and standards in all spheres of pharmacy. As part of the SAPC’s well-defined quality management system, moderations ensure that the assessments conducted by registered assessors are credible, valid, fair, reliable and practical. This management system further ensures that assessments are conducted in a consistent, accurate and well-designed manner – strengthening the credibility of student achievements.

Prof Steenekamp, current director of the School of Pharmacy at the North-West University (NWU), received the “Best Moderator” award for the pharmacist intern pre-registration examination. Prof Petzer, who has been a faculty member at the NWU School of Pharmacy since 2004, walked away with the “Best Examiner” award for the professional examination (foreign candidates).

The recognition of Prof Steenekamp and Prof Petzer at the SAPC Examiners/Moderators Lekgotla highlights not only their personal achievements but also the ongoing commitment to excellence at the NWU School of Pharmacy. Their awards reflect the high standards of teaching, assessment and moderation that the institution upholds, ensuring the continuous development of skilled professionals in the field of pharmacy. Such accolades also reinforce the essential role of moderators and examiners in maintaining the integrity and quality of education, ultimately contributing to improved healthcare services in South Africa. With leaders like Prof Steenekamp and Prof Petzer, the NWU School of Pharmacy continues to set the standard for excellence in pharmacy education and practice.

Prof Steenekamp holds BPharm, BSc Hons (Pharmacology), MSc (Pharmaceutics), and PhD (Pharmaceutics) degrees and stepped into the role of director at the School of Pharmacy in January 2024. His special research interest focuses on the formulation of solid oral dosage forms, particle size analysis of raw materials and liquid dosage forms, and on physicochemical principles applicable to dosage form development, especially oral solid dosage forms.

In the Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Prof Petzer teaches drug design and structure elucidation courses. He also has an extramurally funded research programme in medicinal chemistry and chemical biology, with a focus on drug discovery. His research interest has been the design and discovery of novel small molecule drugs, specifically for the treatment of neurodegenerative disorders. In this respect, Prof Petzer has established a research group dedicated to the design, synthesis and evaluation of small molecule therapeutics.

Prof Steenekamp received the “Best Moderator” award.

Prof Petzer received the “Best Examiner” award.