TheCATHARTIC ALUMNI MAGAZINE | FACULTY OF HEALTH SCIENCES | 2007

Contents

Features From Cape Town to the Wild West - with love ________________________2 In memory of Marinus van den Ende______________________3 Robertson’s reward for a distinguished career _______________4 Robertson prize for excellence________4 Sports scientist makes waves in Belgium __________________5 Training rural doctors for success _____5 Faculty News Medical student finds comfort at the Faculty_______________6 Death of Raymond Sir “Bill” Hoffenberg___________________6 President opens new research facility ____________________7 International accolade for Kit Vaughan____________________8 Local technology to improve global health _______________8 A celebration of academic achievement ______________8 Opie wins national order ____________9 Honour for physiotheraphy professor ____________9 Inaugural lectures Lyn Denny, Martin Schwellnus, Bongani Mayosi and Rodney Ehrlich _10 Publications and research Improving research capacity ________11 Committed to research excellence ____11 For the love of the written word _____11 Reunions Friends of 1953 gather at Forries ________________________12 Postgraduate cocktails______________12 Fifty years of physio _______________13 Reunions 2007/8 __________________14 Where are they now? News of old friends and colleagues ___16

R esonating with the national debates and dialogue, change in leadership, on the one hand, and leadership for change,

have been major themes for discourse across the University and the Faculty in recent years. And the past few months’ focus on change in the University leader-ship and recruitment of a new Vice-Chancellor has resulted in the appointment of Dr Max Price, former Dean of Health Sciences at Wits University.

Dr Price comes with a long history in leadership. From as far back as his student years, this has included his position as SRC President at Wits, his role as director of the national research Centre for Health Policy, and – most recently – a decade as Dean of Health Sciences at Wits. But he has also made substantive contributions to change through these various leadership positions, the most noteworthy of which are his par-ticipation in transformation of the post-apartheid health sector, his role in engaging with national issues such as the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) and the HIV/AIDS pandemic, his innovative ap-proaches to developing academic medicine at Wits and its transformation challenges.

This track record – combined with his wide-ranging international exposure (including a Rhodes scholarship at Oxford

and a Harvard fellowship) and his local experience in both rural and urban South Africa – holds strong promise for a brand of leadership which will take UCT forward not only in its international positioning, but also in relation to the needs of the con-tinent and the country.

In academic health sciences, one prior-ity has been addressing the demands on heads of clinical departments who face increasing pressures in a changing health environment. The huge burden of disease, along with the Constitutional imperative to promote quality health care for all, has resulted in change in the shape, size and resourcing of the academic health platform, calling for a concomitant change in the response of academic medicine and its lead-ership – both now, and in the future.

Building student leadership is a priority. That our current student leaders have a concern for the future – and are in prepara-tion for succession – is incontrovertible. Student societies are focussed on issues such a rural health care, HIV/AIDS and on building a culture of enquiry, all of which will contribute to their ability for leader-ship and a good prognosis for health.

With a strong Vice-Chancellor, a robust dialogue on leadership of academic medi-cine, and a student taproot of future lead-ers, we are set for an optimistic Price era.

Charting a new course on change and leadership

Dean, Professor Marian Jacobs.

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From Cape Town to the Wild West — with love

You had so much to offer your community as a black doctor. What prompted you to leave South Africa and do you have any regrets about this? I so much wanted to be a “doctor” and not a “black doctor”. When I originally left South Africa, it was to pursue training as an anaesthetist abroad and then return to Cape Town, South Africa. After complet-ing my training at Harvard Medical School where I had been appointed Chief Resident and Research Fellow, I returned to Cape Town for an interview with the then Chief of Anaesthesia at Groote Schuur Hospital in 1976. All he had to offer was a tentative position at New Somerset Hospital. I had interned there so I knew what the position entailed. It held no interest for me. Fur-thermore, I had already been offered a teaching position at Harvard Medical School.

Leaving one’s homeland brings up a host of confusing emotions. Professionally the world was my oyster after the time I had spent at Harvard Medical School. Having been spurned in my attempts to return to Cape Town, I had to deal with the personal issues of living abroad. Having moved from a very closely-knit family, to living 10 000 miles away was heart-wrenching.

I can still feel the ache of loneliness during those first few years in Boston. Everything was so unfamiliar. Being with-out friends and family left a void which is indescribable. I left South Africa when I was 27 years old. I have now spent 35 years in the United States and can say without any fear of contradiction that I could not be any happier. I have been fortunate enough to visit South Africa regularly to see family and friends. However, the US is now my home and I am always happy to return.

As a doctor you were trained to save lives but you were not allowed to attend to a white accident victim. How did you feel about this contradiction? This was just one of many of the degrada-tions handed out to a second-class citizen. It was so patently absurd that medical treatment was delayed because of ethnic considerations. There were many instances where black victims especially were denied prompt medical treatment because a “white” ambulance had been dispatched.

How tragic! Did it influence your decision to leave South Africa? It definitely was a factor in my decision to leave South Africa. There were many other factors as well. These included the constant degradation, the differential salary scales, the Group Areas Act with inferior residen-tial areas, educational facilities and places of entertainment, the high crime rate, and the incessant discussion of apartheid as if there was nothing else of interest to dis-cuss.

As a student you had different facilities to white students and you were not allowed to dissect white cadavers. Were you re-sentful about this? This was just one of the many degradations that were so tiresome. There were so many others. During our first year, we could not have a class party on campus. The chancel-lor’s excuse was that we had to “abide by the customs and conventions of the society we lived in”. He would not permit a multi-

The road from wide-eyed fresh-man on the steps in front of Jamieson Hall at UCT in 1963 to a seat on the City Council of Norco, California in 2007 is the long, and sometimes arduous journey, travelled by Malcolm Miller. Cathartic interviewed him about his extraordinary experiences along the way.

FEATURE

Malcolm Miller with his wife Donna Miller on his farm in Norco, California.

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racial party on campus. Nor were we al-lowed to use the tennis courts or other recreational facilities. During our third year in pathology, black students were not allowed to attend autopsies on white pa-tients unless the dissection had been per-formed before the students were present. During our fourth year, black students were asked to excuse themselves from clinical conferences if the patient hap-pened to be white. Black students were not allowed to participate in ward rounds on the white side of the hospital, effectively reducing our instruction time by almost 50 percent. To say that I was resentful would be an understatement.

How has your past experiences impacted on the way you feel about your alma mater? Are you aware of the enormous strides made to transform UCT under the leadership of VC Professor Njabulo Ndebele? The University of Cape Town gave me my passport to become a citizen of the world. A degree from Cape Town was an “open sesame” anywhere because previous gradu-ates had left such good impressions. I will always be enormously grateful to my alma mater and am very pleased to hear about its progress.

You made a special effort to vote in the first elections. Did it give you a sense of emancipation after the injustice you experienced as a student and a black South African? Voting in the first free elections was ex-hilarating beyond description. Never in my wildest dreams had I thought that such an achievement would occur without an extremely bloody revolution.

What were your career highlights after leaving South Africa? My career highlights after leaving South Africa are many and include the following: • my admission to Harvard Medical

School with appointments as Chief Resident, Research Fellow and In-structor in Anaesthesia;

• my first lecture in anaesthesia at Har-vard in the Ether Dome at Massa-

husetts General Hospital, the location of the first public demonstration of anaesthesia in 1846;

• the publication, without revision, of my first paper titled “Surgery for Car-diogenic Shock” in The Lancet in 1974;

• the publication of a book on intensive care titled “Applied Physiology of Respiratory Care” in 1975;

• moving to California as an Assistant Professor at the University of Califor-nia Irvine;

• my experiences as a horseman when I retired from the practice of anaesthe-sia in 1995; and

• my recent election as Councilman to the City of Norco. Norco is where, instead of pavements, we have more than 120 miles of horse trails through-out the city as well as trails in the riverbed which traverses the city. Governing such a city provides special challenges. Residential and commer-cial development must be carefully controlled in order to maintain its unique equestrian lifestyle. At the same time we need to generate the revenue to provide the services that citizens expect.

Apart from qualifying as a medical doctor, have you found your calling working with horses? How did this happen? Shakespeare described the horse as “man’s most noble companion.” It has also been said ”the best thing for the inside of a man is the outside of a horse.” The involvement with horses provides a remarkable sense of contentment. The involvement started with romance. After I retired I fell in love with my wife Donna who lived in Norco and had horses in her backyard.

You have been elected to the Norco City Council. Do you have other political ambitions? I have been successful in my bid to gain a seat on the Norco City Council. I look forward to this new challenge in my life with great anticipation. In the near future I will hopefully be mayor of the city. And no, there are no political ambitions beyond this.

In memory of Marinus van den Ende The Faculty hosted a lecture in Novem-ber 2007 by Dr Jan van den Ende enti-tled Malaria Control in South Africa: Progress in recent years in memory of his late father Professor Marinus van den Ende.

Van den Ende said South Africa is the “toe” of malaria, affecting only KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo and Mpuma-langa. “And we should cut the nail off”.

He said malaria was the third most problematic disease after HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis.

Dr Jan van den Ende, now retired, is a graduate of UCT. After qualifying as a pathologist, he lectured in the then De-partment of Bacteriology. His subsequent appointments included headships of the Department of Medical Microbiology at the University of the Free State and the University of Natal Medical School. He was director of the South African Insti-tute of Medical Research (SAIMR) from 1990 to 1995. He has had a long-standing interest in malaria and was chairman of the Malaria Advisory Group to the Na-tional Department of Health.

Professor Marinus van den Ende was also a UCT medical graduate who was appointed to the Chair of Bacteriology at the university in 1945. He established a large and active department of virology and bacteriology, with an emphasis on research. The South African Council for Scientific and Industrial Research estab-lished a virus research unit under his leadership in 1950, the first such unit in South Africa. He became widely recog-nised as an authority in his field and in 1954 was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society. He established the first Division of Virology in the country and was ap-pointed Dean of the Faculty of Medicine. He died at the age of 45 in 1957.

MEMORIAL LECTURE

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P rofessor MaryRobertson gradu-ated with an MBChB from UCT in 1971. She then studied psy-chiatry in England and joined

the University College London. She was made a full Professor in 1998 and received her MD degree from UCT in 1983.

Twenty-six years of her life have been dedicated to research into the Gilles de la Tourette Syndrome (GTS). She has some 300 publications, has co-authored four books which have been translated into 10 languages, and has edited two books. She has also been awarded 11 national and international awards.

In recognition of her contribution to the

field of Medicine, she was elected a Fellow of The Royal College of Physicians and, in recog-nition of her contribution to children’s health, was elected a Fellow of The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health. She has always been an all-rounder and was elected a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society for circumnavigating the globe and extensive “anthropological travelling” (solo) in 1976. Robertson also completed the Cape to Rio yacht race.

Robertson comes from a long line of family members to attend and graduate from UCT and its predecessor, The South African College. She is of the 4th generation to do

so. Her family predecessors at UCT include her great grandfather Abraham Faure Robertson (1847-1914), four great uncles, a great aunt, grandmother and mother. Another of her Great Uncles was Albert van de Sandt Centlivres, Chief Justice of South Africa from 1950 to 1957, Chancellor of UCT from 1950 to 1966 and staunch champion of academic freedom.

It is the first time a degree of Doctor of Science in Medicine has been awarded to a woman. The degree was conferred by the first female Chancellor, Graça Machel and obtained from the first woman Dean of the Faculty, Professor Marian Jacobs.

Robertson prize for excellence Professor Marian Jacobs, Dean of the Faculty joked that Dr Debbie Rencken needed a supermarket trolley to carry her cache from the Health Sciences Awards Ceremony in May 2007. The 2006 MBChB graduate took home 11 prizes.

Among these are the University Gold Medal in Medicine for the most distin-guished student graduating with honours, the Surgery Class Medal, and the Jack Prisman Prize as the best final year MBChB student. The evening also saw the first award of the Professor Mary Robertson Prize for Excellence to the top female MBChB graduate. No surprises, there: Rencken gathered this one, too.

Robertson’s reward for a distinguished career

Left: Professor Robertson receives her degree from Chancellor Graça Machel and is congratulated by Professor Marian Jacobs (right).

The first Mary Robertson Prize for Excellence was awarded to Dr Debbie Rencken.

FEATURES

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S ince graduating from UCT in the 1980’s, Belgian Gerrit Kempeneers has carved a niche for himself as a world-class sports scientist and

coach. South Africa will always have a

special place in his heart. “People in Cape Town deserve a medal for keeping their ‘down to earth’ na-ture,” he says.

Kempeneers is currently train-ing a rising soccer star from Cape Town. Sasanda Seshuba plays for the Belgium 1st Division Team, and was nominated as player of the year for last season.

He also coached Greg Albertijn, moto-cross racer to his world champion title. Al-bertijn was the first South African and Afri-can to win a world motocross championship.

Kempeneers graduated from UCT with a Bachelor of Science in Sports Medicine, followed by a Master of Science (Medicine) in 1986. During this time he was the direc-tor and coordinator of the Rehabilitation Programme for Renal and Cardiac Transplant Patients at Groote Schuur and Tygerberg Hospitals. An exercise

programme he designed for patients at these institutions brought him to the attention of the likes of Professor Chris Barnard and Professor Tim Noakes who is now an A-rated academic in the Faculty. Soon after,

Kempeneers and Noakes collabo-rated on a study on the impact of measured exercise on renal transplant patients. Barnard also invited Kempeneers to be a guest speaker at the University of Oklahoma in the United States. These days, Kempeneers dedi-cates his time to the ‘holistic’ training of top Belgian and in-ternational sportspeople, and

high-powered business executives. “My coaching emphasis is both on the physical and mental aspect”. He says. “Something Professor Noakes inspired in me”.

In 1993 he was also invited, as UCT alumnus, to the graduation ceremonies of three universities in Brussels, where Nelson Mandela and FW de Klerk received honor-ary doctorates. This Kempeneers says “illustrated that UCT alumni across the board in Belgium are actively involved in what’s happening in the country”.

Soccer star from Cape Town, Sasanda Seshuba with trainer Gerrit Kempeneers.

Training rural doctors for success Five UCT health science graduates are the pulse of a 147-bed hospital servic-ing a catchment of about 130 000 peo-ple in the heart of rural Eastern Cape.

Friends, Drs Ben and Taryn Gaunt, Drs Karl and Sally le Roux (all MBChB UCT graduates) and occupa-tional therapist (OT) Kate Sherry all echo the same reason for working at Zithulele Hospital: a keen interest in rural medicine and the drive to change its face. Something, Sherry says, the Faculty of Health Sciences at UCT instilled in her.

“Our department emphasised pri-mary health care needs,” she says. “We were encouraged to think critically about traditional OT phi-losophies and skills in an African con-text”. That’s exactly what she’s doing at Zithulele. Their plan is to establish the hospital as a model for rural health care. In 2006, the hospital ap-pointed its first physiotherapist, occu-pational therapist and pharmacist.

Ben Gaunt, chief medical officer, and his wife Taryn, the principal medical officer, were destined for the sticks. “At our graduation dinner at UCT I was awarded the Most Likely to End up in the Sticks Award,” Ben laughs. Taryn described her ten-year plan: “to be in the bush somewhere in Africa as part of a community”.

The Le Roux’s joined the Gaunts at Zithulele in November 2006. Karl now supervises about 13 primary health care clinics run by nurses in the area, and his wife Sally is the anti-retroviral doctor at Zithulele.

Ben’s dad, Professor Trevor Gaunt, head of UCT’s Department of Electri-cal Engineering, has assisted to design a “spacer-makers” from plastic cool drink bottles to assist asthmatic pa-tients to use their inhalers correctly.

Sports scientist makes waves in Belgium

Tim Noakes who inspired the work of Gerrit Kempeneers.

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W hen Botswanan Ronald Mothelesi applied to study medicine at four South African universi-

ties, there was one thing that set him apart from the other applicants: he’s in a wheel-chair.

“Three of the four universities turned me down, but UCT said ‘yes, we will take you’,” he recalls.

At age five Mothelesi contracted polio and has been in a wheelchair since. He never gave up on his dream of becoming a doctor though, and while he was told it would be difficult, he believed that “success is failure turned inside out”.

Now, in his final year of MBChB, the limitations to his dream have been ousted following the arrival of his new wheel-chair, one that also allows him to stand.

“Surgery assistance is a requirement in my degree,” says Mothelesi. “Because I could not stand, I previously had to sit on

my wheelchair’s armrest”. With the new custom-built, hydraulic

wheelchair, he can stand for up to 45 min-utes. “Basically, it has helped me a lot dur-ing practicals and to assist in theatre,” says Mothelesi.

It also helps him get around the hospi-tals better, as this wheelchair’s slim design allows him to pass through single-door entrances.

Accessibility to hospitals for people in wheelchairs is often problematic, he says. “Having the same disability doesn’t mean you have the same limitation”.

The wheelchair was funded mainly by a Vodacom Foundation sponsorship, says Reinette Popplestone, manager of the Dis-ability Service at UCT. The balance came from funds given to the Disability Service.

The disability service also bought Mothelesi an automatic Toyota Corolla, which was modified with hand-operated controls and a hoist for his old wheelchair.

Mothelesi plans to do his internship in Cape Town. “These are the hospitals I have worked in, and I know how to get around them,” he said.

Ronald Mothelesi, a final-year medical student, with his new wheelchair.

Medical student finds comfort at the Faculty

Raymond Hoffenberg qualified with an MBChB degree in 1948 from UCT. He pro-ceeded to specialise as an endocrinologist at Groote Schuur Hospital. He was awarded travelling fellowships overseas and returned to UCT as a senior lecturer in 1959, a post he held until 1968. He was a highly recognised clinician and teacher in the Faculty and was elected a Fellow of UCT in 1965.

In 1967 the apartheid government served him a banning notice, severely re-stricting his movements and limiting his interactions to no more than one person at a time. Soon after, his teaching position at the medical school was terminated and in 1968 he left the country on a one-way exit. His farewell at the airport was memorable

with staff and students packing the upper observation deck.

Our loss was Britain’s gain. In 1972, Hoffenberg was made the William Wither-ing Professor and head of the department of medicine at the University of Birming-ham. He had a distinguished career in the UK, serving as President of the Royal

College of Surgeons. He received a knight-hood in 1984. UCT conferred an honorary doctorate of science in medicine on him in 1993, and in 1997 he delivered the van den Ende Memorial Lecture in the Faculty. A memorial service for Bill Hoffenberg was held in the Faculty on Tuesday, 8 May 2007.

Death of Sir Raymond “Bill” Hoffenberg

Staff and students packed the viewing deck to bid final farewell to Hoffenberg when he left the country in 1968.

NEWS

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President opens new research facility

P resident Thabo Mbeki officially opened the African component of the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and

Biotechnology (ICGEB) in September 2007, the third such facility in the world.

Institute for Infectious Disease and Molecular Medi-cine (IIDMM) will host the ICGEB in the Faculty of Health Sciences at UCT.

Joining its sister compo-nents in Trieste, Italy, and New Delhi, India, the Cape Town Component will be part of one of the most powerful international facilities for scientific research and training in bio-science. The ICGEB is an autonomous organisation operating within the United Nations framework and the research programmes at the three Components fo-cus on the needs of the developing world.

“We are also confident that significant scientific advances will indeed be made in the fight against malaria, tuberculosis, pneumonia, HIV and AIDS and other ma-jor diseases that, most unfortunately, receive too little public attention,” said Mbeki at the launch.

But the UCT centre will cast its net wider than just infectious diseases.

“In 15 to 20 years, non-communicable diseases such as obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases will all be major diseases on the African continent,” said Professor Iqbal Parker, director designate of the ICGEB Cape Town Component and programme leader of the centre’s work on cancer. “If we don't start preparing for these now, we will again find ourselves unprepared as we were with HIV/AIDS”.

The South African government, through the Department of Science and Technology, is contributing R40-million

over the next three years towards the start-up costs for the Cape Town Component. These funds are sufficient to establish an initial three research groups, which will target infectious and non-communicable diseases, as well as drug development. The centre aims to set up a further four research groups by 2010.

The symposium on 11 September 2007 after the launch of the ICGEB brought together researchers from the other two centres in New Delhi and Trieste, as well as UCT scientists, to discuss research developments in genetics, chronic diseases, immunology, infectious diseases, and plant biotechnology.

“We came to discuss here research that can be developed at the ICGEB in Cape Town,” said Professor Peter Schwartz of the University of Pavia, Italy, whose presentation addressed the essential role of cardiovascular science in developing countries.

The symposium piqued the interest of many up-and-coming scientists.

“The attendance was good,” said Parker. “The younger students found it especially interesting. Many wanted to know how they could get involved and what opportunities exist”.

(Pic of Gerrit with the boy – to come)

President Thabo Mbeki opens the Cape Town/UCT component of the ICGEB. Pictured from left: Minister Fabio Mussi, Italian Minister of University and Science, President Mbeki, Dr Mosibudi Mangena, Minister of Science and Technology and Professor Francesco Baralle, Director General of the ICGEB. Professor Iqbal Parker (left) is director designate of the ICGEB.

TheCATHARTIC The Cathartic is published by the Faculty of Health Sciences at the

University of Cape Town.

Contributors: Chris Rainier-Pope, Daniella Pollock,

Helen Théron, Joan Tuff, Myolisi Gophe, Neeran Naidoo,

Romy Parker and Shumi Chimombe

Private Bag X3, Observatory, 7935 South Africa

Tel: 021 406 6686

Fax: 27 86 612 6390 (Overseas) or 086 612 6390 (Local)

There are many alumni for whom we do not

have email addresses. Please forward this publication to your former classmates who may have lost touch with UCT. They can contact Joan Tuff to ensure we have their

latest contact details so we can invite them to events and send them all the latest news

about their alma mater. Email: joan.tuff@uct.ac.za

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P rofessor Kit Vaughan, Deputy Dean for research, spent the first seven months of 2006 on sabbatical devoted to a book on

UCT Nobel laureate Allan MacLeod Cormack. Kit Vaughan has added two more accolades to his raft of professional and academic recognitions.

While in Seoul, South Korea in September 2007, Vaughan was inducted as a Fellow of the International Academy for Medical and Biological Engineering, endorsing his “outstanding contributions to the field of medical and biological engi-neering”. Vaughan joins 70 other Fellows from around the world, but is the first Fellow from Africa and one of only four from the Southern Hemisphere.

A fortnight later, he was inducted as a Fellow of the South African Academy of Engineering (SAAE) at a ceremony in Cape Town, the first biomedical engineer to be

elected to the approximately 150-strong body.

A Fellow of SAAE is a professional engineer or person of equivalent academic qualification and considered a role model in their profession.

Vaughan says the award brings impor-tant recognition to the field of biomedical engineering. Though a well-represented discipline globally, the field is relatively small in South Africa.

“But it does show that we can compete with the best in the world in terms of scholarship,” Vaughan added.

Nonetheless, he believes there is work still to be done on mentoring and training researchers, in collaboration with other institutions, to deepen levels of local schol-arship around the country.

Vaughan’s book entitled Imagining the Elephant: A Biography of Allan MacLeod Cormack is due to be published in 2008.

Professor Kit Vaughan is the Hyman Goldberg Professor of Biomedical Engineering and the director of the MRC/UCT Medical Imaging Research Unit.

International accolade for Kit Vaughan

Local technology to improve global health

Kit Vaughan has also won a Technology and Human Resource for Industry Pro-gramme (THRIP) award for the “Most Advanced Technology” for his pioneer-ing work in digital imaging.

Vaughan’s research team has devel-oped a low dose X-ray system which uses slot scanning X-ray technology to create high resolution images.

The technology can image fine detail and detect changes in airway diameter which could indicate TB or HIV. This can speed up diagnosis and treatment. The technology is currently used at the Red Cross Children’s Hospital.

Another application of the technol-ogy is a mammography machine with low dose radiation exposure, improved image quality and the elimination of painful compression associated with conventional mammograms.

Three-dimensional imaging technol-ogy is also being developed for more accurate presentation of the X-ray images to improve early detection and treatment of medical conditions, especially TB.

The Lodox System is developed under patent and is marketed in the US, Middle East, Europe and Africa where low dose digital image processors do not exist.

In June 2007, Professor Lafras Steyn, head of the Division of Medical Microbiology in the Faculty received a festschrift from the university, marking his immense contribu-tion to the field and to UCT.

Dean, Professor Marian Jacobs, hosted the tribute and called it a “celebration of just some of your academic achievements

over your academic career”. Family, friends and colleagues packed the Learning Centre Lecture Theatre to applaud Steyn.

A festschrift is a book honouring a respected academic. The term, borrowed from German, could be translated as “celebration publication”.

It contains original contributions by

the so-honoured academic’s close colleagues, often including their former doctoral students. The essays usually relate to or reflect upon the academic’s scholarly field. But they can also include important original research by the individual authors.

Steyn called the festschrift in his honour “a tremendous privilege”.

A celebration of academic achievement

NEWS

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Professor Seyi Amosun was recently honoured by the World Confederation for Physical Therapy (WCPT) for his contribu-tion to physiotherapy education in Africa.

Amosun received an International Service to the Profession Award at the WCPT’s 15th Congress in Vancouver, Canada, in June 2007.

This occasion marked the first time that the WCPT made this and other awards for international service in the areas of physical therapy education, research, practice, and administration and policy development.

Amosun, who heads up UCT’s Division of Physiotherapy in the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, played an

integral role in the development of a de-gree programme at the University of the Western Cape (UWC). The programme enabled physiotherapists to upgrade from a diploma programme to a degree in just one year, followed by a one-year master’s programme.

Prior to the four-year physiotherapy degree model, therapists in Africa did a three-year diploma, said Amosun.

He added, “The programme’s focus is to overcome the major deficiencies in the diploma training programme”.

In 2005, 50 physiotherapists from 11 African countries completed the degree. That’s adding a hundred more hands to the 5 000 physiotherapists on the continent.

T wo UCT academics have been honoured with National Or-ders, the highest awards that a country can bestow on its citi-

zens through its president. Cardiologist Emeritus Professor Lionel

Opie (MBChB, 1955) has been awarded the Order of Mapungubwe, and author Profes-sor André Brink has been honoured for his contribution to literature and for fighting for a just and democratic society.

Emeritus Professor Lionel Opie has received the Order of Mapungubwe in Silver for his “excellent contribution to the knowledge of and achievement in the field of cardiology”.

A National Research Foundation A-rated researcher, and one of only two rated medical doctors in the country, Opie is the director of the Hatter Institute in the De-partment of Medicine.

“The award, to a heart researcher, is of national importance,” says Opie in re-sponse to this accolade. “It recognises that heart disease is one of the major threats to the health of our nation”.

He has published 31 books on heart disease, including the internationally ac-

claimed doctor’s manual Drugs for the Heart, now online at www.opiedrugs.com. His groundbreaking research has been widely published during his illustrious career.

His latest research focuses on the con-nection between heart disease and the growing epidemic of obesity and diabetes.

“In South Africa there is an increasing degree of what we call sub-optimal nutri-tion — people who are gaining weight through bad eating habits and lack of exer-cise,” he explains.

He bases his work on his well-established glucose hypothesis, formed

from his studies that blood glucose taken up into the heart can generate energy for the survival of the threatened heart even when oxygen is lacking. However, this protective effect of glucose is reduced by an oversupply of certain fatty acids, found in overweight people, leading to diabetes and consequently heart disease.

According to the national order cita-tion, Opie “is considered Africa’s greatest living heart doctor. Following Chris Bar-nard, he is South Africa’s best-known car-diac doctor internationally”.

“I could not recognise myself when I read this!” Opie quipped modestly.

Prof Lionel Opie receives the Order of Mapungubwe from President Thabo Mbeki.

Opie wins national order

Honour for physiotherapy professor

Prof Seyi Amosun’s contribution to physiotherapy education in Africa was recently recognised by the World Confederation for Physical Therapy.

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Four professors inaugurated in 2007

Professor Bongani Mayosi Title: “The Future of Medicine” Bongani Mawethu Mayosi graduated with a BMedSci (1987) and MBChB (1990) from the Univer-sity of KwaZulu-Natal, and trained in medicine and cardiology in Cape Town. He was admitted to the Fellowship of the College of Physicians of South Africa in 1995. In 1998, he was awarded the Nuffield Oxford Medical Fellow to read cardiovascular genetics at the University of Oxford. His PhD thesis was on the “Genetic determination of cardiovascular risk factors in families”.

The Faculty of Health Sciences hosted four inaugural lectures in 2007. The lectures celebrate the appointment of Professors in the Faculty.

MAY

JUNE

Professor Lyn Denny Title: “Angels with Wet Wings Won’t Fly” In her PhD Denny evaluated cervical cancer prevention strategies in low resource settings and this has led to the establishment of ongoing research sites situated as two primary health care clinics in Khayelitsha. Her other research interests include cervical disease in women infected with HIV and the natural history and disease manifestations of human papillomavirus.

Professor Martin Schwellnus Title: “Wisdom from the African Pot – Contributions to the Growth and Development of Sports Medicine” Martin Schwellnus was awarded his MBBCh degree (cum laude) in 1983 from the University of the Witwatersrand. He obtained his Masters degree in 1988 and his MD degree in 1991, both from UCT. He received his Fellowship from the American College of Sports Medicine (FACSM) in 1991, and a Fellowship from the International Sports Medicine Federation (FFIMS) in 2006.

AUGUST

The lectures are available on the UCT web site at: http://www.news.uct.ac.za/lectures/inaugural/

Professor Rodney Ehrlich Title: “The Body as History: on Looking at the Lungs of Miners” Professor Rodney Ehrlich trained in economics at UCT and Oxford before switching to Medicine which he completed at UCT in 1981. He qualified as a specialist in Community Health at UCT in 1992. He has worked in the Occupational Diseases Clinic at Groote Schuur Hospital since 1990, enabling him to combine clinical medicine with public health. His research interests are in social epidemiology, workers’ health, tuberculosis and other chronic lung disease.

SEPTEMBER

INAUGURAL LECTURES

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M osibudi Mangena, Minis-ter of Science and Tech-nology announced 51 national research chairs

of the South African Research Chairs Initiative (SARChI) designed to improve research capacity and scientific enquiry at institutions of higher education.

Six of the candidates are from the Faculty of Health Sciences. They are: • Prof Jonathan Blackburn (functional

proteomics) • Prof Frank Brombacher (immunology

and infectious diseases in Africa) • Dr Marc Combrinck (clinical neurosci-

ences) • Dr Keertan Dheda (lung infection and

immunity) • Prof Diane McIntyre (health and

wealth) • Prof Anna-Lise Williamson

(vaccinology) The Department of Science and

Technology plans to establish 210 research chairs by 2010. UCT now hosts approxi-mately 35% of the 72 SARChI chairs.

Committed to research excellence The Faculty of Health Sciences has contin-ued its long tradition of commitment to high quality research. Staff and students have been productive, with 725 peer-reviewed journal publications in 2006. This represents about a third of peer-reviewed publications of the university.

The Faculty has strengthened its re-search capacity, increasing the number of rated researchers to 51 in 2006. This in-cludes four researchers with an A rating, 10 with a B rating and 26 with a C rating. Particularly encouraging for the future is the number of young researchers who have secured ratings – 1 with a P rating and 10 with a Y rating. Our academic staff members have been increasingly successful in securing highly competitive research grants from agencies such as the National Institutes of Health and the Wellcome Trust. In 2006, 290 projects were funded and an income of R207 million was re-ceived for research in medical science. This represented almost 60% of the University’s total research revenue.

Postgraduate students make significant contributions to research in the Faculty. In 2006 there were 91 masters graduates, 37 PhD’s, 1 MD and 1 DSc (Med).

Three doctors who studied at the Faculty have published books in the last two years. They are: • Diagnosing Genius: The Life and Death

of Beethoven by Dr François Mai The book examines Ludwig van Beetho-ven’s extraordinary ability to compose beautiful music while battling severe health problems, including deafness and depression.

Mai draws on his professional and per-sonal interests to present an intriguing book on the relationship between health and creativity and how it affected one of the greatest composers of all time.

Mai is both physician and psychiatrist — and an amateur pianist as well as a published author. • Bus to Bangkok by Dr Dorothy Rose Rose has always loved reading and writing but her experiences in Thailand prompted her to take her hobby further than the more modest pursuit of penning essays and articles for church magazines.

The result is her book which uses hu-mour to reflect on the differences between Thailand and the West.

Bus to Bangkok also traces her profes-sional life in South Africa, including stints at the Oudtshoorn Provincial Hospital and

Thaba Nchu in the Free State. • Suburban Shaman: Tales from

Medicine’s Frontline by Professor Cecil Helman

Helman’s book reflects on health and illness within the bounds of community, tradition and history and draws on his rare twin interests in medicine and anthro-pology.

In March 2007 Suburban Shaman was named the BBC Book of the Week and was serialised on Radio 4. Helman also won the 2007 Medical Journalists Association Book Award, made at the Royal College of General Practitioners on 5 July 2007.

For the love of the written word

Improving research capacity

From left: Dr Marc Combrinck, Mr Mosibudi Mangena, Minister of Science and Tech-nology and Professor Mzamo Mangaliso, President of the National Research Foundation.

PUBLICATIONS & RESEARCH

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Friends of 1953 gather at Forries

A n informal lunch of a few local members of the MBChB Class of 1953 was held at the Foresters Arms (Forries) in

Newlands in August. If you will be in Cape Town next year

and you would like to join them in celebrat-ing 55 years of graduation, please contact Chris Rainier-Pope on email: cjrpope@netactive.co.za

At the lunch were from left to right: Chris Rainier-Pope, Boet Dommisse, Cecil Bloch, Fana Malherbe, Margaret Elsworth and Boet Heese.

Reunions pictures from 2006

REUNIONS

Post doctoral cocktails Postgraduate celebratory cocktail parties have become a regular feature on the Faculty’s calendar and are held twice annually at graduation. Fourteen doctoral candidates received their PhD’s at the graduation ceremony in June 2007. The Dean, Marian Jacobs, welcomed the candidates, their supervisors and Heads of Department, after which a merry time was had by all.

Mrs Adri Winckler, postgraduate manager (left) and Dr Habtom Habte who was awarded a PhD in 2007.

Dr Musa Mabandla and his wife Nandipha Mabandla.

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A reunion celebrating 50 years of Physiotherapy at UCT was held on 6 and 7 July 2007. The event began with a tour of the

Faculty of Health Sciences, the physiother-apy clinical areas in Groote Schuur Hospital and the practical teaching venues used by the physiotherapy students.

A successful academic meeting was hosted by the Faculty and covered a wide range of topics. Guest speakers at the event were Professor de Weerdt from Belgium who spoke about “Collaborative Evaluation of Rehabilitation in Stroke across Europe” and Dr Serela Ramklass from the University of KwaZulu-Natal who discussed “Physiotherapy education in South Africa, current models and future planning”.

The climax of the day was a celebratory dinner held at the Mac Club. The Dean, Marian Jacobs, joined the alumni and staff to

propose a toast to the School of Physiother-apy before a fun evening got under way. Professor Harsha Kathard, the head of the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sci-ences welcomed all the guests and Professor Amosun (Head of Physiotherapy) thanked

everyone for coming and for their contribu-tion to the course and the profession over the years.

Alumni came from as far as England and far flung corners of South Africa to recon-nect with their class mates and the Faculty.

Planning for the 2007 reunions are at an advanced stage. However, it is still not too late to join in the fun. If you are a member of any one of the classes below and would like to attend please contact Joan Tuff (see below for details).

The following classes will be celebrating their reunion: • Class of 1992 (15 years)

23 to 25 November 2007 • Class of 1967 (40 years)

30 November to 2 December 2007 • Class of 1957 (50 years)

7 to 9 December 2007 • Class of 1982 (25 years)

14 to16 December 2007 The organising committee We would like to take this opportunity to thank the members of our various commit-tees for their assistance and dedication in putting together what we hope will be a very memorable occasion.

Why reunions? Reunions have been a regular, and

extremely popular, feature on the Health Sciences calendar for many years. It is a time of fun and nostalgia where you can renew old friendships forged many years ago, interact with your peers and reflect on where your paths and careers have taken you since graduation.

Who’s coming? About 50 doctors from each year from as far afield as the United States, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, the United Kingdom, The Netherlands, Germany, Kenya, Zim-babwe and Israel attend the reunions. Of course, most of the doctors attending are from South Africa.

What will the programme consist of? Reunion programmes vary from class to class. A typical programme usually includes the following: • Tour of the Medical School and Groote

Schuur Hospital • Lunch at Groote Schuur Hospital • Cocktail party with the Dean as guest

speaker and a few invited guests (normally your old Professors)

• Saturday: Academic Meeting where class members are invited to speak on varied topics, both academic or non-academic or even a hobby.

• Trip to Robben Island • Gala Dinner • Mountain walk, fun run or a tour of

Kirstenbosch Gardens followed by lunch at the restaurant. The programmes can vary to include

trips up the coast or the winelands.

The following reunions have been planned for 2008: • Class of 1958 – 5 to 7 December 2008 • Class of 1968 – 28-30 November 2008 • Class of 1983 – 12-14 December 2008 • Class of 1993 – 21-23 November 2008

If you are a member of any of these classes, please contact Joan Tuff in the Alumni Office as follows: Telephone: 27 21 406-6686 Fax: (Overseas) 27 86 612 6390 (Local) 086 612 6390 Email: joan.tuff@uct.ac.za Web site at: www.health.uct.ac.za

Reunions 2007/8

Alumni, guest speakers and past and present staff of the Division of Physiotherapy, University of Cape Town at the UCT Physiotherapy 1957-2007 Celebratory Dinner.

Fifty years of physio

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1990’s Carmichael Duncan (MBChB, 1992) specialises in anti-aging medicine and works at the Anti-Aging Clinic in Cape Town. He enjoys kite surfing and hiking. Dowler Katherine (MBChB, 1992)from Sandhurst, Gauteng is married to Eduardo Garcia and is a housewife and mother of four children aged 9, 7, 5 and 2. Katherine speaks Span-ish and enjoys running, moun-tain biking and hiking. Flack Sean (MBChB, 1992) is a Paediatric Anaesthesiologist at the Children’s Hospital and Regional Medical Centre in Seattle, USA. Married to Margot, an Occupational Therapist, they have two daughters – Rebecca and Isa-belle. Nuttall James (MBChB, 1992) is a Consultant Paediatrician based at Red Cross Children’s Hospital and involved in re-search and teaching in HIV and TB . He is married to Simone Honikman (MBChB, 1994) and they have two children. Quarmby Craig (MBChB, 1992) is a Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeon at both the Royal Hobart Hospital and Skin Can-cer Specialists in Hobart,

Tasmania. He is married to Sue, a qualified nurse. They live 20 minutes south of Hobart on the banks of the North West Bay River. Amongst the menagerie on their 42-acre farm, they have two pigs - one of them, a star of the Charlotte’s Web movie. Savage David (MBChB, 1992) is Honorary Consultant and Wellcome Clinician Scientist at the University of Cambridge, England. Married to Cathy, they have two young children. Hobbies include squash, golf and bird watching. Stegmeier-Petroianu Anka (MBChB, 1992) is the Interna-tional News Correspondent for the Medical Tribune in Basle, Switzerland. She is married to Achim and they have one daughter, Alina. Stipinovich Vanessa (MBChB, 1992) is a Radiologist working part-time in the Outpatient Imaging Centre in Phoenix, Arizona, USA. She is married to Ian Kallmeyer, MBChB, 1991 and they have two children. Tedder Craig (MBChB, 1994) specialises in Orthopaedic out-patient manual therapy and is from Olympia, Washington, USA. He is married with two girls.

1980’s Bourhill Ian (MBChB, 1982) is a Plastic Surgeon from Roslyn Heights, New York. He is mar-ried to Tracey (née Keller) who is also a UCT graduate. They have two children. Bowler David (MBChB, 1981) is a Family Physician in a prac-tice in Comox, British Colum-bia, Canada. David is married to Jannice and they have three children. David is also an or-dained Anglican Priest. Chhaya Mahomed (MBChB, 1981) is in General Practice in Louis Trichardt. He is married to Dr Sajira Lakhana and they have three daughters. Hobbies include golf and travel. Donsky Allan (MBChB, 1982) is married to Michelle Moss, who was in the same class at medical school, two days after graduating. They live in Cal-gary, Canada where Michelle is in private practice with an interest in Women’s Health and Osteoporosis whilst Allan specialises in Child and Adoles-cent Psychiatry. They have two children. Fagan Johan (MBChB, 1982) is Head of Department, Division of Otolaryngology at UCT. He is married to Marion and they have three children, two of

whom are studying at UCT – Marijke (Chemical Engineer-ing) and Francois (BSc). He enjoys the jazz guitar, cycling, windsurfing and kite boarding. Flint Nigel (MBChB, 1982) is a Radiologist from Northcliff in Johannesburg. He enjoys heli-copter flying and the guitar. Garisch Dawn (MBChB, 1981) is a General Practitioner from Plumstead, Cape Town. She is a single mother with two sons and enjoys walking, cycling and dancing. Gottshalk Raymond (MBChB, 1981) is Director/Owner of the Hamilton Sleep Disorders Clinic and lives in Brantford, Ontario, Canada with his wife, Jane, and their four children. He is also Assistant Clinical Professor of Medicine at McMaster University. Harvey William (MBChB, 1982) is the lead clinician for Obstetric Anaesthetics at the Royal Cornwall Hospital in the England. He is married to Ann, also a doctor. They have two sons. William’s hobbies include sailing and swimming. Helm Charles (MBChB, 1981) is a family doctor in a remote community of 4 000 people in Northern British Columbia,

Where are they now?

The Cathartic keeps in touch with all Faculty of Health Sciences Alumni through this publication, the web site and UCT news. This is an excellent way of finding out where old friends and colleagues are and what they might be doing. Please complete the form at the end of this section so that we can also keep track of your career and assist you to keep in touch with your alma mater.

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Canada. Amongst others Charles received the Queen’s Jubilee Award for Community Service in Canada. He is married to Linda and they have two chil-dren. Charles is keen on the outdoors. Hill Alan (MBChB, 1981) is in Anaesthesiology private practice in East London. He has been married to Elizabeth for 25 years and they have two children. Kaplan Errol (MBChB, 1981) is a semi-retired General Practitio-ner and the Medical Director of a Pharmaceutical Company in Sydney, Australia. He is married with two children. Errol’s son is an Oncologist and his daughter is a Clinical Psychologist. Keeton Lynne (MBChB, 1981) is an Anaesthesiologist and works part-time in private practice in Cape Town. She is married to Patrick Semple, a Neurosurgeon at Groote Schuur Hospital. They live in Hout Bay and have two daughters. Lynne is a sub 9-hour Comrades Marathon runner. Laudin Karin (MBChB, 1982) is a consultant Psychiatrist in the National Health Service in North East England. She lives in Guisborough and enjoys mountain biking. Karin completed a coast-to-coast cycle trip across the north of England. McNally Matthew (MBChB, 1981) spent 12 years as Medical Superintendent at Bonda Mis-sion Hospital in the Eastern Highlands of Zimbabwe before moving to Cape Town four years ago. He is doctor-in-charge at the Gugulethu ARV Clinic.

Methven Peter (MBChB, 1982) is a General Practitioner from Langley, British Columbia, Can-ada. He is married to Geraldine with three children, and enjoys cooking and wine making. Milne Stephen (MBChB, 1982) is in family practice in Coquitlam, Canada. He has two children, both studying at the University of British Columbia. Stephen boasts still wearing the same size pants as he did at UCT and enjoys running, sailing, snow-boarding and swimming. Newton Charles (MBChB, 1982) is Professor of Tropical Neuro-sciences and Paediatrics at the Institute of Child Health in Lon-don and is also Head of Clinical Research at the Centre for Geo-graphical Medicine Research in Kilifi, Kenya. Charles lives in Kenya. Peachey Alan (MBChB, 1981) is in General Practice in Launceston, Tasmania, Australia and has two children. Saven Alan (MBChB, 1982) is Head of the Division of Haema-tology/Oncology and Director of Green Cancer Centre at the Scripps Clinic. He lives in Del Mar, California with his wife Renate and their three children. Alan enjoys movies, reading and going to the beach. Soule Steven (MBChB, 1982) is a Consultant Physician in general medicine and Consultant Endo-crinologist at Christchurch Hos-pital and the University of Otago, New Zealand. He is mar-ried to Vicki and they have two daughters. Steve enjoys moun-tain biking, social tennis, skiing

and exploring the South Island of New Zealand. Stewart Chantal (MBChB, 1982) specialises in Obstetrics and Gynaecology and works at Groote Schuur Hospital and lives in Plumstead, Cape Town. Hob-bies include writing fiction, op-era and reading. Symon Keith (MBChB, 1982) is in Family Medicine in Vancou-ver, Canada and is married with a six year-old child. Trevett Michael (MBChB, 1982) is a Consultant Trauma and Or-thopaedic Surgeon at Worcester-shire NHS Trust in England. His wife, Penny (née MacIntyre) is also a UCT graduate (BSc, Zool-ogy and Botany and BSc Physio-therapy). Their daughter, Nikki, started medicine at Cardiff University in September. Volmink Jimmy (James) (MBChB, 1982) specialises in Clinical Epidemiology and is Deputy Dean: Research at the Faculty of Health Sciences, Uni-versity of Stellenbosch. Jimmy was Nuffield Medical Research Fellow, University of Oxford and Harvard University South African Fellow. He lives in Wet-ton, Cape Town with his wife, Blossom, and their three chil-dren. Zöllner Ekkehard (MBChB, 1982) is a Paediatric Endocri-nologist involved in student teaching and research at Tyger-berg Hospital. He is married with five children and lives in Pinelands, Cape Town. Ekkehard enjoys long distance running, including marathons and hiking.

1970’s Dark Chris (MBChB, 1976) is involved in medical manage-ment and lives in London. Edelstein Charles (MBChB, 1979) is Professor of Medicine at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Centre in Denver, USA. He is Attending Nephrologist and Director of the Renal Hyperten-sion clinic. The NIH supported research groups study acute kidney injury and polycystic kidney disease. Kasselt Max (MBChB, 1976) is an Orthopaedic Surgeon from Kinston, North Carolina, USA. He is in private practice doing general orthopaedics with a special interest in total joint replacement. He is married to Gisela and has two sons. Max is a keen gardener and enjoys travel, hunting and fishing. Parry Susan (MBChB, 1976) works for the World Council of Churches Ecumenical HIV/AIDS initiative in Africa where she is the Southern Africa Regional Co-ordinator covering 11 coun-tries in Africa and the Indian Ocean Islands. She lives in Ha-rare, Zimbabwe with her hus-band, Ben Purcell Gilpin. They have four children. von Wenzel Karin (MBChB, 1976) from Windhoek, Namibia, is married to Andreas Obholzer (MBChB, 1974) and is Head of Nuclear Medicine at Windhoek Hospital. Their son, Sven, is a medical doctor who would like to specialise in Ophthalmology and their daughter, Sonja, is a

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dentist. They are part-time farm-ers and have a cattle ranch and game farm.

1960’s Aitken Michael (MBChB, 1967) is an Anaesthetist in private practice and also spends time in State hospitals. He lives in Bris-bane, Australia with his wife, Dora, and they have three chil-dren and two granddaughters. Michael enjoys bush walking, cycle touring, conservation ac-tivities, woodwork and yoga. Bennett Michael (MBChB, 1966) is Professor and Head of the Division of Obstetrics and Gy-naecology at the University of New South Wales, Sydney, Aus-tralia. He is married to Jane and has two children. Berman Joel (MBChB, 1967) is an Otolaryngologist from Hous-ton, Texas where he lives with this wife, Claire, with whom he has been married for 39 years. They have three children and three grandchildren. Joel counts, amongst his memorable mo-ments, running a marathon at age 62 as well as hitting three holes-in-one at golf. Butt Tony (MBChB, 1967) is Head of Anaesthetics at the Red Cross Children’s Hospital. He has a daughter, Jenni, who is an Obstetrics and Gynaecology registrar, and a son who both live in England. Tony is married to Jill and enjoys bridge, tennis, squash, cycling and windsurfing. Cooper Norman (MBChB, 1967) is a Paediatrician in private prac-tice in East London. He is mar-ried to Ann and they have three

children and one grandchild. He enjoys hiking, bird watching, camping and water skiing. Dawkins Christine (MBChB, 1966) is a retired Menopause Consultant but still gives public lectures on Women’s Health. She lives in Alexandra Headland, Queensland, Australia with her husband, Jimmy Dick. They have three married sons and four grandchildren. Dodsworth John (MBChB, 1967) is an Orthopaedic Consultant with Queensland Health in Aus-tralia. He is married to Sheila with two daughters. Hobbies include computers, electronics, photograph and Formula 1 racing. French Terence (MBChB, 1967) moved from Zimbabwe to Aus-tralia with his wife, Vittoria and is Visiting Medical Officer at Grafton Base Hospital. He also practises privately as a Consult-ant Physician. He has four chil-dren from a previous marriage. Gibbs Cedric (MBChB, 1967) spent four years consulting in psychological medicine for the UN and other international bod-ies in Central Asia. He was a Medical Consultant at the Tash-kent International Medical Clinic, Uzbekistan before he retired. Cedric lives in Australia with his wife, Gill, two children and a granddaughter. Hill Paul (MBChB, 1967) is in-volved in Family and Rural Medicine at the University of Stellenbosch. He lives in Somerset West and his wife is the Medical Superintendent at Stellenbosch Hospital. They

have two children and two grandchildren. Hirshson Jeff (MBChB, 1967) is a Radiologist at Drs Morton and Partners, where he has been working since 1975. He is mar-ried to Sharon and they have three children. Son, Richard, is a specialist Internal Physician in Cape Town and their two daughters are in Sydney, Austra-lia. He has one granddaughter. Jappie Abdul (MBChB, 1967) is a Consultant Anaesthetist at the Maidstone District General Hos-pital in Kent, England. His wife, Tamara, is from Iran where he lived and worked for four years, witnessing the Iranian Islamic Revolution and also the 1979 Iran/Iraq war. They have two children. Joffe Harold (MBChB, 1966) works for the Department of Health and is Medical Manager of the Port Shepstone Regional Hospital. He is a family physi-cian specialising in HIV/AIDS and is married to Loretta. They have two sons and one grand-daughter, Hannah. Kohn Richard (MBChB, 1967) is a Consultant Anaesthetist at the Leicester Royal Infirmary in England. He is married to Gerda, BA, UCT, 1969. They have two children. Richard enjoys music - especially opera, rugby, cricket and tennis. Linscott Rosemary (MBChB, 1967) is a General Practitioner from Auckland, New Zealand. She is married to Kerry Rush and they have three married children. Rosemary enjoys hik-ing, reading and quilting.

Locketz Maxwell (MBChB, 1966) is a Radiologist and Part-ner at Visser, Erasmus and Part-ners in Port Elizabeth. He is married to Marilyn and they have two children, both UCT graduates. Son, Michael, is an Anatomical Pathologist and daughter, Leanne, a Speech Pa-thologist now living in Australia. Louw Arend (MBChB, 1967) is a Surgeon practicing at Milnerton Medi Clinic in Cape Town. Ar-end and his wife, Jolene, have three children and his hobbies include hunting and bee keep-ing. Marais Ian (MBChB, 1967) is in private practice at N1 City Hos-pital in Goodwood, Cape Town. He is married to Di and has three children and three grand-children. Ian enjoys canoeing, cycling and hiking. Marx Rudi (MBChB, 1966) is a General Practitioner in Gra-hamstown. Rudi and wife, Kay, have been married for 42 years and have three sons and six grandchildren. Amongst many other interests he enjoys astron-omy, birding, vintage cars, hiking, tennis and canoeing. Matisonn Rodney (MBChB, 1966) is a Cardiologist in private practice at Westville Hospital, KwaZulu-Natal. He is married to Lynn and has three children. Rodney enjoys vintage cars and gardening. Odendaal Theo (MBChB, 1967) is a retired Orthopaedic Surgeon from, Lynnwood, Pretoria. Theo is married with three children and two grandchildren. He enjoys road running, cycling,

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motorcycling and financial investing. Amongst Theo’s memorable moments is his first Comrades Marathon in 1991 which he completed with only 18 minutes to go before the gun. Pillay Pragalathan (Praga) (MBChB, 1967) is Associate Professor of Surgery and Senior Staff Surgeon at the University of Queesland, Australia. He is married with three children and two grandchildren and enjoys golf, test cricket and tennis. Rebstein Stephen (MBChB, 1967) is a Retired Consultant Anaesthetist from Guernsey, England. He is married to Caro-lyn and they have two children and three grandchildren. Stephen counts walking across France and sailing the Channel among his memorable moments. Salasa Mohamed (MBChB, 1967) has retired from Consultant Psy-chiatristry at Lister Hospital in Stevenage, England. Mohamed speaks reasonable Italian, French, Hindi, Persian and Ara-bic and enrolled at the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London, where he obtained a BA Hons in Per-sian and Arabic. Scott Bruce (MBChB, 1967) is a Consultant Urologist doing locums at St Helier and Epsom General Hospitals. He lives in Banbury, Oxfordshire, England, and has two sons and three grandchildren. He is a keen bird watcher and enjoys walking and watching sport on TV. Smith Jonathan (MBChB, 1966) specialised in Anaesthesiology but has begun a new career in

financial planning for doctors. He lives in San Diego, Californa, USA with his wife, Carol, who is a kitchen designer. Strauss Barbara (MBChB, 1967) works at the Ocean View Com-munity Health Centre and lives in Kalk Bay, Cape Town. She has two children and enjoys pottery and knitting with vegetable dyed pure wool. Theodosiou David (MBChB, 1967) is a Paediatrician specialis-ing in Neurodisability from Edinburgh, Scotland. He is married with three children and enjoys walking, swimming and reading. Van den Berg Hendrik (MBChB, 1967) is a General Practitioner in private practice in Welkom, Free State. He is married to Marg and they have two children. He en-joys golf and cycling. Van den Berg Leon (MBChB, 1966) is a Lecturer in the De-partment of Family Medicine at Stellenbosch University. He also works at Delft Hospital and lives in Somerset West. Leon has two daughters, Sharah and Julie, both of whom are MBChB graduates from UCT. Westwood Michael (MBChB, 1966) is in private and hospital practice in Montreal, Canada and is also Associate Professor of Paediatrics at McGill University. He is married to Meg and they have three sons. Michael contin-ues to study the pipe organ and gives concerts in the Summer Recital Series in Montreal. Wing King Bertram (MBChB, 1967) is in Family Practice in

Toronto, Canada. He is married to Iris and they have two sons. He enjoys tennis and golf.

1950’s Aronstam Tony (MBChB, 1957) is a consultant at the North Hampshire Hospital and specialises in Haematology. He lives in Axminster, Devon, England with his wife, Gillian and has three children and three grandchildren. Tony’s hobbies include music (classical and rock), and watching rugby and cricket. Berman Mervyn (MBChB, 1957) was formerly Head of the Department of Chemical Pathol-ogy at UCT. He lives in Cape Town. Berman Wulfred (MBChB, 1958) is currently Epilepsy Consultant at the Rosewood Centre in Baltimore, USA. De Haan Hein (MBChB, 1958) is a family physician from Camp-bellford, Canada. He is married to Anne and has seven children and 10 grandchildren. Hein enjoys camping, painting and photography. Du Toit Jan (MBChB, 1956) is a retired general practitioner from the Strand, Cape Town. He is married with two daughters and two grandchildren. Harrison Vincent (MBChB, 1957) is presently Medical Advisor, Old Mutual Healthcare and lives in Mowbray, Cape Town with his wife Denise. They have four children and two grandchildren.

Mai François (MBChB, 1956) is Medical Adviser to the Federal Government of Canada. He is married to Sarie and has have four sons and nine grand-children. Michaelides Basil (MBChB, 1957) does locums for General Practitioners in Cape Town with his sub speciality being sexology. He lives in Durbanville, Cape Town with his wife, Praxia and has four children. Sandell Robin (MBChB, 1957) has retired from practice as a General Practitioner, Homeopath, Acupuncturist and Sports Clinician. He lives in Constantia, Cape Town with his wife, Charlotte. Robin has four children and eight grandchildren. Hobbies include mountaineering and photography. Swart Edgar (MbChB, 1957) is a Dermatologist in private practice and also does sessions at Tygerberg Hospital. Edgar was the Head of the Department of Dermatology at Stellenbosch University from 1972 to 1999. He is married to Gwen and they have three sons and a daughter. Edgar enjoys beef farming as a hobby. Van Coeverden De Groot Herman (MBChB, 1957) is a part-time Senior Specialist in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at UCT. His wife, Aileen, was a Chief Professional Nurse at Groote Schuur Hospital before retirement. They live in Rondebosch, Cape Town and have four children and six grandchildren.

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Keeping in touch Use this section to tell us more about yourself and what you’ve been doing since you left UCT for inclusion in future publications. PLEASE USE BLOCK LETTERS.

Title, initials, first name: ______________________________________________________________________________________

Surname: __________________________________________________________________________________________________

Maiden Name: ______________________________________________________________________________________________

Address: ___________________________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________ Post code: _________________________________________________

Telephone: Home ____________________________________ Fax: _________________________________________________

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Email: __________________________________________________

When were you at UCT? (e.g. 1968-1973) ________________________________________________________________________

Degree(s) obtained: __________________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Degree(s) obtained at other institutions (Please specify): ____________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Occupation: ________________________________________________________________________________________________

Special achievements/honours: ________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Are you married? If so, to whom?_______________________________________________________________________________

Is he/she a UCT Alumnus? ____________________________________________________________________________________

If yes, what degree? ___________________________________Year: __________________________________________________

Do you have children? If so, how many? ________________________________________________________________________

Did they study at UCT? If so, name/s and degree/s ________________________________________________________________

Year degree/s was/were obtained:_______________________________________________________________________________

Hobbies/special interests: _____________________________________________________________________________________

Any other news: ____________________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Please return the completed questionnaire to Joan Tuff: The Cathartic, UCT Faculty of Health Sciences, Alumni Office, Private Bag X3, Observatory, 7935 South Africa

Fax: 27 86 612 6390 (Overseas) or 086 612 6390 (Local) Email: joan.tuff@uct.ac.za

This form is also available on the website at www. health.uct.ac.za/alumni and click on “Cathartic”