It was an exciting week at UKZN’s College of Health Sciences (CHS) as the University hosted esteemed visitors from Firat University, Türkiye.
Firat University is part of the Erasmus+ Programme which has partnered with the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) for international student and staff mobility.
The delegation included Professor Gökben Özbey, Medical Biochemist and Geneticist from the Vocational School of Health Sciences; Professor Seval Yilmaz, Dean of the Faculty of Pharmacy and Professor Edibe Pirinçci, from the Faculty of Public Health Medicine.
As part of their week-long visit in the CHS, the delegation had the opportunity to engage with our talented Master’s and Doctoral students in Medical Biochemistry and the Synthetic and Medicinal Chemistry Research Group. The students shared presentations on their exciting and impactful research. Such international partnerships are vital not only for advancing cutting-edge research but also for enriching the learning experiences of postgraduate students.
During their engagements with the postgraduate students, the delegation also met two of UKZN’s Top 30 Researchers, Professor Rajshekar Karpoormath and Dr Hezekiel Khumalo.
Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Head of the CHS, Professor Busisiwe Ncama, extended a warm welcome from the College that Cares. She said: “Allow me to welcome you to our beautiful province of KwaZulu-Natal, known as the garden province and home to the Zulu Kingdom. At UKZN, we take pride in being a research-intensive university with a strong focus on producing knowledge that makes a real difference to society. Over the years, we have consistently ranked among South Africa’s top five research-led universities, often taking the lead. The expertise and contributions you will encounter here reflect the excellence we strive for and the impact we hope to achieve, not only for Africa but for the world.”
Professor Michelle Gordon, expert virologist and medical microbiologist gave the delegation a tour of our Centre for the AIDS Programme of Research in South Africa (CAPRISA), the HIV Pathogenesis Programme (HPP) and the Discipline of Medical Microbiology. The team also met with Dean of Health Sciences – Professor Percy Mashige, Dean of Research – Professor Bongani Nkambule, as well as the HOD of Public Health Medicine – Professor Saloshni Naidoo, Dr Rene Khan from Medical Biochemistry, Dr Siyabonga Dlamini from our Cancer & Infectious Diseases Epidemiology Research Unit (CIDERU) and Professor Zama Luvuno from our Centre for Research in Health Systems.
Also in attendance were Ms Nozipho Khumalo and Ms Preshantha Reddy from UKZN’s International Relations Office, who discussed the various opportunities offered through the Erasmus+ Programme for staff and students. They encouraged members of the University community to look out for notices on the UKZN LAN regarding future opportunities to strengthen global partnerships and foster joint research collaborations.
