The 2024 Research Awards, which took place on 11 October 2024 off-campus, had many high points. One of these high points was that two academics from the Department of Biomedical Sciences who made a strong showing. This propelled their department to the front and made everyone sit up and notice. The relatively young lecturers, Nokukhanya Thembane and Ziningi Jaya, won the gold and bronze prizes, respectively.
During the period under review, Thembane contributed published 11 peer-reviewed journal articles, two book chapters, and two conference presentations. Thembane said, “Much of this was made possible through collaboration with a remarkable research team from diverse institutions. Their expertise has been instrumental in enriching our studies and deepening our insights”, she said. Thembane’s research focuses on medical education, clinical pathology, integrating indigenous knowledge systems and investigating the therapeutic efficacy of ethnopharmacological solutions for communicable and non-communicable diseases, particularly Type 2 diabetes. Thembane has committed herself to doing more. “As I look to the future, I aim to continue exploring innovative approaches within these fields and foster interdisciplinary collaboration in addressing critical public health challenges, especially for marginalized communities,” she said. Thembane added that “winning the research award is an incredibly meaningful recognition that fuels my passion to continue pursuing impactful research aligned to our community needs. I acknowledge that this achievement results from my dedicated efforts and the invaluable collaboration with many talented colleagues, for whom I am deeply grateful”. Thembane was also named the ‘Most Productive Female Researcher’.
During the period under review, Jaya published five articles, this is part of the 14 that she has published altogether. Her focus areas are health sciences and the scholarship of teaching and learning. Jaya said managing the projects in these two streams required “meticulous planning and collaborative effort. The work was accomplished through collaborations with colleagues and students from the University of Pretoria (UP), and my home institution, Mangosuthu University of Technology (MUT)”. Jaya said winning the Bronze Award for Emerging Researcher “is an incredible honour, and I feel deeply grateful and humbled by this recognition. It reflects the culmination of hard work, collaboration, and resilience over the past two years”.