25 years of training doctors at WSU: how - Walter Sisulu University

aCKnOWLEDGEMEnTS
I wish to express my gratitude to WSU (and to UNITRA, before it) for providing me with
uninterrupted employment for the past 23 years and for giving me the honour to serve as
Associate Professor for the first 17 years and as Professor and HOD for the past 6 years;
and contribute to the training of the nearly 950 doctors produced by this institution thus far.
I particularly wish to thank the Executive Management: Prof Balintulo for steering with a
such a steady hand this, often times ‘tricky’, ship that is WSU; Prof Obi for his supportive,
enthusiastic, and hands-on approach to academic and research affairs at this institution; Prof
Buijs for uncompromisingly attending to institutional development and Quality Assurance;
and Prof Tau-Mzamane for monitoring the institution’s pulse and other vital signs. Prof Ekosse
has been highly supportive, not only in my preparation for this occasion, but also whenever
I have approached the Research Development Directorate for sponsorship to national and
international conferences; and for this and more, I am grateful to him and to all the staff in the
Research Development Directorate.
I must make special mention of the Executive Dean, Faculty of Health Sciences, Prof Mfenyana
–and with him all the past Deans in the Faculty: Prof. Xaba-Mokoena, Prof Ncayiyana, Prof
Kakaza (RIP), and Prof Mazwai, together with the present and past Vice-Deans: Prof Sokhela,
Prof Knight, Prof Nganwa-Bagumah, Prof Lategan, Prof Gibbs, Prof Mkhize, and Prof Surka-
for their visionary leadership and their belief in innovation, which qualities have immensely
contributed to the successes of this Faculty over the past 25 years. Thank you for all your
foresight, and for telling us “Yes We Can” long before the advent of Barack Obama!
Without those who were or have been my formal and peer teachers over the past 53 years, I
would not be standing here today. I therefore wish to acknowledge a few of my many teachers
whose collective roles in my education and training made me who I am today. Among these
are: Yudesi Ndanguza, Yonasani Rwakabingo, Frederick Mugenga, David Rwihandagaza,
William Rukara, Paulo Komunda, Cosma Munyarugerero, and John Bitunguramye (different
primary schools); William Chrichton, Maurice Reeve, Colin Gregory, Brian Remmer, Francis
Kasiragi, Jeb Bangizi, and Ian Tilling (Ntare School); Sultan Karim, Willy Annokbongo, Ian
McIntosh, Raphael Owor, John Luwuliza-Kirunda, James Rwanyarare, John Kakitaahi, John
Ssali, and Sam Sebikari (Makerere University), David Leach, Roger Hicks, Peter Hulbert,
Roger Ash, Robert Naylor, Brenda Costall, Ian Naylor, Diana Woods (University of Bradford);
Jeff Bridges, Peter Bach, Martin Wilks, Patricia Ijomah and Neil Gregg (University of Surrey);
and William Burdick, Page Morahan, John Norcini, James Hallock, Debby Desirens, Regina
Petroni-Mennin, Stewart Mennin, Danette McKinley, Ray Wells, Ralf Rundgren Graves, and
Frank Simon (FAIMER). I must also mention the FAIMER Fellows in my class of 2007,
together with those from the 2006 and 2008 classes with whom we interacted in Philadelphia
–and subsequently on Mentor-Learning (M-EL) webs.
I have also, over the past 20 years, learned a lot from my UNITRA/WSU colleagues and
mentors, and I wish to mention but a few namely: Marina Xaba-Mokoena, Alex Nganwa-
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