Vol 1 - Support Services Ufs Ac Za - University of the Free State

Health SciencesMessage from the Dean: Prof Letticia Mojaclients. In the paper on Culture and Communicationin Health Care: a South African Perspective, it wasconcluded that Sotho clients are positioned somewhereon a continuum ranging from traditional toWesternised and should be approached accordingly.Cultural competence is therefore an essential skillthat needs to be taught to professionals in order torender culturally sensitive care.The Department of Nutrition and Dietetics hassuccessfully initiated and managed the Assuringthe Health of All in the Free State (AHA-FS) projectin the Southern Free State. This Department andthe Departments of Chemical Pathology, BasicMedical Sciences, Theology and Social Work wereinvolved in the comprehensive baseline researchproject, including 577 homes in Trompsburg,Springfontein and Philippolis. The project includeda full medical examination, blood tests and thecompletion of various nutrition-related questionnaires.As a result of the findings, a large number ofparticipants were referred to local and provincialclinics. Based on the research findings, and as partof their community service learning activities, thedietetic students began nutrition interventionprojects in the various communities. The researchresults have also been used by various relateddisciplines in planning service learning modulesthat were to be implemented during 2008 incooperation with the Khula-Xhariep Partnership. Afew postgraduate students are also using theresearch information with a view to conductingfurther research in the communities of Trompsburg,Springfontein and Philippolis.The Department of Nutrition and Dietetics wasalso involved with the Effective Aids Treatment andSupport in the Free State (FEATS) Study at theCentre for Health Systems Research and De ve lopment,led by Prof Frikkie Booysen and financed bythe World Bank. This study promises to benefitindividuals with HIV infection and Aids.School of MedicineResearch in the School of Medicine takes place overa wide spectrum with different health issues beinginvestigated by the several disciplines in a subjectspecificway. This report highlights the mainresearch themes and the part that various disciplinesplay.Cancer remains a big international healthconcern that is currently being addressed by severaldisciplines. Prof Hennie Cronjé of the Departmentof Obstetrics and Gynaecology investigatesscreening methods to diagnose cancer of the cervixin an early stage in the broader community. ProfDavid Stones of the Department of Paediatrics andChild Health is conducting studies to determinewhether the prognosis of various types of cancer inchildren has improved over the past 20 years. ProfLouise Louw of the Department of Otorhino laryngologystudies the fatty acid content of varioustypes of cancer.In the Department of Haematology and CellBiology, molecular techniques are being employedto monitor the treatment of chronic myeloid91