Recognition and research highlights (2019 to 2023)

While MUSA’s research activities are particularly relevant to South Africa, they are also pertinent to the broader Southern African region, as well as globally.

• The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation invited Prof N.V. Motaze to the DAC (design, analyse, communicate) Convening held on 20-22 June 2023, in Seattle. This is a training opportunity to review proposals for the Foundation.
• MUSA was well presented at the International Society for Pharmacoepidemiology (ISPE) AfRIG Regional Interest Group conference in Cape Town (5-9 June 2023). Prof J.R. Burger was a member of the Local Organising Committee and Scientific Committee. Prof N.V. Motaze was involved in a pre-conference workshop. Prof Burger was a co-presenter in a symposium regarding real-world evidence at the conference. There were six presentations (3 podiums and 3 posters) of postgraduate students.
• Globally, Prof J.R. Burger is a member of the Global Drug Utilization Data Working Group of the European Chapter of the Special Interest Group of Drug Utilisation Research (SIGDUR) (2015-2022), and collaborated with researchers from Sweden, Brazil, Australia, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Belgium, Hungary, and the US to improve the Glasgow Declaration of 2016 and develop a dissemination strategy.
• Prof J.R. Burger is also the Southern African regional co-leader (2019-2022) of the International Society for Pharmacoepidemiology (ISPE) in Africa.
• Prof J.R. Burger, Prof M.S. Lubbe, and Dr R. Joubert are members of the Medicines Utilisation Research in Africa (MURIA) Group (2015-2022) and collaborate with researchers from 14 African countries, the UK, Australia, and the US on drug utilisation research.
• Prof N.V. Motaze was appointed a research associate in SACEMA, a DSI-NRF Centre of Excellence in Epidemiological Modelling and Analysis at the University of Stellenbosch. (2022).
• Prof N.V. Motaze is not only a consultant epidemiologist for the Head of the WHO (2022) but is also appointed as a member of the Independent Review Committee for the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI) based in Switzerland (2022/2023). He is also a guest editor of a special issue to be published in 2023 regarding “Health priorities and Covid-19” in the journal, Healthcare (ISSN 2227-9032).
• Mrs H. Steyn received a NWU teaching excellence award for teaching with ICT (Information Communication Technology) in 2023.
• In 2019, MUSA hosted and presented the 5th Training Workshop and Symposium of the MURIA Group, in collaboration with the International Society for Pharmacoepidemiology (ISPE), in Potchefstroom from 7-12 July 2019. The highlight was the exposure it provided to MUSA researchers and the opportunity to interact with international leaders in pharmacoepidemiology and pharmacovigilance.
• Prof M.S. Lubbe received a Certificate of Recognition from the Faculty of Health Science for the most significant contribution to community-engaged research in 2020.
• Prof M.S. Lubbe was previously appointed to an SAPC task team in 2019 that investigates the current grading system for registered pharmacies in South Africa based on compliance with the good pharmacy practice standards, the ownership of community pharmacies, and the evaluation of the Pharmacist Internship Programme in South Africa. As a result, a Service Level Agreement was signed between the SAPC and MUSA that same year.
• Prof M.S. Lubbe’s NRF-rating was upgraded from C3 to C2 in 2018/2019, while Prof J.R. Burger obtained a C3 NRF rating in 2020.