UFS Faculty of Health Sciences

𝗪𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻'𝘀 𝗠𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵 𝗠𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗗𝗲𝗮𝗻: 𝗙𝗮𝗰𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵 𝗦𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲𝘀

Dear Colleagues and Students,

This Women's Month, as South Africa, we celebrate the resilience, wisdom, and compassion that women bring to every corner of our country. In our case as the Faculty of Health Science, your work is demonstrated from the lab bench to the bedside, from the classroom to the community in the urban and rural centres that we serve.

Your work heals, your research illuminates, and your leadership inspires. This includes every member of our support staff, the administrators who keep our systems running, the cleaners who maintain safe and dignified spaces, the technicians who enable our experiments, and the receptionists who welcome our visitors. Without your dedication behind the scenes, our academic project would simply not stand.

We see you juggling roles, breaking barriers, and lifting others as you climb. Your quiet contributions often go unnoticed, but they are the very foundation upon which our excellence in the Faculty and the university in general is built. We honour not only your visible achievements but also the invisible labour that holds our Faculty together. May this month remind you that your presence here is not accidental, but it is essential.

To the leadership, let us move beyond appreciation to action. Champion equal opportunities, challenge biases, and create spaces where every woman can thrive without exception. Thank you for the heart and intellect you pour into health sciences. This month, and every month, you are valued.

And finally, to every woman and young lady across our wider university, whether in lecture halls, laboratories, administrative offices, or residence corridors, know that your voice matters, and your future is bright with possibility. We are proud to walk this journey alongside you.

With gratitude,
Prof D.R. Phetlhu
Dean, Faculty of Health Sciences

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𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗡𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲:
This event has been postponed. A new date will be communicated soon.

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Spinning into a new chapter! Take a look at some of the exciting 360° moments captured during our White Coat Ceremony yesterday. 🤍🎓

Congratulations to all our students as they embark on this incredible journey.

Catch your 360° moments here: https://fotoshare.co/e/SrEIs7w_CvOmouTWALpah

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𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗮𝗰𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗺𝗶𝗰 𝗷𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗲𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝘅𝘁 𝗹𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹?

Join us for an insightful Postgraduate Evening Session and discover the opportunities that await you.

Whether you're considering Honours, Master's, or Doctoral studies, this session is your chance to connect, learn, and plan your future.

Scan the QR code on the poster to RSVP.

Your next qualification could be your next big move.

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Your Future in Health Starts Here!

The Faculty of Health Sciences is proud to be part of the Lesotho Mini Open Day, connecting with prospective undergraduate and postgraduate students who are ready to shape the future of healthcare.
From world-class academic programmes to research-led teaching and innovation, our faculty is committed to developing healthcare professionals who make a meaningful impact in communities across Africa and beyond.

Visit our exhibition stand to:

✅ Explore our undergraduate and postgraduate programmes
✅ Learn about our cutting-edge research opportunities
✅ Engage with our academic and recruitment teams
✅ Discover why the Faculty of Health Sciences is the destination of choice for future health professionals

The Open Day continues until Friday, and we look forward to welcoming more aspiring students, parents, and educators. Come and experience a faculty where excellence, innovation, and community impact come together.
Your journey to a rewarding career in health sciences starts with one conversation.

We can’t wait to meet you!

𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗮𝗰𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗺𝗶𝗰 𝗷𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗲𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝘅𝘁 𝗹𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹?

Join us for an insightful Postgraduate Evening Session and discover the opportunities that await you. Whether you're considering Honours, Master's, or Doctoral studies, this session is your chance to connect, learn, and plan your future.

Scan the QR code on the poster to RSVP.

Your next qualification could be your next big move.

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𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲.

The Faculty of Health Sciences, in partnership with Institutional Advancement at the University of the Free State, proudly hosted a Stakeholder Engagement event, bringing together valued stakeholders and distinguished alumni.

The engagement provided an opportunity to strengthen relationships, reconnect with our alumni community, and share the Faculty’s vision for advancing excellence in health sciences education, research, and community impact.

Guests also had the opportunity to meet the Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences, Prof. Deliwe Phetlhu, who shared her vision for the Faculty and highlighted the importance of collaboration in shaping the future of healthcare and higher education.

We extend our sincere appreciation to all our stakeholders and alumni for their continued support and commitment to the Faculty. Together, we are creating lasting partnerships that will make a meaningful difference.

𝗖𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗯𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗼𝗻 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗔𝗹𝗯𝗶𝗻𝗶𝘀𝗺 𝗔𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗗𝗮𝘆

Over the weekend, our children’s book Neo and the Guardian of the Heat was officially launched by Bioderma in celebration of International Albinism Awareness Day (13 June).

Developed through a collaboration between the University of the Free State’s Department of Dermatology, Faculty of Law, NAOS/BIODERMA, and in consultation with the South African National Albinism Task Force, the book forms part of a broader educational initiative aimed at creating awareness around albinism through education, sun protection, inclusion, climate-sensitive care, and ubuntu values.

This project reflects the power of interdisciplinary collaboration and demonstrates how healthcare, education, and law can come together to create meaningful impact for children and communities.

We are proud to celebrate this important milestone and look forward to the next chapter of this journey. Welcome Neo!

: 𝗨𝗙𝗦 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝗼𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝗼𝘂𝘁: 𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗼𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻

Ranked as one of the leading research institutions in South Africa, the University of the Free State (UFS) is recognised for its strength in several research areas. According to Prof Vasu Reddy, Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Research, Innovation and Postgraduate Studies at the UFS, what makes the institution unique is, “our ability to move research from community knowledge, through rigorous science, to products that change lives. Our research doesn’t sit on shelves; it responds to Africa’s most pressing challenges – from disease burdens to job creation”. In fact, one of the institution’s dominant research areas is traditional medicines and indigenous knowledge systems (IKS), spearheaded by the African Medicines Innovations and Technologies Development Platform (AMITD) within the Department of Pharmacology at the UFS.

𝗔 𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗾𝘂𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝗼𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴

According to Prof Motlalepula Matsabisa, Professor of Pharmacology at the UFS, the platform is involved in “continuous, peer-reviewed, cutting-edge pharmacology research to understand how indigenous medical knowledge and the massive biodiversity can be leveraged to add quality value to society, contribute to formal economies, and provide measurable improvement in the daily quality of life of ordinary people”. Therefore, some of the research initiatives undertaken by the platform include using traditional knowledge and medicinal plants to create new health solutions and products to fight national priority diseases such as cancer, pain and inflammation, Alzheimer’s, hypertension, and diabetes. In addition, the platform is involved in developing immune-modulating products to aid in the fight against infectious diseases such as pulmonary tuberculosis, and to contribute towards the fight and development of new and better-acting drugs for malaria in the region, among other projects.

Read more: https://www.ufs.ac.za/templates/news-archive-item/campus-news/2026/june/ufs-research-offering-stands-out--blending-innovation-and-collaboration

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