President of the Medical Research Council visits NWU

POTCHEFSTROOM - The President of the Medical Research Council (MRC) of South Africa recently gave an honorary guest lecture on the Potchefstroom Campus of the North-West University (NWU).

Prof Anthony Mbewu gave his lecture on “health is not expenditure but an investment”. He highlighted the important and essential role research on health sciences play for the population of South Africa. He said that the research of the Faculty of Health Sciences and of other institutions in the country is highly appraised by the MRC because it has a noticeable beneficial influence on the promotion of everyone’s health.

Two dignitaries of the MRC, Profs Pieter Jooste, an extraordinary professor in Nutrition, and André Oelofse, from the University of Pretoria, attended the proceedings.

The visitors were also introduced to the programmes of the faculty’s six research entities. These entities include the Centre of Excellence for Nutrition, the Africa Unit for Transdisciplinary Health Research, the niche area Hypertension in Africa Research Team, the Unit for Drug Research and Development, as well as the niche areas Medicine Usage in South Africa and Physical Activity, Sport and Recreation.

It is the first time in the history of the Faculty of Health Sciences for the president of the MRC to visit the Campus.

Profs Mariëtte Lowes, Vice-rector: Academic, Annette Combrink, Campus Rector, André Oelofse, from the University of Pretoria, Anthony Mbewu, President of the MRC, Pieter Jooste, from the MRC, and Marlene Viljoen, Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences.