NWU’s Faculty of Health Sciences to Explore Research and Community Engagement

On 18 July the North-West University’s (NWU’s) Faculty of Health Sciences will host the Engaged Scholarship Impact Indaba, a dynamic one-day event dedicated to exploring the intersections of academic research, community engagement and societal impact.

Taking place at the Vanderbijlpark Campus, this event is set to attract scholars, practitioners, community leaders and students, all eager to discuss and showcase the transformative potential of engaged scholarship.

The aim of this indaba is to bring together diverse minds and ideas, reflecting the faculty’s commitment to fostering meaningful collaborations between academia and the community.

The keynote address, titled “Researching for Relevance & Impact: NWU Position,” will be delivered by Prof Jeffrey Mphahlele, deputy vice-chancellor for research and innovation.

Prof Awie Kotze, executive dean of the faculty, will be delivering the welcome and opening remarks, and Prof Ushotanefe Useh, the faculty’s deputy dean for community engagement and stakeholder relations, will be presenting the purpose of the day and introducing the resource persons and participants.

The event promises to be informative and engaging. Some of the topics to be explored during the event include the commercialisation of research outcomes and engaged scholarship, effective information systems for ensuring sustainability, and evaluating the impact of engaged scholarship in a resource-limited ecosystem and its community benefits.

Furthermore, Sizwe Khoza will be facilitating a session on advancing societal and knowledge impact through the National Research Foundation’s Engaged Research Framework. Siswe is the professional officer for engaged research at the NRF in its science engagement business unit, known as the South African Agency for Science and Technology Advancement.