Andrew John Ross is a family medicine specialist at UKZN, and is the founder and a trustee of Umthombo Youth Development Foundation (UYDF) which has produced more than 135 graduates in 16 different health science disciplines.
Ross was born in South Africa to Christian parents who were both medical doctors working as missionaries in South Africa, Nigeria and Ethiopia. He grew up in these countries and went to boarding school in the UK before returning home to South Africa. As a result of his childhood in several African countries and his boarding school experience, he acquired a strong appreciation of cultural differences and developed his ability to empathize with others. Upon returning to South Africa, his father became a professor at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, which at the time had a good quality faculty of medicine that would train black students.
After various public hospital postings as a junior doctor until 1990, Ross worked as the senior medical officer at the Mosvold Hospital in rural Kwa-Zulu Natal. [1]
He is presently the Principal Specialist in Family Medicine at the medical school at UKZN.
Ross was listed as a Lead South African Hero for his role in nurturing youngsters from rural KwaZulu-Natal into professional health scientists. [2] In 2014, Ross was elected as a fellow of the Ashoka Fellowship. On 27 April 2015, Ross was awarded the Order of the Baobab in the silver class. [3] [4]
Ingwavuma is a town in the Umkhanyakude District Municipality of KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa. It is unclear where the name of the town came from; one theory is that it was named after the Ngwavuma River while another is that there was a leader called Vuma, the name then meaning "Vuma's place" in Zulu. Trees found on the river bank are also named Ngwavuma but it is unclear which entity was named after which. It is over 700 metres above sea level in the Lebombo Mountains and boasts several highly scenic spots. The town is three kilometres from the country's border with Eswatini and overlooks the plains of Maputaland to the East.
The University of KwaZulu-Natal is a university with five campuses in the province of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa. It was formed on 1 January 2004 after the merger between the University of Natal and the University of Durban-Westville.
Edendale Hospital, established in 1954, is a 1,275- bed regional and district hospital in Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), South Africa, operated by the KZN Department of Health.
HIV/AIDS is one of the most serious health concerns in South Africa. The country has the highest number of people afflicted with HIV of any country, and the fourth-highest adult HIV prevalence rate, according to the 2019 United Nations statistics.
Malegapuru William Makgoba is a leading South African immunologist, physician, public health advocate, academic and former vice-chancellor of the University of KwaZulu-Natal. In 2013 he was recognised as "a pioneer in higher education transformation", by being awarded the Order of Mapungubwe in Silver, but has also generated extensive controversy during that process. He is also responsible for the unjust and unfair dismissal of several high profile academics from UDW and was accused of sexual harassment from his direct staff.
The Zulu sheep breed is native to South Africa and is predominantly raised by rural farmers in the province of KwaZulu-Natal. It serves primarily as a source of food and income to poor resource farmers. It belongs to the Nguni type of sheep together with the Pedi and the Swazi sheep.
Anand Reddi is a researcher and global health specialist. He is known for his scholarly work on U.S. Global Health Policy including the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). His basic science research focuses on the molecular mechanisms involved in skin squamous cell cancer tumor initiation and metastasis. In 2005, Reddi was a Fulbright Scholar to South Africa. He served on the board of directors of the AIDS Healthcare Foundation from 2009–11 and is currently on the board of directors of the Bay Area Global Health Alliance.
Salim S. Abdool Karim, MBChB, MMed, MS(Epi), FFPHM, FFPath (Virol), DipData, PhD, DSc(hc) is a South African public health physician, epidemiologist and virologist who has played a leading role in the AIDS and COVID-19 pandemic. His scientific contributions have impacted the landscape of HIV prevention and treatment, saving thousands of lives
Hoosen Coovadia is a South African doctor, and Victor Daitz Professor emeritus at University of KwaZulu-Natal. He was awarded the 2013 AAAS Award for Scientific Freedom and Responsibility. He has also received the 1999 Star of South Africa Award from President Nelson Mandela and the 2000 Nelson Mandela Award for Health and Human Rights.
Miriam Adhikari is a physician and scientist specialising in paediatrics with a focus on neonatology. She is Emeritus Professor at the University of KwaZulu-Natal and a neonatologist at the Nelson Mandela School of Medicine. She also has a focus on paediatric nephrology and is a member of the Academy of Science of South Africa.
Salome Maswime is a South African clinician and global health expert. She is an Obstetrician and Gynaecologist and the Head of Global Surgery at the University of Cape Town. She advocates for women's health rights, equity in surgical and maternal care, and providing adequate health services to remote and underserved populations. She advises and consults for many institutions, including the World Health Organization. In 2017, she was honored with the Trailblazer and Young Achiever Award. She is a member of the Academy of Science of South Africa.
Churchill Lukwiya Onen is a Ugandan physician and medical researcher, who serves as a Senior Consultant Physician at the Centre for Chronic Diseases, in Gaborone, Botswana.
Sandile Kubheka is South Africa’s youngest doctor.
Bavelile Gloria Hlongwa was a South African chemical engineer and politician from KwaZulu-Natal and a party member of the African National Congress (ANC). She was the Deputy Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy and a Member of the National Assembly of South Africa from May 2019 until her death in September 2019.
Ncoza Dlova is a South African dermatologist. In 2019, she helped discover a new gene that is a major cause of permanent hair loss amongst women of African descent. She is currently the dean and the first African woman to head University of KwaZulu-Natal's School of Clinical Medicine.
Andrew Ddungu Kambugu is a Ugandan physician who serves as The Sande-McKinnell Executive Director at Uganda Infectious Disease Institute and a Honorary Senior lecturer at Makerere University College of Sciences. He is also an Adjunct Associate Professor at the University of Minnesota. In July 2020, he was appointed to the United Nations 2021 Food System Scientific Group.
Kwazikwenkosi Innocent Mshengu is a South African lawyer and African National Congress politician who served as the Member of the Executive Council (MEC) for Education in KwaZulu-Natal until 11 August 2022 when he was replaced with Mbali Frazer by the new KwaZulu-Natal Premier Nomusa Dube-Ncube, and has also been a member of the KwaZulu-Natal Legislature since May 2019. Mshengu is the provincial chairperson of the African National Congress Youth League.
Sibongiseni Dhlomo is a South African politician and medical doctor for the African National Congress. Dhlomo is the current deputy minister of health for the Republic of South Africa.
Amandawe also known as Amandawe Mission, or often informally abbreviated as A.M.A or A.M is a small township located at KwaZulu-Natal South Coast region of South Africa, the area is mostly populated with Black Africans.
Lionel Mtshali was a South African politician who was Premier of KwaZulu-Natal from 1999 to 2004. He was known for unilaterally ordering the expansion of the province's antiretrovirals programme during the HIV/AIDS epidemic, in defiance of the policy of the national government under President Thabo Mbeki. A founding member and former chairperson of the Inkatha Freedom Party, Mtshali was also national Minister of Arts, Culture, Science and Technology in the government of President Nelson Mandela from 1996 to 1999.