The first residential session of the 2010 Southern Africa-FAIMER Regional Institute (SAFRI) took place March 3-9, 2010, in Cape Town, South Africa, under the direction of Vanessa Burch and Gboyega Ogunbanjo. The 2010 SAFRI Fellows are:

Susan Achora, B.Sc., M.Sc., R.N., Mbarara University of Science and Technology, Mbarara, Uganda

Tahra Al-Mahdi, M.B.B.S., M.Sc., Ahfad University for Women, Omdurman, Sudan

Melanie Alperstein, B.Soc.Sc., Nursing PG Dip., University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa

Alan Barnard, M.B.Ch.B., M.Phil., University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa

Hoffie Conradie, M.B.Ch.B., M.Med., Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa

Hester Julie, M.P.H., R.N., University of the Western Cape, Cape Town, South Africa

Solomon Lubinga, M.Sc., B.Pharm., Mbarara University of Science and Technology, Mbarara, Uganda

Farai Madzimbamuto, M.B.Ch.B., M.Med., University of Botswana, Gaborone, Botswana

Clemence Marimo, D.D.S., M.Ch.D., University of Zambia, Lusaka, Zambia

Sindisiwe Mthembu, M.D., University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa

Ismat Mutwali, M.B.B.S., M.D., Alzaeim Alazhari University, Khartoum, Sudan

Catherine Mwesigwa, B.D.S., Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda

Scovia Nalugo, B.Sc., M.Sc., D.P.P.M., Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda

Carmen Oltmann, B.Sc., M.Sc., Ph.D., Rhodes University, Grahamstown, South Africa

Angelika Reinbrech-Schutte, M.B.Ch.B., M.Med., University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa

Michael Rowe, B.Sc., M.Sc., University of the Western Cape, Cape Town, South Africa

The inaugural issue of the African Journal of Health Professions Education (AJHPE) opens with an editorial that asks and answers a question; “Does Africa need another journal?” Co-Director of the Southern Africa-FAIMER Regional Institute Vanessa Burch (PHIL 2001), M.B.Ch.B., M.Med., Ph.D., authored the piece as the journal’s Editor. Dr. Burch explains that AJHPE is the only journal focusing specifically on health professions education and related topics on the continent of Africa. That health professions education is vital to solving the health care problems in Africa makes this journal more important than ever.

The bi-annual, peer-reviewed publication carries research articles, letters, editorials, practical education pieces, and opinion pieces for health professionals. The journal’s editorial board is committed to supporting the global exchange of knowledge and provides free, public access to the full journal content online.

The first issue features contributions from three more FAIMER Fellows: an article co-authored by Enoch Kwizera (PHIL 2007), another co-authored by Chinmay Shah (GSMC 2008), and a letter from Ben Van Heerden (PHIL 2006).

To access the African Journal of Health Professions Education, please visit www.ajhpe.org.za.

Enoch N. Kwizera, M.B.Ch.B., M.Sc., Ph.D.
Professor
Department of Pharmacology
Walter Sisulu University
Mthatha, South Africa

Congratulations to FAIMER Institute 2007 Fellow and SAFRI faculty member Enoch Kwizera, who recently delivered his inaugural address as Professor in the Department of Pharmacology in the Faculty of Health Sciences at Walter Sisulu University (WSU) in Mthatha, South Africa. Dr. Kwizera’s lecture was entitled “25 Years of Training Doctors at WSU: How Have We Responded to the 1983 UNITRA Council Guidelines?” Dr. Kwizera had originally planned on delivering a lecture on a pharmacological topic, but changed instead to a health professions education topic, both in honor of the 100^th anniversary of the Flexner Report and to celebrate the Silver Jubilee of the WSU Faculty of Health Sciences with a topic that he thought would be “the appropriate and, hopefully, more interesting one.” In 1983, the University of Transkei (UNITRA), now part of WSU, established guidelines for medical education that emphasized training health professionals to: serve the local community, educate communities about taking personal responsibility for health, think critically and creatively to solve health care problems, teach the importance of prevention, learn continuously, and practice with high ethical standards. Dr. Kwizera addressed whether the challenges issued by UNITRA 27 years ago have been met.

Ntombi Fikile, a 2008 SAFRI fellow and 2010 faculty started working for the South African Nursing Council on 1 June 2010 in her new position as the senior Provider Affairs. In this position she will be responsible for accreditation of nursing education programmes in the country. She will be appointed as a honorary member of staff at the University of KwaZulu Natal to enable her to continue with her post graduation supervision.