A New Era for Wits Faculty of Health Sciences: Establishment of the School of BioMedical Sciences
- FHS Communications
In a move that signals its ongoing commitment to innovation and excellence in health sciences, the University of the Witwatersrand’s Faculty of Health Sciences is excited to introduce an important development in its academic structure—the establishment of the School of BioMedical Sciences. This development is geared towards aligning with international best practices.
The decision follows extensive discussions at the School, Faculty, and senior management levels, including Faculty Board meetings and Retreats, and approvals from the University’s Senior Executive Team and Council.
The new school will enhance interdisciplinary collaboration by merging the Schools of Anatomical Sciences and Physiology into one and transitioning them into departments within the new School. The structure of these departments will remain largely unchanged, ensuring continuity while providing a more coordinated governance model.
The most significant change of this merge is that the Bachelor of Health Sciences (BHSc) programme, which was previously managed at Faculty level without a dedicated school, will now be housed within the new School for better academic oversight and governance. This strategic development will strengthen teaching and learning capacities for the programme and maximise students’ exposure across the various disciplines of practice.
One of the main objectives of the new school is to modernise its undergraduate academic programme by offering more streamlined and efficient courses, minimising duplication while enhancing integration between the two disciplines. Furthermore, current course offerings will be infused with alternative elective subjects, exposing our students to a greater variety of skills and knowledge. Courses in data science, precision medicine, artificial intelligence, and health economics are considered in this regard.
It has also been recognised that our current honours programmes require expansion to accommodate the growing number of students wishing to advance their studies beyond their three-year degrees. As such, the new school will respond to this challenge by consolidating current honours programmes and investing in additional honours courses.
This merger will also expand the respective departments’ capacity for research. This strategic move offers researchers and students opportunities to benefit from all the experimental techniques and projects available in the school, thereby acquiring diverse skills and wide-ranging information. For instance, researchers collaborate by sharing research resources, and lecturers by co-teaching postgraduate students. This more extensive experience will enhance our students' employability. Interdisciplinary engagements are already taking place, and these practices will be encouraged and built upon.
To implement this vision, the Faculty has appointed Professor William Daniels, the former Head of the School of Physiology, as the interim Head of the School of BioMedical Sciences. Professor Amadi Ihunwo will continue to serve as the Head of the Department of Anatomical Sciences, while a new Head of the Department for Physiology will be recruited.