Decades of Inquiry — Research

The Pursuit

Science that changes lives

For decades, we've pursued the inquiries that matter most to those navigating disease and inequality in Africa, building a research ecosystem where more than 100 National Research Foundation–rated scientists produce hundreds of peer-reviewed publications annually.

Our impact spans clinical excellence and societal health — from the molecular biology and community epidemiology essential to ending tuberculosis, to world-class expertise in anxiety, PTSD, and neurodegenerative disorders.

By graduating over 140 postgraduate specialists each year, our research leads directly to transformative care and a resilient future for healthcare across the continent.

The Journey

From challenge to breakthrough

The Challenge

Disease and inequality across the continent

Tuberculosis — Africa's most devastating infectious disease
HIV and emerging epidemics including COVID-19
A growing mental health burden, long under-acknowledged
Cardiovascular disease, maternal and child mortality

The Breakthrough

Innovation rooted here, recognised globally

Three SARChI chairs in TB research
World's first successful penile transplant (2014)
MIT Tech Review breakthrough — CERI variant tracking
WHO mRNA Vaccine Technology Transfer Hub

Breakthrough Moment · 2022

Our Centre for Epidemic Response and Innovation identified the Beta and Omicron COVID-19 variants — earning recognition as one of MIT Technology Review's 10 Breakthrough Technologies of the year.

Global Reach

From Africa, for the World

The Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences has always oriented its science toward the daily realities of our communities. Tuberculosis, HIV, psychiatric illnesses, cardiovascular disease, and maternal and child mortality are not abstract problems, but urgent challenges faced by people across the Western Cape, across South Africa, and across the continent.

By grounding our research in these lived experiences, we've produced a body of work that is at once locally responsive and globally significant — transforming clinical evidence into meaningful impact.

The Scale

A research enterprise rooted in service

100+

NRF-rated researchers

100+

Master's & PhD programmes

140+

Postgraduate specialists each year

Areas of Inquiry

Where our research takes shape

01

A world authority on tuberculosis

Tuberculosis remains one of Africa's most devastating diseases, and the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences is a global leader in tackling it. Our Division of Molecular Biology and Human Genetics hosts three SARChI chairs in TB research and the Stellenbosch node of the DST/NRF Centre of Excellence for Biomedical TB Research. The Desmond Tutu TB Centre further drives impact by advancing TB and HIV policy for vulnerable communities. Together, these efforts represent one of the continent's most concentrated investments in TB science.

02

Mental health — understanding the mind, resilience, and risk

The Department of Psychiatry's key research areas include schizophrenia, anxiety disorders — particularly OCD and related conditions — PTSD, social phobia, Alzheimer's disease, community psychiatry, substance abuse, and eating disorders. The MRC Unit on Risk and Resilience in Mental Disorders researches the psychobiology and treatment of anxiety disorders, including obsessive-compulsive disorder, panic disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder, and social anxiety disorder. With a SARChI Chair in PTSD and the Mental Health Information Centre, active since 1995, this is a research environment that takes the full spectrum of mental illness seriously, at a time when Africa's mental health burden is only beginning to be acknowledged globally.

03

Surgical pioneering — a tradition that endures

South Africa's surgical history is inseparable from this region. In December 2014, a team from the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences and Tygerberg Hospital performed the world's first successful penile transplant, a nine-hour procedure led by Prof André van der Merwe that restored full function to a young man who had lost his penis to complications from traditional circumcision. The Department of Surgical Sciences encompasses divisions of cardiothoracic surgery, neurosurgery, ophthalmology, orthopaedics, paediatric surgery, plastic and reconstructive surgery, urology, and more — research activity largely clinically orientated and embedded in normal service delivery.

"This procedure is another excellent example of how medical research, technical know-how and patient-centred care can be combined in the quest to relieve human suffering."
— Prof Jimmy Volmink, former Dean

04

Epidemic response — alerting the world

When COVID-19 emerged, researchers at Tygerberg Campus helped the world understand the virus. The FMHS Centre for Epidemic Response and Innovation (CERI), led by Prof Tulio de Oliveira, was named one of MIT Technology Review's 2022 breakthrough technologies for its role in identifying and tracking variants. CERI is also part of the South African mRNA Vaccine Consortium, selected by the WHO as the first COVID-19 mRNA Technology Transfer Hub — recognised by visits from President Cyril Ramaphosa and WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus in 2022.

The Pathway

Then · Now · Next

Then

1956

A young faculty grounded in clinical service, building the foundations of South African medical science.

Now

2025

A continental leader in TB, mental health, surgical innovation, and epidemic response — recognised globally.

Research aligned with the NDP, AU Agenda 2063, and the UN SDGs — science that serves people.

Direction

Research aligned with our future

All our research is directed toward addressing the priority health concerns identified in South Africa's National Development Plan, the African Union's Agenda 2063, and the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals. This alignment is not incidental — it reflects a deliberate conviction that research must serve people.

Seventy years on, we continue to produce science rooted in the continent's realities, connected to the world's best institutions, and, most importantly, finding its way into the clinics, wards, and communities where it is needed most.

In Motion

Breakthrough moments

Research in motion — video coming soon

Seventy years on, we continue to produce science rooted in the continent's realities — finding its way into the clinics, wards, and communities where it is needed most.

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