Health services and systems, rooted in human rights and social justice.

The purpose of the School is to support and train policy  makers and implementers who are knowledgeable and skilled in the principles and practice of public health

Strengthening pharmacovigilance capacities in Southern African countries – current practices, challenges and proposed strategies

At the Academy of Pharmaceutical Sciences (APSSA) 2025 Conference, Lagoon Beach, Cape Town, South Africa, I had the opportunity to deliver a podium presentation on strengthening pharmacovigilance capacities in Southern African countries.

18th World Congress on Public Health

The SoPH is partnering with the World Federation of Public Health Associations (WFPHA) and the Public Health Association of South Africa (PHASA) to host the 18th World Congress on Public Health in Cape Town, September 6-9, 2026.

GT4Africa concludes on a high note with a closing webinar of reflection and celebration

After over three years of collaboration, the GT4Africa collective held its concluding webinar on 21 August 2025 to take stock of its journey and celebrate milestones.

The School of Public Health-UWC, NACOSA, Hope Africa and Triangle Project launch a glossary of gender and sexuality terms in three South African languages

On Tuesday, 23 February, the School of Public Health, NACOSA, Hope Africa, and Triangle Project, together with representatives from civil society and government departments working on sexual and reproductive health (SRH), gathered at Bertha House to celebrate the launch of a new South Africa gender glossary.

2025 Annual David Sanders Lecture in Public Health and Social Justice.

Please join the School of Public Health, University of the Western Cape (SOPH, UWC), for our Annual lecture.

Partnerships and Co-Design Processes for Health and Gender Equality: Insights for Programme Implementers, Researchers and Funders

This session aims to illustrate the promises and pitfalls of working with a co-design approach in implementing a gender-transformative approach into adolescent and young people SRHR intervention. The perspectives of a grant manager, a programme implementer and a public health researcher are discussed in relation to participant’s own experiences.

Advancing knowledge for district health system strengthening: emerging themes from the South African Learning Alliance for the DHS (SALAD)

SALAD is a learning network that connects health services managers at district, provincial and national level with health policy and system researchers. SALAD will reflect on its progress since inception through four themes: M&E, COPC, resource allocation and community-led monitoring while eliciting the perspectives of the attendees using world café.

Barriers and facilitators of and strategies for successful community engagement in infectious disease clinical trials in low- and middle- income countries

By: Bey-Marrié Schmidt, Carmen Späth, Myrna van Pinxteren, Primus Che Chi, Charles S Wiysonge, Joy Oliver, Christopher James Colvin

Determinants and rates of retention in HIV care among adolescents receiving antiretroviral therapy in Windhoek, Namibia: a baseline cohort analysis

By: Farai K. Munyani,  Brian van Wyk

Asking the Experts: Using Cognitive Interview Techniques to Explore the Face Validity of the Mental Wellness Measure for Adolescents Living with HIV

By: Zaido Orth, Brian van Wyk

Drivers of retention of the HIV workforce transitioned from PEPFAR support to the Uganda government payroll

By: Henry Zakumumpa, Joseph Rujumba, Marjorie Kyomuhendo, Ilyse Stempler, Woldekidan Amde

The PGD in Public Health aims to provide graduates with an overview of Public Health, with an emphasis on health sector transformation, district health services and the Primary Health Care approach. Postgraduate Diploma in Public Health (NQF Level 8) FIND OUT MORE The Master of Public Health (MPH) aims to equip graduates to: identify, quantify and prioritise health needs at population level; design, implement and evaluate Public Health interventions or programmes and policies; demonstrate leadership in transforming aspects of the health services and system; and to conduct related research. Master Of Public Health – (NQF Level 9) FIND OUT MORE At present we are offering an academically oriented doctorate by thesis only, which implies a very large research project, either written up in a full thesis, or in a format of manuscripts with a beginning and ending sections forming part of the whole thesis. Phd in Public Health FIND OUT MORE Academic Programmes

Report of Activities 2019 – 2020


We have published reports of our activities every two years for about the past twenty years.

This year we are publishing it electronically for the first time, perhaps reflecting the rapidly accelerated replacement of print with on-line resources (although I don’t think I will change my preference for reading in print). But while the electronic format will make the report easily available around the world, easily readable on mobile phones and tablets, I am also aware that the ubiquitous presence of on-line meetings, digital resources and a world of information that can be tapped any time does not mean equitable access. When we surveyed our students and short course participants last year, we learned that while access has increased substantially, bandwidth, data access and data cost, remain substantial barriers