From the Vice-Chancellor
UCT inaugural lecture for November 2024
14 November 2024
Dear colleagues and students
The University of Cape Town’s (UCT) Inaugural Lecture series is more than just a celebration of academic achievement – it is an ideal platform to dive into the pioneering work of our esteemed professors.
As we wrap up this series for 2024, please join us for a lecture by Professor Sithombo Maqungo, a leader in orthopaedic trauma surgery and passionate injury prevention advocate. The lecture will be held on Thursday, 28 November 2024 at 17:30 in the Neuroscience Institute Auditorium, E-Floor, Groote Schuur Hospital. This will be the only inaugural lecture for November.
Titled “Been there, fixed that, presented there and published that. Is this all there is to the life of an academic trauma surgeon?,” Professor Maqungo will share unique insights from his impactful career, revealing what it truly means to be a trauma surgeon dedicated to saving lives – and preventing harm.
Professor Maqungo is the head of the Orthopaedic Trauma Service at Groote Schuur Hospital and UCT, and clinical lead for trauma care and injury prevention within UCT’s Division of Global Surgery.
This lecture will offer insights into Professor Maqungo’s multifaceted career and his reflections on the role of academic trauma surgeons in public health advocacy. His discussion will cover his personal and professional journey as a clinician and academic; evidence-based strategies to prevent injuries; collaborations with public health officials and organisations for safer communities; and case studies showcasing successful injury prevention initiatives.
Cape Town, with its exceptionally high rates of trauma-related violence, underscores the need for focused injury prevention. Professor Maqungo’s lecture will address critical questions about the moral obligations of medical practitioners to extend their impact beyond clinical settings.
This trailblazer’s career has spanned roles in research, education and clinical leadership. With an MBChB from the then University of Natal and advanced qualifications from UCT, including the FC Ortho (SA) and MMed degrees, he has further specialised through fellowships in New York, Jerusalem and London, adding a global perspective to his practice and teaching.
Professor Maqungo’s contribution to orthopaedic trauma care is extensive, with 75 academic publications, 100 podium presentations and over 1 000 citations. He has held influential positions, including president of the Osteosynthesis and Trauma Care Foundation (South Africa) and past president of the South African Orthopaedic Trauma Society. He also serves on the boards of advocacy organisations GunFree South Africa and ChildSafe.
Join us for this engaging evening to explore how trauma surgeons can contribute meaningfully to injury prevention and community safety.
Date: Thursday, 28 November 2024
Time: 17:30 SAST
Venue: Neuroscience Institute Auditorium, E-Floor, Groote Schuur Hospital
We look forward to welcoming you to what promises to be a thought-provoking event as the curtain falls on our 2024 inaugural lecture series.
Sincerely
Professor Mosa Moshabela
Vice-Chancellor
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The UCT Inaugural Lecture Series
Inaugural lectures are a central part of university academic life. These events are held to commemorate the inaugural lecturer’s appointment to full professorship. They provide a platform for the academic to present the body of research that they have been focusing on during their career, while also giving UCT the opportunity to showcase its academics and share its research with members of the wider university community and the general public in an accessible way.
In April 2023, Interim Vice-Chancellor Emeritus Professor Daya Reddy announced that the Vice-Chancellor’s Inaugural Lecture Series would be held in abeyance in the coming months, to accommodate a resumption of inaugural lectures under a reconfigured UCT Inaugural Lecture Series – where the UCT extended executive has resolved that for the foreseeable future, all inaugural lectures will be resumed at faculty level.
Recent executive communications
2024
Professor Susan Cleary delivered her inaugural lecture on 14 March.
14 Mar 2024 - 5 min read
2023
Prof Lydia Cairncross’s inaugural lecture provided a snapshot of the career path of a surgeon and community activist whose commitment to social justice means her work doesn’t end in the operating theatre.
02 Nov 2023 - 8 min read
2022
Professor Linda Ronnie is in UCT’s Faculty of Commerce.
28 Sep 2022 - 6 min read
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2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
2016 and 2015
No inaugural lectures took place during 2015 and 2016.