​Dr Sean Chetty, Deputy Head of the Department of Anaesthesiology and Critical Care at Stellenbosch University, has been elected Vice President of the Pain Society of South Africa, PainSA. Based on the constitution of the society, this means that Chetty will take over the presidency of PainSA for a three-year term in 2020 – the first time a staff member of Stellenbosch University will fulfil this role.

Chetty has been an Executive Committee Member of PainSA since 2009 and Honorary Treasurer since 2012. In his role as Vice President, he will be supporting the current president, Prof Romy Parker, while focusing on developing institutional capacity and strategic partnerships.

“This appointment is a validation of all the work I have put into developing pain knowledge and patient management in South Africa over many years,” says Chetty. “This has been my passion, and I never did it for any personal benefit, but it’s always nice to know that one’s efforts have been noticed and appreciated.”

During his term as President, Chetty will be focusing on education and training in the area of pain management. “In particular, I want to encourage local South African research. I would like to see us doing more integrated, multi-disciplinary pain research, marrying basic science research with clinical practice.”

The anaesthesiologist would also like to ensure that the pain management sub-speciality is approved by the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) before he completes his term in 2023. “I’m also hoping that South Africa will be able to host the World Pain Congress in 2022. The bidding for this event will take place in 2018.”

Chetty’s new position dovetails well with the commitment from the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences to develop post-graduate training programmes for pain. In addition, his appointment as Vice President and, ultimately, President of PainSA is likely to showcase the faculty’s expertise in pain management. “This will help the university to create more research collaborative links with international universities.”

Right now, the area of pain management is rapidly developing, requiring intensive collaboration between different health care fields. “This collaboration is important for patient care and the development of research in the field.”

With the work that is currently being done by Chetty and other staff members, the faculty is poised to become a leader in pain research and training. “We need to now harness the support, goodwill and enthusiasm in the faculty, and convert this into tangible outcomes,” Chetty concludes.

Caption: Dr Sean Chetty has been elected Vice President of the Pain Society of South Africa, PainSA.