Division of Community Health
The Community (or Public) Health Division of the University of Stellenbosch is located in the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, and is one of eight Divisions in the Department of Interdisciplinary Health Sciences (DIHS), the largest of the ten academic departments in the Faculty.
The Division's strategy aligns with the University's vision of academic excellence, relevance and being a knowledge partner which actively contributes to the development of a healthier society.
Three focus areas for the development of research, training and service were prioritized in the Division. These were informed by i) the Universities strategic focus on poverty and development, including addressing the MDG's; ii) the Faculty's research vision, and iii) by the Burden of Disease in the Western Cape and South Africa:
- Measurement sciences in public health
Epidemiology, biostatistics, demography, and relevant social science/qualitative research methods are established as the foundation of all teaching and research undertaken in the division.
- Health systems research and development
Health systems and services research methods, including health economics, evaluation sciences, mixed methods, participatory action research, and health policy analysis form the basis of the programmes in health systems and services research. Focus areas include health service delivery, human resources for health, health management, health information systems, and knowledge translation.
- Environmental and Occupational health, and Infection Prevention and Control.
This focus includes environmental health, occupational medicine, occupational hygiene, Infection Prevention and Control, and Infectious diseases of public health importance.
