About us
WELCOME TO THE FACULTY OF MEDICINE AND HEALTH SCIENCES
Stellenbosch University's Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences (FMHS) has been synonymous with excellence in medical and health sciences education and research in South Africa since 1956. Situated at the feet of Cape Town's Tygerberg Hills, we aspire to be a vital community of students, learners, teachers, researchers and staff committed to becoming the leading health sciences faculty in Africa.
The FMHS is one of 10 faculties at Stellenbosch University and home to 15 academic departments, which in turn hosts 18 centres, bureaus and institutes. Our undergraduate academic offering includes degrees in Dietetics, Medicine and Surgery (MBChB), Nursing and Midwifery, Occupational Therapy, Physiotherapy and Speech-Language and Hearing Therapy. We offer a variety of Honours degrees and more than 90 Masters and Doctoral programmes in a variety of disciplines, including Sport Science.
We aim to develop future health professionals who, through innovation and leadership, will promote health, prevent disease and provide optimal healthcare.
We have a diverse student body of nearly 5 000 undergraduate and postgraduate students. Our total number of staff consists of more than 1 600 individuals who are employed by Stellenbosch University or jointly with partners such as the Western Cape Government and National Health Laboratory Service.
A strong focus on the quality of teaching and learning, including the provision of effective student support services, accounts for the high student success rates at the FMHS. The Ukwanda Rural Clinical School, one of the faculty's unique educational innovations, advances rural and district based training of health professionals and enables health care professionals to respond effectively to South Africa's unique healthcare needs.
The faculty is a self-driven hub of global excellence in many areas and has been the launch pad for a number of ground-breaking medical and health sciences initiatives. A research agenda shaped by strategic research focus areas ensures that our research activities address the major health challenges facing the African continent. We have a reputation for research built over decades of diligent and persistent effort and we are widely recognised for our world-class research on amongst others infectious diseases, including tuberculosis and HIV/Aids, mother and child health and neuropsychiatric disorders.
We are host to leading research entities, including the Extramural Unit (EMU) for Research on the Genomics of Brain Disorders, the DST/NRF Centre of Excellence for Biomedical Tuberculosis Research and the Desmond Tutu TB Centre. We are internationally recognised for employing some of the world's most highly cited researchers and draw on international best practice and evidence-based approaches in learning and teaching to ensure the best academic outcomes.
The FMHS is home to 92 National Research Foundation (NRF)-rated researchers and seven South African Research Chair Initiative (SARChI) research chairs. Our other research chairs include the Sarah Turoff Endowed Chair in Schizophrenia as well as research chairs in Proteomics, Physiotherapy, Cancer Science and Sport and Exercise Medicine.
We are dedicated to excellence and leadership in medicine, health sciences, education, research, clinical care and community service. To achieve our objectives, we promote a set of shared values that foster achievement.