The SUNHEART mission statement lies at the heart of the extensive bursary scheme offered by the centre: “SUNHEART is a centre of the Stellenbosch University, seated within the Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, and generates funds to be utilized to promote cardiology training and research and to extend cardiac services to previously disadvantaged communities".
The cardiology training program of the Division could potentially be hampered by only having access to 3 funded cardiology training posts provided by the hospital. The MPhil bursaries offered by SUNHEART has allowed the division to optimize its training program and to fully utilize the 8 training posts the division is currently staffed for, the bursaries needed to utilize the 5 unfunded posts being provided by SUNHEART. Similarly, the division's exciting PhD program is made possible by the PhD bursaries the centre offers. Colleagues who would like to be considered as candidates for the SUNHEART MPhil and PhD bursaries can contact the HOD, Dr Alfonso Pecoraro (pecoraro@sun.ac.za) or the research facilitator, Prof Anton Doubell (afd@sun.ac.za)