Research Development and Support
Registrar Research Support Office
About Us
In 2010, the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) defined new requirements for specialist registration, which included the need for registrars to demonstrate research competence by completing a research project. This has introduced numerous challenges into training institutions. Key amongst these is the lack of time for registrars and their research supervisors to dedicate to research activities. Further to this is the often-limited research experience amongst registrars and, in some cases, their supervisors.
There are several consequences of research non-completion including delayed specialist registration which could reduce the number of specialists available for appointment. Another concern is the increasing pool of poorly conducted research which may have negative consequences for policy, government spending on health and patient health outcomes.
In response to these challenges, the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences created the MMed Unit in 2014 under the leadership of Professor Rob Gie. Following Prof Gie's retirement in 2018, the Unit has undergone transformation to become the Registrar Research Support Office (RRSO).
Under the management of Dr Karis Moxley, the RRSO aims to support the development of research capacity amongst specialist (MMed and MPhil) registrars and their research supervisors. This office offers several research training initiatives for this unique group of clinical researchers.
