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 and sub-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
supervisors to dedicate to research activities. Further to this is the lack of
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 sub-specialist (MPhil) registrars and their supervisors.
