On 8 September 2025, all of our graduating PhD candidates presented their research at the Wolfson Lecture Theatre, University of Cape Town’s Faculty of Health Sciences Campus in Observatory.

This first-of-its-kind event for the Division brought together academic staff, members of the Deanery, current PhD and Master’s candidates, and members of the wider university community. The audience also included external stakeholders, such as leadership from the Western Cape Department of Health and Wellness Emergency Medical Services.

The successful completion of these presentations marks a significant milestone in the doctoral journeys of our five graduates and celebrates their outstanding contributions to emergency care scholarship, education, and systems strengthening.

Dr Abed Alra’oof Mohamad Saleem

Developing contextual quality standards for emergency departments in Palestine

Abed Bani Odeh completed his undergraduate degree in Laboratory Medicine at An-Najah National University in 1999 and earned a Master’s degree in Clinical Laboratory Science at Birzeit University in 2009, both in Palestine. He began his PhD studies at UCT in 2021.

His thesis focuses on improving the quality of care in Palestinian emergency departments by developing context-specific quality standards. Using a multi-method approach, the study was conducted in three stages: identifying relevant quality standards, validating them with expert input, and exploring feasible implementation strategies. The research highlights how tailored standards can enhance patient safety and strengthen emergency care delivery. These findings are particularly relevant for healthcare systems in Palestine and other low- and middle-income countries facing similar challenges, offering a practical framework to drive quality improvement through locally adapted approaches.

Supervisor: Associate Professor W. Stassen
Co-supervisors: Professor M. Hamdan (Health Policy and Management, Al-Quds University); Professor L. Wallis (Emergency Care, World Health Organization)

Dr Ken Ngoy Diango

Adapting a community first aid responder programme to increase out-of-hospital capacity in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo

Ken Diango completed his Bachelor of Medicine in 2002 at the University of Lubumbashi (Democratic Republic of Congo) and his Master of Medicine in Emergency Medicine at UCT in 2018 before beginning his PhD in 2020.

His research aimed to adapt a country-specific Community First Aid Responder (CFAR) programme for the DRC to strengthen out-of-hospital emergency care (OHEC) capacity. After systematically characterising the DRC emergency care system and identifying critical gaps, he elicited Kinshasa communities’ unmet emergency care needs, framing the potential for a community-based, low-cost intervention. He then established the usefulness and acceptability of an adapted CFAR programme through a small-scale feasibility study, demonstrating improvements in first responders’ confidence, knowledge, and skills proficiency. His work shows that a well-implemented, contextually tailored CFAR system could enhance OHEC capacity in low-resource settings and improve patient outcomes.

Supervisor: Associate Professor P. Hodkinson
Co-supervisors: Dr C. Cunningham (Public Health); Professor L. Wallis (Emergency Care, World Health Organization); Professor E. Mafuta (Kinshasa School of Public Health, University of Kinshasa)

Dr Louis Chris van Rensburg

Initiating the development of a curriculum for South African adult critical care retrieval

Louis van Rensburg holds a Master’s degree in Emergency Medicine with Clinical Specialisation and has extensive experience in Emergency Medical Services operations, education, and system development. An Emergency Care Practitioner and lecturer, he began his PhD at UCT in 2021.

His thesis addresses the lack of structured training in Emergency Medical Services for transporting critically ill or injured patients. In South Africa, the absence of formal Critical Care Retrieval (CCR) education has led to inconsistent care standards. Using a four-phase research design, he examined international best practices, reviewed patient transfer cases, conducted expert interviews, and engaged 83 specialists in a consensus study. His findings identified major training gaps in critical care knowledge, ventilation techniques, transport physiology, and decision-making under pressure. The result is South Africa’s first dedicated CCR training curriculum, aligned with the National Qualifications Framework (NQF) Level 8, integrating online learning, simulation, and supervised clinical practice. This work establishes a foundation for CCR as a professional specialisation and a means to standardise care across Emergency Medical Services.

Supervisor: Associate Professor W. Stassen
Co-supervisor: Professor C. Vincent-Lambert (University of Johannesburg, Emergency Medical Care)

Dr Ryan Ernest Matthews

Shaping the undergraduate pain management curriculum in prehospital emergency care education: Toward a curriculum and competency framework for South Africa

Ryan Matthews holds a Bachelor of Technology degree in Emergency Medical Care from the University of Johannesburg and completed an MPhil in Clinical Emergency Care at UCT in 2016. He currently serves as an academic staff member at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology.

His research develops a competency framework to address suboptimal pain management in prehospital emergency care, alongside curriculum recommendations for South African education programmes. Using narrative analysis, scoping reviews, and semistructured interviews, the study derived an initial competency framework which was refined through content analysis and expert consultation. The findings revealed fragmented curricula and led to the identification of seven competency domains: Clinical Pain Praxis, Foundational Sciences, Practitioner Wellness and Safety, Communication and Collaboration, Duty of Care and Predisposition for Caring, Ethical Practice, and Scholarship. The expert panel recommended a “spiral curriculum” model emphasising the multidimensional nature of pain and mentorship. This study provides an evidence-based framework adaptable for local contexts and micro-credentialing, promoting quality and equity in prehospital pain management education.

Supervisor: Associate Professor P. Hodkinson
Co-supervisor: Dr N. Naidoo (Paramedicine, Western Sydney University)

Dr Caleb Hanson Gage

The development of integrated palliative care and emergency medical services in South Africa

Caleb Gage completed his BTech degree at the University of Johannesburg and his MPhil degree at UCT before beginning his PhD in 2021. During his doctoral studies, he worked as an Emergency Care Practitioner and Paramedic Programme Coordinator in Johannesburg.

His research focuses on integrating palliative care within South African Emergency Medical Services (EMS). He began by mapping existing evidence, identifying limited research and implementation globally and nationally. He then explored the extent of EMS involvement in palliative situations in South Africa, finding frequent encounters and positive perceptions of EMS among palliative care providers. Through interviews with patients and families, he highlighted their motivations and needs when engaging EMS. These findings informed an expert panel discussion that produced integrative recommendations and led to the development of a conceptual framework to guide EMS–palliative care integration. The study provides a foundation for collaboration between EMS and palliative care teams to improve patient-centred, compassionate care.

Supervisor: Associate Professor W. Stassen
Co-supervisor: Emerita Associate Professor L. Gwyther (Family, Community, and Emergency Care)