Professor Jacky van Wyk will deliver her lecture titled “Grounded in Context, Growing for Impact: Advancing African Scholarship in Health Professions Education” on Thursday, 29 May 2025 at 18:00 SAST in the New Learning Centre Lecture Theatre, Anatomy Building, health sciences campus.

In her lecture, Professor Van Wyk will reflect on her impactful career in health professions education and share her journey of building locally responsive educational models rooted in social accountability and inclusive pedagogy. She will highlight the critical role of community, mentorship and collaboration in strengthening health systems and transforming health education across South Africa and the continent.

Professor Van Wyk is a highly respected educator and scholar whose work has reshaped curriculum, faculty development and postgraduate training in the field of health sciences. She is the head of the Department of Health Sciences Education and serves as the editor-in-chief of the African Journal of Health Professions Education. Her extensive contributions through initiatives such as the Foundation for Advancement of International Medical Education and Research (FAIMER), Sub-Saharan Africa-FAIMER Regional Institute (SAFRI), and the South African Association of Health Educators (SAAHE) have empowered emerging educators and created new platforms for African scholarship to inform both policy and practice.

Her leadership in driving equity, excellence and innovation in health education has earned her national and international recognition, including the SAAHE Distinguished Teacher Award. Her lecture is a powerful invitation to rethink how we educate for health, placing African voices, needs and solutions at the centre of global conversations.