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I am currently residing in the Northern suburbs of Cape Town. However, my childhood home is where my heart is. This is in a small town outside Stellenbosch, surrounded by majestic mountains and beautiful vineyards.

I am an extroverted person, who enjoys spending time with family and friends. I also enjoy travelling.

I am a medical doctor. I started my career at a primary health care facility, specifically interested in HIV/TB medicine. I completed the Diploma in HIV management and PG Diploma in Public Health. I am currently working as a research officer on a Phase 3 clinical trial for patients with HIV-associated disseminated TB.

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Hi Everyone! Cape Town is home now for the last 22 years, although I grew up in Natal. There is so much special about Cape Town - I would encourage everyone to experience our kelp forests and marine life; and spend some time up on the mountain enjoying the fynbos and the views. I am an ocean- and nature-lover, an empath, and a mother of 3 amazing young children. I completed my MBChB in 2005 at UCT and have done my Diploma in HIV Management, and a BSc Honours in Zoology. I have worked in paediatrics, HIV research and primary care, and for the last 9 years have been in the knowledge translation and primary care guideline development space. Currently I work for a non-profit organisation with a mission to promote evidence-based, quality HIV and related diseases healthcare in Southern Africa. I am passionate about public health, capacity-building of healthcare workers, and enabling access to quality, evidenced-informed health care, particularly at a primary care level.

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Hello everyone. Ncube Samke here. A place I call home is my beautiful city, a place called the city of Kings and Queens, Bulawayo in Zimbabwe. This is a calm and quiet city with lovely jacaranda trees that will captivate your attention in spring. Besides that, you will be met with amazingly friendly and lovely people; and there is good food there. I would describe myself as an introverted extrovert, I enjoy my company but can equally enjoy the company of other people. I am a mother and UCT Bachelor of Social Work (Class of 2018) graduate and thus I have a social sciences background. Before my social work studies , I worked as a relief teacher for the then Ministry of Education, Sports, Arts and Culture and I must say, working with children and adolescents from underprivileged communities influenced my career journey and choice. I am on my 2nd year MPH Social and Behavioral track and my career interests are on sexual and reproductive health and rights. My research focus will be on seeking to understand how menstrual hygiene influences older and out of school women's health and psycho-social wellbeing. I am excited to be part of this course and looking forward to lectures and meeting my colleagues. Thank you!

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Hie Everyone! My name is Natasha Ruya, and I am originally from the heart of Zimbabwe which is Harare lol. Zimbabwe is full of welcoming and friendly people who really love visitors. If you ever visit, I recommend you see our mighty Victoria Falls (Mosi-oa-Tunya) which is popularly known as "The smoke which thunders". I love being one with nature and am also an extroverted introvert. I am a Development Practitioner who has been playing a part in advancing the rights of the Girl Child in Zimbabwe at a Non-Governmental Organization called Shamwari Yemwanasikana translated to Friends of the Girl Child. I come with 4 years of experience in developing and strengthening the level of community awareness and amplifying girls’ voices in child rights promotion initiatives.  My research interests are Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights, HIV and AIDS, non- communicable diseases, Gender Based Violence, and children’s rights. I am also a Social Economic Justice activist who works closely with adolescents and youth in the hope of facilitating well-being and development through community engagement. Currently I am a second year in Social and Behavioral Science Track. This year will be working on my thesis focusing on facilitators and barriers of menstrual cup use amongst adolescent girls from parents' perspectives. I am excited to be part of this group and hope to learn from everyone and be transformed.

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Hello everyone!! I hope you are all doing well and staying safe. I am currently in Cape Town, but I was born in Joburg. I consider myself a Cape Townian - I am in love with the ocean and the beautiful scenery that Cape Town has to offer! I would definitely describe myself as a mixture between and introvert and extrovert. I love doing things alone and am very content with my own company, but occasionally my social-butterfly comes out when it comes to meeting new people and making friends. I did my undergrad at UCT majoring in Psychology and Gender studies, then last year i completed my honours in Development Studies. My interests lie in advocacy of efficient access to sexual and reproductive health services, especially when it comes to women and children. I am also interested in how the sex education that is taught in schools impacts the access to these services. I am incredibly excited to be doing this course and have the opportunity to meet everyone, and to learn from you all!

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Hey! My name is Margaret Kabanyoro Nyakusemera.

I'm Ugandan 🇺🇬,  I was born and raised in Kampala, the Capital City of Uganda and I moved to Cape Town exactly 3 weeks ago for my MPH. The best thing about Kampala is probably the night life (Kampalans are unrivaled) and ice cream! Besides Kampala, my tribe actually comes from Fort Portal (the Tourism City) and everything there is clean, fresh and worth a visit.

I'm an ambivert (introvert leaning) and usually my family and friends' sunshine, hence the nickname 'sunshine' and the mild obsession with sunflowers (even though I happen to dislike sunshine itself).

I am a Lawyer by profession. I graduated Law School and passed the Bar in 2019 and I had been in practice for 2 years before deciding to give my purpose in Public Health a big go. I mostly worked in law firms specifically; Corporate and Commercial practice, Tax Advisory, Property Management, Construction Law, Tech and Intellectual Property. The most exciting experience of my entire legal life was lobbying for the use of drones as a means of delivering medicine and other health related items to remote areas in my Country.

I am hoping to plant the career tangent of Public Health firmly into Legal Practice.

I'm a first year full-time MPH student, on the Health Systems and Policy track and I aspire to improve access to Public Healthcare (especially in Uganda) through policy reform.

See you soon!🌻

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Molweni ("Hello to everyone" in isiXhosa) :) I am Lihlomile, affectionately and professionally known as Hlomi.
I am from the Eastern Cape, born in the mountains of eCala village and raised in East London where the ocean is as warm and inviting as the people. When you explore the Eastern Cape, you soon realise that what the province may lack in infrastructure, it makes up with incredible and vast scenery of mountains, valleys and the ocean.

I graduated in 2013 with a Bsc in Audiology at UCT and then went to work in and around Johannesburg outreaching at a number of clinics as a community based audiologist.
I had the awesome opportunity to move back to Cape Town whilst developing my clinical skills and now work at Groote Schuur Hospital. In 2020 I decided to obtain a speciality in cochlear implants and have recently qualified as a cochlear implant audiologist. Although I feel that I am fairly young in the field of audiology, I have always known that I wanted to broaden my clinical skills in audiology and merge them with research in public health so that I could contribute to the advancing of early intervention services in underserviced communities, particularly focusing on educational and preventative measures regarding hearing impairment.

I am currently taking the course as a non-degree student and I am excited about what I can learn in this first semester, particularly within IHS, with the hope that I will have a better understanding of which track suits my research interests.

I am looking forward to meeting everyone. :)

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Hello everyone. I am Mpho, from Johannesburg. Home is currently Cape Town which I love for its late sunsets in summer - it feels like you have more hours in your day.

I am in year 2 of the MPH programme enrolled in the Environmental Health stream. My deep appreciation for nature has influenced my studies and career pursuits which are to work towards a better understand of human-environment interactions.

My background is in the social sciences with majors in Environmental Science & Geography, and International Studies plus a minor in Cultural and Literary Studies.

I am looking forward to the semester ahead and learning from you all.

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• I am from Krugersdorp. Home to the Black Eagle conservation project. Not far from my hometown, you will find the Cradle of Humankind and of course the world renown Lion & Safari Park.

• I am most likely one of the craziest souls you would ever meet.  My two greatest passions are music and public health. I play the classical guitar  and have a Bachelor's in Public Health from Monash University.

• I am new to the field of public health but have experience in a variety of fields including education, business, tourism and finally public health.

I worked as a mathematics tutor and teaching assistant in the Public Health department at Monash University. Furthermore, I have been an administrative assistant at a Financial Services company for the past 9 years.

In addition, I also worked as a photographer and photographic production clerk at the Lion & Safari Park.

My experience in public health started when I did an internship as part of my course, at a bioethics and clinical risk management company (Health IQ Consulting), where we conducted research on Vaccine Hesitancy in South Africa as well as health promotion on social media. I was later approached by the company to continue my research with them.

• Currently, I am a 1st year MPH (Epi & Biostats) student and aspire to be an infectious disease epidemiologist. Moreover, I hope to continue conducting research as I find the process involved in research fascinating.

• Excited about this course and the semester ahead!

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Hello all!

My name is Willem Stassen. I am originally from Johannesburg but moved to Cape Town in 2018 to take on a role at UCT as PhD programme coordinator in the Division of Emergency Medicine.

My background is in prehospital emergency care - clinically I worked as a paramedic on helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft where I evacuated patients from around the continent.

I have a Bachelor's degree in Emergency Medical Care, a Masters in Emergency Medicine, a PhD, and a PGDip in Applied Ethics.

I see myself now much more as an academic than a clinician, mostly because I have limited time to still practice clinically. I hope that this will change as we build more academic capacity within the nascent field of emergency care.

My interest in public health stems from my research interests in the development of emergency care systems. I am an occasional student (i.e. only doing this subject) and really looking forward to learning as much as possible.

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Hello everyone, Meshack Egoh here. I am from Cameroon but Johannesburg has been home for the past 16 years. Home in Cameroon has this beautiful mountain called the mount Cameroon. It is one of the highest in African. Jozi is Jozi, life is fast and enjoyable. I love being informed so cradle of humankind is something to visit while in Jozi. The apartheid museum is another place to visit. I am an interesting guy who love politics, sports and relaxing with family. I have a bachelors degree in Accounting and a postgraduate in financial management. I have worked in both corporate and tertiary educational. Currently doing consultancy and training.
Looking forward to this experience with each and everyone of you.

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(only my fiancé is missing from the photo)

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Hello,

My name is Jonathan Stephen. I have moved around the country quite a bit over the past 12 years or so. I grew up in Pietermaritzburg, I studied Medicine at the University of Pretoria (graduated in 2016), I did my internship in East London between 2017 and 2018 (Frere and Cecilia Makiwane Hospitals), I then did my community service year in 2019 in the Emergency Center at Khayelitsha district hospital here in Cape Town. I currently live, and have more or less settled, northern suburbs side of Cape Town with my Fiancé and my two cats.

I am the 3rd of 4 brothers, I am quite introverted, languages are not my strongest suit, and I like a lot of things that interest me (which can be quite random)… I really enjoy gardening and making things (when I have the time and physical space).

I currently work as a medical officer (“semi-permanent locum”) in the emergency center at Khayelitsha District Hospital. I have worked in this department for the past 3 years. I can say it is a demanding place to work mainly because of alcohol related violence and systems difficulties. However, the variety of work, being able to work in teams and working with foreign elective doctors adds to the nice parts of the job. In terms of medicine – my interest lies in improving clinical practice in the emergency center setting by focusing on clinical and non-clinical support of clinical staff (ground level) – try to make clinical staff lives easier so they can do more better, and to reduce burn out.

I am enrolled in 3 non-degree purpose modules this year, with the hope of entering the MPH health systems track next year.

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Hi everyone!

My name is Sanet Tintinger. I am an Occupational Therapist with a passion for rehabilitation in the community, especially with adult patients. I completed my undergraduate degree at UCT and have now moved here again from Pretoria (where my family lives) to complete the Health Economics track of the MPH.

I enjoy hiking, running, sewing and swimming, which makes this city a perfect fit. I have a cat who is extremely naughty and loves to type with me on the computer (so, if there are ever any typos, we'll just blame her).

I am looking forward to this course to expand my understanding of the health system and to learn from everyone here!

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Hello Everyone
My name is Banyana Sekwati and I'm from Botswana , the world largest producer of diamond in terms of value. And the country has lovely ,welcoming people who value peace. I am the third child in a family of 5 , and I'm quite the introvert.

I graduated from the University of Botswana with a Bachelor of Arts in Social Sciences with a focus in Economics and Demography. I currently work as a Research Officer for the Ministry of Health in Botswana , where I review undergraduate research proposals and facilitate training courses in Health Research Ethics and Review Process.

I'm excited to start the semester and learn from all of you.

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So...daughter and I started a banter group... two years later... its just the two of us :) 

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Hello. My name is Edries and home is located in Kuilsriver, Cape Town. We have a farm situated across the road and we try our utmost best to assimilate best we can... the farmer has cattle and engaged in commercial olericulture... so we compete by planting a few trees bearing figs and granadillas, adopted a rabbit, hamster, four lovebirds and plenty of fish - all which my eight year old daughter calls her own - I get to be the zookeeper - so blessed I am ..LoL.
Graduated at Univ. Western Cape back in 2000 and a practicing pharmacists since then - involved in management of hospital pharmacies for the past eleven years as the group head. Obtained a MBA at Univ. Stellenbosch back in 2011 and working towards obtaining the MPH in Health Econ with the objective of developing a well rounded skillset.

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My name is Zanele Nhlabatsi, I come from Eswatini. I am a researcher, I love everything that is evidence based research.
It is an absolute monarch country that is landlocked by South Africa and Mozambique. It is a very mountainous country with beautiful vegetation. We have umhlanga reed dance brings together the unmarried girls and young women of the country to cut reeds for the annual repairs to the windbreaks of the queen mother's village. I have a passion for Public health research and Biostatistics. My background is Chemistry and I hold a PhD in Chemistry (hold a degree, honors, Masters & PhD) but have found a new passion for public health, recently completed a DPH in Epidemiology and Biostatistics. I have spent quite a number of years in school but I still would love to learn more and believe that UCT is the best institution to provide the best Public health program for me.

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Hi Everyone.
My name is Samkelisiwe, I am originally from Johannesburg. A small suburb in the south of Johannesburg called Elandspark. My best memory of growing up in this place was the sense of family it created and the beauty of knowing your neighbours. One of my favourite places is an Eco Estate where I had my 21st birthday called Thaba Eco Estate. Its probably one of the few places where you can escape into nature around Johannesburg for meditating, unfortunately there aren't that many in the city of lights.

I am a young woman with a passion for other women and children. I trained as a medical doctor at UCT and graduated in 2015. I went to back to Jhb for work as an intern and comm Serve, during my MO time I found myself called back to the beauty of Cape Town. I did my Masters in Child Health at WITS while in Jhb and found myslef more interested in paediatric research fields. I worked for two years at a research NGO focused on paediatric HIV and transitioned in 2020 to working on a paediatric TB clinical studies at a different organisation. I am incredibly passionate about mentorship and spend a lot of my time giving back to other young women from previously disadvantaged backgrounds with a keen interest in the health sciences.
I look forward to growing in knowledge and passion of paediatric public health and systems.

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Hello everyone! Hope you are all doing well. Excited to see everyone face-to-face! I live in Cape Town. My absolute favourite part about the city is Camps Bay beach. It's a great place to destress, think and enjoy the company of family and friends. The sound of the ocean and view of the mountain is perfect after a stressful week. There's also great restaurants and ice-cream stops nearby.  A must see when you're in Cape Town!

I am an open-minded individual who loves being surrounded by people with various personalities and opinions. I enjoy painting and poetry.

During my undergraduate degree I majored in human physiology and anatomy. My interest in anatomy, specifically bones, lead me to volunteer as an osteology lab assistant.

I obtained my honours in Medical Physiology at Stellenbosch University last year. My research focussed on the cardiovascular risk in people living with HIV/AIDS. The work I did last year drove me to choose a master's degree in Epidemiology. Looking forward to a fruitful experience in public health!

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Commandante Lwazi Lushaba is my name. A black person in a world made white. That is why I am a revolutionary intellectual. I greet you all most warmly.

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Hi :)

I am originally from Durban but found myself accidentally calling Vietnam home when I travelled there to volunteer in February 2020 - for what was supposed to be a couple months but turned into 1.5 years when this thing called "COVID" saw borders close with no repatriation flights back to SA.

I knew nobody in the country but, in time, met the most amazing group of souls from all over the world. In this picture, I was on a motorcycle trip through the north with friends from Vietnam, US, Ireland and the UK. A lesson learned was that home for me is community, no matter where that may take form. I have been back in SA for some months and am loving my new community taking shape in Cape Town, too.

My background was originally in law, where I worked mostly in human rights, media litigation, and pro bono. I then did a short stint in education before taking a detour to working in finance and international investment banking while I studied further in Psychology. This combination is somewhat eclectic but I am hoping that this master's ties together my interests in human rights and mental health promotion, possibly in the area of health finance but this is TBD.

I would describe myself as curious and a lover of learning.

Looking forward to meet you all in person soon!

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Hey all! I am Courteney. My hometown is Cape town - one of the most beautiful cities in the world. There is so much to explore, even for myself!

My friends would describe me as friendly, funny, kind and smart.  My favourite things are  rock music, coffee and the outdoors. I have two younger sisters who keep me on my toes and a dog who literally keeps me sane.

I obtained both a Bachelors degree in science and medical science honours from UCT. I am currently a full time MPH student in Epidemiology. My Honours research focused on breast cancer where I worked with the Director and Head of UCTs Clinical Research Centre. I also do volunteer work and I am currently on the health promotion subcommittee of SHAWCO.

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Hi everyone. I'm Chanté Crossney - introvert, creative and mom to a 2 year old tortoise. Cape Town has always been home, specifically the Northern Suburbs. In the image above, I'm standing in front of the lake on the Zevenwacht Wine Estate. It's situated on the Stellenbosch Wine Route and is right up the road from where I live. I love waking up to the smell of compost from the nearby vegetable farm, seeing the piglets along Polkadraai road, hearing the croaking of frogs in the wetland down the road, having a view of the grapevine-clad hills and yet being a few meters away from suburban conveniences. Living amongst this community's lovely, unique 'mengel moes' (melting pot) of peoples has shaped me and my interests. I've been a student most of my life and Social Anthropology is my academic home. This is my second and final year in the MPH, SBS track. I'm very much still finding my feet in this field and as a professional, so I look forward to learning from you all!

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Hallo everyone. My name is Josephine Comfort Mukwendi. I hail from the beautiful town of Harare, Zimbabwe (the city that never sleeps). Zimbabwe is full nice and welcoming people. I have been living and working in Cape Town for the past 12 years (I don’t know if that will qualify me as a Capetonian 😊). I am a Regional Programmes Specialist for an organization called Sonke Gender Justice. My role is to provide GBV, SRHR and HIV technical support to 22 African countries. I am a human rights advocate who is dedicated to advancing women's rights, gender equality, and advocating for an African continent where human dignity and equality for all are recognized and respected; a continent where everyone can reach their full potential.

I’m a mom and used to be an extrovert but after childbirth, I think I’m now an introvert 😊. I am also a dog mum to Mr Black and Mrs. Brown 😊On Sundays, I love going to church. I graduated with an MPhil in HIV and AIDS Management from Stellenbosch University

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Hi everyone, my name is Hannah. I'm a mom of over-adventurous one year old and a doctor from Cape Town, currently specializing in Public Health at UCT. It's my 3rd year as a registrar, but because of COVID I still feel like I only just started. Before starting public health, I worked as a clinician in the Eastern Cape, Germany and Tanzania, before moving back to Cape Town and working at Groote Schuur and Mitchells Plain Hospitals. I've spent the last two years deep in a COVID epi and surveillance hole, but am relieved to be doing something a little different now, as my rotation for this year is in Metro Health Services. So looking forward stepping out of my comfort zone a bit and getting a broader perspective in this course.

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Hi Everyone! I'm Eunice, born and raised in the beautiful city of Cape Town. Favorite locations are always by the beach (preferably GordonsBay) or in the mountains.

I started my career working for our family business but later ventured out into health research through projects at the SAMRC. I'm a second-year MPH SBS track student and have a BCom Law and Honours degree from UWC. Currently working for the Health Foundation. My focus areas are the implementation of Health Information Systems and systems/workflow improvements at the primary healthcare level.

Fun Fact: I use to be a funeral director for the family business but decided my skills are better used to serve the living.

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Hi all! My name is Elizabeth Choi. I'm South Korean by ethnicity, but I call Toronto, Canada my home from immigrating at the age of 4. I've grown true appreciation in being brought up in such a diverse and multicultural environment that Toronto offers, and I believe that's one of the points that keep the city so vibrant and exciting!

I've always heard I am an extroverted introvert. I know I can be quite shy, but I love the nervous excitement of getting to know new people. I hope whatever personal stressors come my way, I can use it to grow into finding out about myself a little bit more!

I have done my honours undergrad here in Toronto, Canada with a double major in International Studies & Environmental and Health Studies. I've also done an internship at a conservational ngo that has led me towards this path of pursuing an MPH. I'm currently under the Environmental Health track as a full time student hoping to learn more about the in-betweens of people and the environment!

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Hi Everyone. My name is Raylene Rozita Titus. Im from Cape Town, South Africa. We have one of the best and most beautiful places (provinces) in the world. Im full of adventure and still exploring our province and beautiful landscape. In the picture - Im on the left - exploring the most Southern Tip of Africa.

I love people, adventure and can see the funny in everything ;) at the same time I can be deep, reflective and intellectual.

I have two dogs Maya (huskey) and Buddy (Jack Russel) and they are keeping me busy. I have a couple of good friends and love red wine and sunset scenes.

Im currently completing my second Masters programme ( crazy right 😁 ) but loving the work Im currently doing. I work in adolescent health research and would love to be a skilled quantitative data analyst as much as i enjoy being a quals data analyst.
Im looking forward to this course understanding health systems and the challenges that impair our current health public system. Looking forward to engage with you all in this course and others.