The standard, quality and the expertise of the University of Johannesburg (UJ)’s academics has, once again, been highlighted with two female academics named as finalists for the 2014 Women in Science Awards by the Department of Science and Technology.
The Women in Science Awards recognise outstanding contributions of women scientists and researchers in science and technology education, training and employment in South Africa.
The University’s finalists are:
Distinguished Women – Humanities and Social Sciences
• Leila Patel – Professor, Director of the Centre for Social Development in Africa
Prof Leila Patel is currently the director of Centre for Social Development in Africa, which is a University of Johannesburg centre that is dedicated to basic, applied and strategic research in social development and developmental welfare. The Centre celebrates its ten-year anniversary this year.
Prof Patel is a former Professor of Social Development Studies at UJ. She was previously head of the Department of Social Work at the aforementioned University, the director-general of the national Department of Social Welfare and deputy vice-chancellor and vice-principal of the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg.
Prof Patel played a leading role in the development of South Africa’s welfare policy after apartheid. She was the editor of the Social Worker Practitioner-Researcher until October 2009. In 2013 she was the Helen Harris Perlman Visiting Professor of International Social Welfare at the University of Chicago’s School of Social Service Administration.
Prof Patel’s publications include a book titled Social Welfare and Social Development in South Africa (Oxford University Press Southern Africa, 2005); chapters in books, journal articles and research reports. Her research interests are social welfare, social work, social policy, gender, social protection and social development.
PhD – University of the Witwatersrand
MSW – West Michigan University
BA (social work) – University of the Western Cape
• Marie Poggenpoel – Professor, Department of Nursing
Prof Marie Poggenpoel is currently the coordinator of the lectured Master’s in Psychiatric Nursing and supervising M and D students. She is also currently the chairperson of the Nursing Science Committee as well as the chairperson of the Research Ethics Committee of the Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Johannesburg. Professor Poggenpoel also serves on the Human Subjects Research Ethics Committee of the Faculty of Health Sciences of the University of the Witwatersrand. She is a Fellow of the Academy of Nursing (ANSA) since its inception in 2011. She became a Board member of ANSA in 2012. Prof Poggenpoel is the editor-in-chief for HealthSA Gesondheid and serves on the editorial boards of Education and Change, Qualitative Health Research and Clinical Nursing Science.
For the past ten years her focus in research has been on “Aggression in the South African Society”. Initially the research focus has been “Aggression in Secondary Schools” and then the research extended to aggression in the workplace and aggression in families. She has been a NRF rated Scientist since 2002 and was rerated as a C2 Scientist from 2013-2018. Her research has been funded by the NRF and has led to dissemination of the research results in peer reviewed articles, research papers and media reports.
Prof Poggenpoel has authored more than 150 peer reviewed articles, 2 books and 6 chapters in books. She has delivered more than 200 research based papers nationally and internationally. Her mission is to participate in facilitating the development of well-rounded scientists for Southern Africa. She has supervised and completed more than 160 Masters’ students and more than 110 Doctoral candidates. She also mentors novice researchers in developing as scientists and scholars. Prof Poggenpoel has received several awards for exceptional national and international contribution to Nursing.
PhD – (PU for CHE) now North West University
MSocSc – University of the Free State
BArtetSci – (PU for CHE) now North West University
The winners of the 2014 Women in Science Awards will be announced by the Minister of Science and Technology on Friday, 15 August 2014.
