UKZN alumnus a contributing author in AFREHealth book
UKZN Medical alumnus Dr Mxolisi Xulu is a contributing writer in a book titled: Transforming the Medical/Nursing Education Partnership Initiative into the African Forum for Research and Education in Health.
Following his participation in the Global Educational Exchange in Medicine and Health Professions (GEMx) in Zambia, Xulu was selected as a GEMx alumnus to represent South Africa in the African Forum for Research and Education in Health (AFREhealth) book.
"I am so excited to be featured in the book," said Xulu. "I represent the University of KwaZulu-Natal and other South African universities participating in GEMx programmes. GEMx has played an important role in exposing me to different opportunities and I’m thankful for the learning opportunity that provided me with a great African medicine perspective."
The book was inspired by the successful development of AFREhealth, a Pan-African institution, inaugurated in 2016 and intended to scale up the gains and innovations realised by the Medical and Nursing Education Partnership Initiatives (MEPI/NEPI) in Africa.
The book consists of nine chapters, the last of which is dedicated to African students, giving them a space to share their voices. As a contributing author, Xulu wrote four pages that focused on the contribution of GEMx clinical electives towards his education and future career, suggestions to enable AFREhealth to reach more students and the specific steps that will enable a new system in the foreseeable future to improve formation, structure, organisation and advancement in health professions’ education, research and capacity building, for all-around improved patient outcomes in Africa.
Xulu (23), who grew up in Nongoma in northern KwaZulu-Natal, currently serves as an intern at the Nelson Mandela Academic Hospital in the Eastern Cape and is also a mentor for Tutors at Excel@Uni.
Words: Mandisa Shozi