10th Year Anniversary Photo Book

Christian Chinyere Ezeala
(Mulungushi University
School of Medicine,
Zambia)
SAFRI marked my initiation
into a new profession
in medical and health
sciences. What I learned
varied from effectiveness
in teaching, assessment,
leadership, teamwork,
educational scholarship, to project management. To
me the greatest impact was not what was taught, but
how it was taught. SAFRI changed my perspective
about teaching and learning. Now, to me teaching is
a hobby. Today, I teach with passion, I mentor with
affection.
SAFRI set me on the stage for professional
development and unending opportunities. Since
SAFRI, I have worked as academic in four different
universities in Africa and outside Africa. I am today
a full professor. I have advanced my education,
moving on to get two earned doctorate degrees, PhD
in Pharmacology (2010), and DLitt et Phil in Health
Studies (Scholarship of teaching and learning)
(2017).
Frank Peters (Faculty of
Health Sciences, University
of Pretoria, South Africa)
What a difference happened
with me since 2008! From
a novice educator to a
supervisor on post grad
research studies and
running a serious post grad
programme. From a “Jump
the Gun” extrovert doctor
nearly “drowning my fellow SAFRIans in the river”
to a more innovative medical educator presenting
several papers in different countries and nationally.
I have also published 2 papers as a result of my
SAFRI involvement. With our 2nd SAFRI session,
my colleagues already had their protocols, but I
was still stuck at the aim; not to say anything about
objectives. In the end, however, my project took me
to AMEE, SAAHE and Sudan where I’ve presented
my work. perspective about teaching and learning.
Now, to me teaching is a hobby. Today, I teach with
passion, I mentor with affection.
I was working as a Medical specialist in a district
hospital during SAFRI, then I was promoted as a
Principal Specialist the next year after SAFRI and
started to develop a satellite for Post-Graduate
training, with the University of Pretoria, in a regional
hospital. After HPCSA accreditation in 2012 the
hospital became a Tertiary Post-Graduate Training
Hospital.
Different domains have already had registrars that
completed their training as specialists during the
past 6 years at our satellite platform.
I am also very humbled to announce that I was
promoted to an Adjunct Professor as from January
2018. To be a fellow of SAFRI was a very blessed
10 years!
Veena Singaram (School
of Clinical Medicine,
University of KwaZulu-
Natal, South Africa)
My chapter in SAFRI helped
strengthen and stimulate my
ability to create a teaching
and learning process that
promoted my growth into an
independent researcher. This
was an important enabling
factor in my Doctoral journey in Medical Education
and even now as a Doctoral supervisor.
It was dauntingly refreshing to be exposed to the
pedagogical theory and research on teaching and
learning and their application in health professions
education. Assimilating this into current practice was
facilitated by the wonderful meaningful interactions
with my fellows, SAFRI facilitators and experts.
One of the key ideas that was nourished during my
SAFRI journey was related to collaborative learning
in Problem Based Tutorials. Being exposed to the
importance of the validity and reliability of the use
of instruments, in our multicultural diverse learning
environments, stimulated the development of a
Tutorial Group Effectiveness Instrument (TGEI). To
date this instrument has been validated and adopted
for use in different settings. It is also currently being
translated to an Indonesian language.