Academy of Science of South Africa
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ASSAf Webinar for New Editors – What it means to be a journal editor
Full text linkMP4 Video, Size: . Duration: 01:54:54ASSAf webinar hosted by the Scholarly Publishing Programme staff for new journal editors on 24 April 2023. Journal editors from a range of disciplines shared their personal experiences of being an editor of a scholarly journal. This webinar is the third in the New Editor Series which aims to provide new editors of South African scholarly journals with the tools to implement publishing best practice and boost their confidence as editors
ASSAf Webinar for New Editors – Tips on Editorial Processes
No full textMP4 Video, Size: . Duration: 01:54:54This webinar was presented on 30 May 2023. It addressed and discussed the following: The editorial process, from submission to publication; Peer-review and different approaches to peer-review; Quality control incl. plagiarism and ethics; Engaging with authors and relationship building; New trends in open access digital publishing, open data and Artificial Intelligence.Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf
The implications of COVID-19 for mental health and substance use
Full text link18 PagesThe COVID-19 pandemic has had both short- and long-term implications for mental health and substance use, especially for groups at risk of new or exacerbated mental health disorders and those facing barriers to accessing care. History has shown that the mental health impact of disasters outlasts the physical impact, suggesting today’s elevated mental health needs will continue well beyond the coronavirus outbreak itself.
The Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf) hosted a Mental Health Symposium aimed at obtaining the perspectives of early career researchers. The theme of the symposium on ‘The Implications of COVID-19 for Mental Health and Substance Use’ sought to increase knowledge and build capacity in mental health research amongst early career researchers.
As policymakers continue to discuss further actions to alleviate the burdens of the COVID-19 pandemic, it will be important to consider how the increased need for mental health and substance use services will likely persist long term, even if new cases and deaths due to the novel coronavirus subside.Janssen Pharmaceutica (Pty) Lt
Quest Volume 19 Number 3
No full textGeneration SPACE: South Africa’s contribution to a new generation of space exploration; SA’s first National Space Conference: Celebrating South Africa’s ‘brilliant’ space future; A celestial journey: From stargazing in Ancient Africa to the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) era; The #AfricaLookup campaign: Protecting our dark skies; Science in (Karoo) silence: Breaking ground on the future of ground-breaking space science; Turning stars into stories: The power of the naked eye to observe celestial objects; Careers focus: Exploring careers in astronomy and space science: Schools competition!; Win a trip to visit the SKA-Mid site in the Karoo; The power of solid-state lasers: A new way of exploring nature; Africa’s big dream: Making our own vaccines: Breaking barriers, blooming strength: Towards women’s health empowerment; NSTF Brilliants Programme winner profile: Matimba Manganyi is ready to join Generation SPACE; Chandrayaan-3: India puts lunar rover on the moon’s south pole - a historic first; Moon base incoming: South Africa joins China’s International Lunar Research Station; Home grown satellites: Dragonfly Aerospace ensures EOS SAT-1 sustainability with Neuraspace partnership.Academy of Science of South Africa: Department of Science and Innovatio
Advancing multisectoral and life-course approaches in mental health research
Full text link10 pagesAlthough there is some evidence of increasing investment, mental health
services are a neglected aspect of healthcare in sub-Saharan Africa.*
However, the COVID-19 pandemic – and control measures associated with it
– has shone the spotlight on mental health challenges and their human,
social and economic costs.
The impact of the pandemic has highlighted the importance of the biopsychosocial model of mental
health, which recognises that mental wellbeing is affected by the interplay between ‘internal’ biological and
psychological factors and ‘external’ social, political, and environmental influences. For the latter, the social
determinants of mental health concept highlights how a wide range of external factors across several
domains have a critical impact on mental wellbeing. Interventions targeting social determinants or structural
factors have the advantage of potentially delivering benefits to large numbers for prolonged periods.
In November 2022, the UK Academy of Medical Sciences and the Academy of Sciences of South Africa
jointly organised a workshop to explore ways to advance multisectoral and life-course approaches in mental
health research in sub-Saharan Africa.
In breakout groups, workshop participants discussed successful examples of mental health research in
sub-Saharan Africa, similarities and differences across countries, and how greater collaboration could
advance multisectoral and life-course approaches to mental health research. These discussions highlighted
a range of key themes:
• Strengthening and diversifying data sources: Participants suggested that, in some settings,
additional data are needed on disease burdens, priority populations and social determinants of mental
health which could be used to support advocacy, target action and guide the development of new
interventions. As well as epidemiological data, long-term longitudinal data could provide insights into
pathways to mental health impact and identify potential points of intervention.
• Developing consistent, locally defined, standardised and appropriate metrics for valued
outcomes: Delegates stressed the importance of consistency in approaches across studies, and use of
contextually validated and standardised measures, to ensure quality and facilitate comparisons and data
pooling. These measures need to be culturally relevant and meaningful to people with lived experience,
capturing broader social and economic outcomes alongside clinical improvement. It is also important
to capture qualitative as well as quantitative inputs through these metrics. To promote a life-course
perspective, measures need to be suitable for use beyond the traditional focus on working-age adults.
• Promoting translational development: The need for additional research across the translational
spectrum was highlighted, including more evaluation of ‘grass-roots’ initiatives, additional confirmatory
and larger-scale studies following promising pilot studies, and implementation/operational research
to accelerate introduction and scale-up of evidence-based policies and interventions. It was argued
that interventions should prioritise integration with existing health system and community platforms,
and adopt people-centred approaches.
• Strengthening partnerships to achieve the above: Participants identified interdisciplinary and
multisectoral collaborations as critical to progress, potentially supported by an integrated conceptual
framework to facilitate cross-sectoral interdisciplinary research programmes and intervention development.
Strengthened collaboration within the region and internationally, through equitable international
partnerships with a commitment to capacity-building, was seen as fundamental. Participants also stressed
the need for a systems-based approach and engagement with all relevant actors, including members
of the public, the informal health sector (such as traditional and faith healers) and the private sector
where appropriate.
• Building relationships with people with lived experience to ensure input at all stages:
Delegates highlighted the critical importance of engaging with people with lived experience, to provide
opportunities for meaningful inputs at all stages of research, including prioritisation of research
questions and co-creation and delivery of interventions.
• Optimising the mental healthcare workforce: Strengthening and building workforce capacity in
mental health were seen as high priorities. Mental health specialists are few in number in the region
and further research on strategies such as task-shifting, and scaling up of proven task-shifting interventions,
could help to address large treatment gaps. Participants also suggested that there is a need to promote
skills development to support greater service and multi-sectoral integration, task shifting, and mental
health awareness across relevant sectors.
• Supporting advocacy to promote the above: Delegates identified the need for the research
community to engage with policymakers to understand their needs and provide evidence-based inputs,
to leverage the mainstream media to translate messages for more general audiences, and to work with
people with lived experience to achieve co-ordinated and more effective advocacy.
By strengthening ties – within Africa and internationally – the mental health research community in the
region will be better placed to share knowledge and experience, develop joint and multicentre studies,
and raise the profile of mental health research among politicians and policymakers. In doing so, they can
help to close the mental health care gap and build a field with the capacity to enhance mental health for all
and at all stages of life.UK Academy of Medical Sciences (AMS); Janssen Pharmaceutica (Pty) Lt
ASSAf Humanities Book Awards Ceremony 2023
Full text linkMP4 video, Size: 5.50 GB; Duration: 1:24:33The Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf) is happy to announce its winners for the Humanities Book Prize Awards for 2023. These awards are made every year to honour the importance and contribution of scholarly texts to humanist knowledge production and intellectual endeavour in South Africa.
Professor Lesley Green is awarded the 2023 ASSAf Humanities Book Award (category ‘Established Researcher’) for her book Rock|Water|Life: Ecology and Humanities for a Decolonial South Africa.
Joint winners of the ASSAf Humanities Book Award in the category of ‘Emerging Researcher’ in 2023 are Dr B Camminga and Dr Dariusz Dziewanski for their books Transgender refugees and the imagined South Africa: Bodies over borders and borders over bodies, and Gang Entry and Exit in Cape Town: Getting Beyond the Streets in Africa’s Deadliest City.
ASSAf awards these prizes bi-annually for scholarly publications that make outstanding and exemplary contributions to scholarship in the Humanities, Social Sciences or the Performing Arts.Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf
ASSAf Humanities Book Award Lecture by Prof Lesley Green
Full text linkMP4 video, Size: 2.05 GB; Duration: 1:46:22The series of lectures serve as a continuation of the award ceremony, providing the award winners with a platform to present their journeys and motivations behind their books, discuss the societal impact of their work, and share the personal influence it has had on their lives. This lecture is aimed at enhancing the recognition of the exceptional scholarly contributions made by Prof Lesley Green who was awarded the 2023 Humanities Book Award prize in the Establisher Researcher Category. The award ceremony took place on the 29th of August 2023.Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf
National Scholarly Book Publishers’ Forum (NSBPF) Conference Proceedings Report
No full textASSAf’s Scholarly Publishing Programme (SPP) hosted its National Scholarly Book Publishers’ Forum (NSBPF) conference on 25 July 2022. Scholarly book publishers present the foundational research that is drawn upon by policymakers, journalists, authors and researchers across the globe. ASSAf’s NSBPF is a representative body of publishers dedicated to the promotion of the scholarly book publishing sector in South Africa. The conference aimed to raise awareness of the contribution made by South Africa’s scholarly publishing sector to its national research mission to promote an understanding of the rigour of its processes, and to create a better understanding of the need for resource allocation to ensure its ongoing survival.Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf
What new editors need to know about journal editorial policies
Full text linkMP4 video, Size: 408 MB; Duration: 02:03:00ASSAf webinar hosted by the Scholarly Publishing Programme staff for new journal editors on 23 August 2023. Journal editors from a range of disciplines shared their advice on the importance of Journal Editorial Policies. This webinar is the fifth in the New Editor Series which aims to provide new editors of South African scholarly journals with the tools to implement publishing best practice and boost their confidence as editors.Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf
Cholera outbreak: What you need to know about the disease, its spread and a potential action plan to fight the nationwide outbreak
Full text linkMP4 video, Size: 746 MB (782 849 130 bytes); Duration: 01:32:37This webinar was presented on 14 August 2023. Safe, high-quality drinking water is an essential aspect of public health. Despite the fact that water is a necessity of human life, about 20% of the world’s population lacks safe drinking water. In South Africa, approximately 3 million people do not have access to potable water supply and 14 million people are deprived of safe sanitation services.
Water quality is an acute problem, especially for developing nations. In these countries, up to 90% of the cities discharge their untreated sewage into rivers and streams. These surface waters in turn may be used for drinking and personal sanitation purposes. The unsanitary water supplies found in many of these densely populated areas foster the spread of gastrointestinal illnesses and serious infectious diseases that contribute greatly to the burden of morbidity and mortality.
On 21 May 2023, the health department in Gauteng declared a cholera outbreak in Hammanskraal, an area about 50 kilometres north of its administrative capital Pretoria, in the City of Tshwane. Cholera is defined as an infectious and often fatal bacterial disease of the small intestine, typically contracted from infected water supplies. Vulnerable groups such as children, the elderly, and immunocompromised patients (e.g., those who are undergoing chemotherapy, taking steroids, or afflicted with HIV/AIDS) are at special risk of diseases caused by water contamination.
This webinar aimed to:
• Inform the public about cholera and the current status of the outbreak.
• To discuss the implications of the outbreak on Sustainable Development Goal 6: Access to Water and Sanitation for all.
• Outline an action plan to fight the nationwide cholera outbreak.Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf