Professor’s Star Shines Brighter

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‘This is very exciting, but I also feel humbled to be recognised at such a prestigious level at another university,’ said Professor Shenuka Singh of her appointment as Professor Extraordinary in the Centre for Medical Ethics and Law at Stellenbosch University until 2025.

The position recognises individuals for their proven specialised expertise and/or eminence in their profession and field of study. Recipients participate in the academic programmes of the relevant department. ‘This was unexpected. While I applied for an honorary appointment, I was pleasantly surprised by the outcome,’ said Singh.

She is currently co-supervising a PhD student at the Centre for Medical Ethics and Law and will be facilitating its online course on the ethical, legal and social implications of biobanking, which was the subject of her PhD at Stellenbosch University.

Singh has also developed an online module on scientific misconduct as part of an online course on research integrity offered by the centre.

She co-chairs the African Consortium group, (with Professor Theresa Burgess from the University of Cape Town), which focuses on ethical considerations in data science research. The group comprises researchers and research ethics committee members from various parts of Africa, including Kenya, Eswatini, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Sudan, Zambia, Uganda and Malawi, to name but a few, and is part of the larger REDSSA (Research for Ethical Data Science in sub-Saharan Africa) project led by Professor Keymanthri Moodley, Director of the Centre for Medical Ethics and Law.

Singh is a full professor in the Discipline of Dentistry at UKZN and holds a PhD in Clinical and Research Ethics (Stellenbosch University) and in Dental Public Health from the University of the Western Cape.

She is a member of the National Health Research Ethics Council in South Africa (2020-2023) and chairs its Norms and Standards Committee.

Singh served as Deputy Chair for the Biomedical Research Ethics Committee at UKZN (2020-2022) and is a member of the Human Sciences Research Council’s Research Ethics Committee (2019 to date). She was invited to be part of a World Health Organization joint working group (Regulation and Safety Unit and Health Ethics and Governance Unit) to develop a tool to benchmark research ethics oversight in 2021 and is a member of the Ethics in Dental Research Committee at the International Association of Dental Research.

She is actively involved in research and postgraduate supervision and has presented papers at local and international conferences (including invitations as a keynote speaker).

Singh was a recipient of the 2018 College of Health Sciences Teaching Excellence Award (in the category: Outstanding Contribution to Teaching) and was also awarded a Certificate of Excellence in Teaching in that year.

Dean and Head of the School of Health Sciences, Professor Khathutshelo Percy Mashige congratulated Singh: ‘Keep flying the School’s flag high. We are very proud of your achievement.’

Words: Nombuso Dlamini

Photograph: Supplied