Successful first visit for new MRC Vice President

2 July – The MRC’s new Vice President of Research, Professor Jeffrey Mphahlele, paid a courtesy visit to the MRC/Wits Health Policy Research Group (HPRG) within the Centre for Health Policy, to familiarise himself with the research and the staff on a personal level.

He met the leadership, Professor Laetitia Rispel (Scientific Director) and Associate Professor Jane Goudge (Director) and heard from individual researchers about their work. He was impressed to hear that it was one of the oldest MRC entities, having been established in 1987 to support the development of post-apartheid health policy and a unified health system.

Describing the visit as a success, Prof. Mphahlele said he was proud as MRC management that the work being done impacted policy and added value to the lives of South Africans.

“The research at CHP resonates with the MRC’s mission and vision of building a healthy nation through research, and this can only be done by translating the research,” he said.

Prof. Rispel said she was honoured that he chose to visit the HPRG as the second out of all MRC extramural research entities in Gauteng since his appointment as Vice President in 2014.