Prof Phaswana-Mafuya holds a PhD in Social Work earned from the University of Limpopo (previously the University of the North) and is a research director in the HSRC's SAHA research programme. She is also an Extraordinary Visiting Professor at the University of the Western Cape in the Faculty of Community and Health Sciences (Jan 2006 to Dec 2008).
In the last five years, Dr Phaswana-Mafuya has served as principal investigator for various projects:
- The ageing and health (SAGE) survey involving 6000 households spread across the nine provinces of South Africa (2006 to date);
- The impact of the disability grant on 607 PLWHA (People living with HIV and AIDS) in the seven district municipalities of the Eastern Cape and 38 provincial/local level HIV/AIDS stakeholders funded by the Eastern Cape AIDS Council and Eastern Cape Socio-Economic Consultative Council (2006/2007);
- The management of HIV/AIDS among 14 tertiary institutions in the Eastern Cape funded by ETDP SETA (2003/2004);
- The development, implementation and evaluation of an HIV risk reduction programme in a selected tertiary institution (also funded by ETDP SETA (2003));
- The management of HIV/AIDS among hospitality operations in Buffalo City funded by Border Technikon (2003),(now Walter Sisulu University);
- The development of a marketing plan for sanitation promotion in the Eastern Cape funded by the Water Research Commission (2002/2003).
Dr Phaswana-Mafuya has also served as co-principal investigator for the project on baseline evaluations of primary health care services in the Eastern Cape, the Western Cape, Gauteng, Limpopo and KwaZulu-Natal provinces (2006/2007) funded by the European Union through the National Department of Health and the evaluation of the impact of the National Drug Policy in the Western Cape and Limpopo provinces (2005/2006) funded by DFID. She is currently involved in other projects assuming various roles, including:
- Project director on the project to strengthen PMTCT services in Kouga LSA of the Eastern Cape (current) funded by CDC;
- Co-investigator in the positive prevention for PLWHA which is being conducted in the OR Tambo District of the Eastern Cape (March 2007) also funded by the CDC.
She also has served as consultant for the Eastern Cape Regional Training Centre on the project entitled performance assessment of PMTCT services in the OR Tambo district municipality of the Eastern Cape funded by CDC (2004) and the Eastern Cape TB and the Quality of Life study which is being conducted by the Institute for Socio-Economic Research at Rhodes University (2005/2006) funded by SANPAD.
The evidence of Dr Phaswana-Mafuya's work is reflected in her 30 research articles published in nationally and internationally refereed journals, as well as in several book chapters. She currently serves on the following journal editorial boards:
- Health/Gesondheid (2007 to date);
- Acta Criminologica (2006 to date);
- South African Journal of Economic and Management Sciences (2006 to date);
- African Journal of Physical Health Education, Recreation and Sports (2006 to date).
Dr Phaswana-Mafuya has served as external examiner for masters students at the University of Venda (2005-2007) and Rhodes University (2004- 2007) in the Public Health and Social Development Departments respectively, as book chapter reviewer for JAMA and as proposal reviewer for the National Research Foundation.
Her work has earned her various national and international awards including:
- The middle researcher research excellence award from the HSRC in 2007;
- The NIDA/CPDD/WHO travel award to Canada to present papers at the IUHPE Conference and College on Prevention of Drug Dependence in 2007;
- The national finalist awards for outstanding contributions to Science and Technology in South Africa by the National Science and Technolgy Forum in the years 2006 and 2007 consecutively;
- The Rhodes University Andrew Mellon Foundation Post-Doctoral Fellowship (2005);
- The Social Aspects of HIV/AIDS Research in Africa (SAHARA) writers' workshop and conference Award (2004);
- The University of Maryland Eastern Shore non-presidential Award for groundbreaking research (2004);
- The Abe Bailey Travel Award, to London, Oxford and Cambridge Universities for exceptional leadership qualities in her early career in 1995.
Dr Phaswana-Mafuya is currently rated by the National Research Forum as a young woman black South African scientist with great potential. |
