This week on Womanity-Women in Unity, in our series on women in medicine, Dr. Amaleya Goneos-Malka talks to Prof Vanessa Steenkamp, the Deputy Dean of Teaching & Learning in the Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Pretoria.

Her remit encompasses 43 departments within Dentistry, Health Care Sciences, Health Systems and Public Health, and the School of Medicine. She emphasises that teaching and learning is an evolving process and institutions aim to equip students with skill sets to help future proof them for jobs which don’t yet exist; instilling lifelong learning and embracing technology.

We highlight the fact that there are still low levels of women entering STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) and remark on interventions to build a pipeline from school to university to the workplace.

We also remark on the underrepresentation of women in leadership roles. Steenkamp encourages more women to embrace opportunities to rise to the top, urging women to stand together, support each other, join industry networks and participate in mentoring initiatives.

Tune in for more…