Tag: Equality

This week on Womanity-Women in Unity, Dr. Amaleya Goneos-Malka talks to Dr. Nika Vafaei, who is a Maxillofacial and Oral Surgeon in private practice and previously served in the public sector. Dr Vafaei shares the differences between the types of conditions she treats in the private sector compared to her experience in the public sector, noting that cases in the public sector tended to be dominated by pathology (i.e tumours) and trauma as a result of assaults (such as broken jaws and broken noses), whereas wisdom tooth extraction and placing implants were more common in private practice. We discuss the low ratio of maxillofacial surgeons to the general population and the uneven distribution of these specialists, particularly in rural communities. Lack of access to specialists has significant implications on individuals’ wellbeing, often conditions become complicate to treat because patients have delayed seeking help.  Dr Vafaei describes a memorable case where she was able to restore mobility to a young girl’s jaws after 13 years of not being able to open her mouth properly. According to the American College of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons only 8% of oral and maxillofacial surgeons are female; unfortunately this is a global trend. Dr Vafaei highlights some of the challenges of pursuing a specialisation, such as the intensity of working, studying and conducting research simultaneously. The demands during this phase can be difficult for women who have or plan to have children if they don’t have adequate support structures to help them. Dr Vafaei emphasises the benefits of having role models and mentors to provide a lived experience that shows how they attain professional goals and positive behaviours to emulate. In closing, Dr Vafaei encourages us to understand our purpose and what motivates us to do the things we want them to; and to combine these drivers into our vocations to lead fulfilling lives.   Tune in for more…

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June 22, 2024

Dr. Nika Vafaei – Maxillofacial and Oral Surgeon: Patience, Purpose and People

This week on Womanity-Women in Unity, Dr. Amaleya Goneos-Malka talks to Dr. Nika Vafaei, who is a Maxillofacial and Oral Surgeon in private practice and previously served in the public sector. Dr Vafaei shares the differ...

This week on Womanity-Women in Unity, Dr. Amaleya Goneos-Malka talks to Dr. Bethany Foster, who is a Professor of Paediatrics, Chair of the Department of Paediatrics at McGill University and Paediatrician-in-Chief at the McGill University Health Centre. She also serves as acting Division Director of Paediatric Nephrology. Additionally, she is Chair of The Transplantation Society’s Women in Transplantation Initiative. She shares some of the factors that contributed to choosing paediatrics and nephrology, such as how kidney disease affects the person as a whole. Her research interests extend to studying immunosuppressive medication adherence, graft outcomes in adolescent and young adult kidney transplant recipients, who tend to be at particularly high risk of graft loss. Additionally, her research addresses recipient and donor sex difference in graft outcomes. She shares that male tissues have a specific protein that is not present on female tissues, which may trigger an immune response against the graft. Prof. Foster is chair of The Transplantation Society’s Women in Transplantation Initiative (WIT), which aims “to advance and inspire women transplant professionals and champion issues of sex and gender in transplantation”. She notes that men still outcome women in transplant medicine and views WIT as an initiative to encourage more women to pursue the field. We discuss the value of mentorship and sponsorship to support women, and emphasis that women need to step up and put themselves forward for leadership roles, thus becoming role models for the women coming up behind them. In closing Prof. Foster encourages women to believe themselves, be open to constructive feedback, and continue to improve.  In your career, as you develop into a self-assured individual, people should accept you as you are, and if you demand it and give them no choice they might just follow your lead. Tune in for more

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June 13, 2024

Professor Bethany Foster – Paediatrician-in-Chief at the McGill University – Reflect Intent

This week on Womanity-Women in Unity, Dr. Amaleya Goneos-Malka talks to Dr. Bethany Foster, who is a Professor of Paediatrics, Chair of the Department of Paediatrics at McGill University and Paediatrician-in-Chief at the...

This week on Womanity-Women in Unity Dr. Amaleya Goneos-Malka talks to award winning South African actress Shannon Esra. Her first professional acting role was playing Siri in the feature film I Dreamed of Africa, with Kim Basinger, which cemented her desire to pursue acting professionally. Some of her television work has included Lioness, Isidingo, The Queen and Hard Copy.  Theatre wise she has just wrapped up performing a one-woman play, My Left Breast, written by Obie Award winner Susan Miller. Storytelling, identity, human understanding and connecting with people are some of the interests that Shannon channels into her passion for acting. She views the characters she plays, as one would see their children, there are no favourites! Inhabiting these different identities offer channels for self-discovery. We discuss Shannon’s most recent portrayal in My Left Breast, a solo performance, where she engages the audience exploring a range of emotional realms experienced by Susan Miller as a woman, mother, partner and professional during her journey with breast cancer. Shannon shares some advice for aspiring actors, imploring them to introspect about their motivations for the profession and evaluate their talent. She highlights some hard truths, such as the fact that in acting you tend to have more down time than work time and that sometimes self-doubt can creep in. She raises the fact that some people define themselves by the work we do, and when we don’t work, we tend to lose our sense of self. Women, in particular nurturers, tend to focus on others at the expense of neglecting themselves. Shannon reminds us to think about our own identities and our own personal values, because the way that we value ourselves tells other people how valuable we are.  

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May 17, 2024

Award Winning South African Actress Shannon Esra – Building Value

This week on Womanity-Women in Unity Dr. Amaleya Goneos-Malka talks to award winning South African actress Shannon Esra. Her first professional acting role was playing Siri in the feature film I Dreamed of Africa, with K...

This week on Womanity-Women in Unity, Dr. Amaleya Goneos-Malka talks to the Ambassador of Mexico Sara Valdés Bolaño. She is accredited to twelve countries in Southern Africa. Prior to this appointment she was Ambassador to Vietnam. Some of her previous roles include director general for Africa and the Middle East at the Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs, director of the Mexican Cultural Institute in Paris, DCM at the Embassy to Ireland and political counsellor at the Mexican Mission to the European Union. We discuss trade exchanges between Mexico and South Africa, noting the establishment of integrated global value and supply chains between the two countries that create opportunities for international trade in the global south. Ambassador Valdés introduces us to the MIKTA alliance between Mexico, Indonesia, Korea, Turkey and Australia. One of the initiatives of this grouping of countries is to build capacity to empower women economically. We discuss micro-financing as an important solution, noting that fintech and new technologies have enabled new ways of doing business as well as financing. In 2020 Mexico adopted a feminist foreign policy, which amongst other elements strongly advocates for gender equality. Mexico has been a forerunner in the feminism movement, with notable efforts in the 1970s. Ambassador Valdés remarks that gender based violence is a major challenge to women world-wide and impedes their human rights. She draws our attention to two Mexican women that have made significant contributions in addressing GBV. Anthropologist Dr Marcela Lagarde who identified the concept of femicide in Latin America; and activist Olimpia Coral Melo, who succeeded to have legislation passed to punish people that perpetuate digital violence and abuse. In closing, Ambassador Valdés reminds us that human rights are not a pie, it is not a case that if somebody gets a larger piece of the pie that they are taking it away from someone else. Human rights benefit all humankind. Tune in for more.

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May 10, 2024

Ambassador of Mexico – Sara Valdés Bolaño discussing international relations, gender equality, women empowerment…

This week on Womanity-Women in Unity, Dr. Amaleya Goneos-Malka talks to the Ambassador of Mexico Sara Valdés Bolaño. She is accredited to twelve countries in Southern Africa. Prior to this appointment she was Ambassado...

This week on Womanity-Women in Unity, Dr. Amaleya Goneos-Malka talks to Dr Therese Fish , who is the Vice Dean of Clinical Services and Social Impact in the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences at Stellenbosch University. Dr Fish reflects on some highlights from her career, in effect coming full circle, from training as a medical doctor herself to now being responsible for teaching upcoming generations of healthcare professionals.  She shares key aspects of her role, emphasising the development of partnerships between universities and the public health sector to strengthen social impact. By straddling the intersection between health and higher education and engaging different communities the university ensures it is of service to society. Approximately 45% of the South African population lives in rural areas. It is therefore important that students are familiar with working in remote spaces and resource-constrained environments. Through successful partnerships in the Western and Northern Cape numerous training sites have been established in rural areas to accommodate students. By immersing students into these communities, they are able to attain a strong understanding of how people live in rural areas and potential impediments to treatment. Reflecting on her leadership role, Dr Fish encourages diversity of thought and work practices in the environment. She notes that sometimes the same behaviours exhibited by men and women are interpreted differently by audiences because of gender biases, i.e. a male leader may be seen as assertive whereas a female leader is perceived to be aggressive. We discuss the importance of ensuring that women thrive, and this necessitates understanding the complexities of various societal roles women play and cultural demands placed on them. We consider the idea of changing systems to enable women to fulfil their professional and family roles. Dr Fish also advocates for leading beyond authority, a concept where everyone can lead in their own space irrespective of the position they hold. In closing, Dr Fish reminds us that to succeed we cannot do things alone, we need to find our clan and nurture relationships. As someone who has actively driven institutional transformation, she states that you can change systems from within, by being present and being the change you want to see. Tune in for more…

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May 2, 2024

Dr Therese Fish – Vice Dean of Clinical Services and Social Impact: Stellenbosch University – Delivering Partnerships

This week on Womanity-Women in Unity, Dr. Amaleya Goneos-Malka talks to Dr Therese Fish , who is the Vice Dean of Clinical Services and Social Impact in the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences at Stellenbosch Univers...

This week on Womanity-Women in Unity, Dr. Amaleya Goneos-Malka talks to Prof. Kathryn Chu, who is a Professor of Global Surgery and is the Director of the Centre of Global Surgery at the University of Stellenbosch. Prof. Chu specialises in colorectal procedures and is a general surgeon. Her academic journey began at Stanford University, where she earned her undergraduate degree. Following this, she pursued her medical degree and underwent residency training in general surgery at the University of California- San Francisco. She obtained a Master's degree in Public Health and Developing Countries from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. She currently holds positions as an adjunct professor at the University of Botswana's Department of Surgery, serves as a Board member of the Consortium of Universities for Global Health, and leads as the inaugural director of the Centre of Global Surgery. The need for surgery is time sensitive. Unfortunately, many people around the world don’t have access to surgical care when they need it. According to a 2015 report from the Lancet Commission for Global Surgery two thirds of the global population i.e. five billion people don’t have access to safe, affordable surgical care and the majority lived in low- and middle- income countries. Global surgery concerns developing health systems so that people can receive surgical care when they need it. Prof. Chu discusses some interventions to make health systems more equitable, specifically surgical access. These include policy reform, developing co-ordinated surgical plans, establishing more facilities, increasing the number of qualified personnel, upskilling people to perform specific procedures, integrating with indigenous health care practitioners. A few of Prof. Chu’s former roles include working with the health and humanitarian organisation, Medicins Sans Frontieres (Doctors without borders), who are renowned for operating in disaster and conflict zones. She also spent two years training surgeons in Rwanda, helping to rebuild their surgical training process. Through these experiences she recognised how useful surgeons are in under resourced regions. Prof. Chu has a passion for her field and highly recommends medicine for anyone that feels a calling. She shares the responsibility and privilege that doctors experience in caring for people, who are sometimes at their worst and being a critical part of people’s lives. She also encourages women to retain their femininity; empathy and care makes people better doctors and surgeons. Tune in for more.

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April 19, 2024

Prof Kathryn Chu – Director Of The Centre Of Global Surgery – University Of Stellenbosch: Equitable Access To Surgery

This week on Womanity-Women in Unity, Dr. Amaleya Goneos-Malka talks to Prof. Kathryn Chu, who is a Professor of Global Surgery and is the Director of the Centre of Global Surgery at the University of Stellenbosch. Pr...

This week on Womanity-Women in Unity, Dr. Amaleya Goneos-Malka talks to Dr Marí Thiart who is a Paediatric Orthopaedic Surgeon based at Stellenbosch University and Tygerberg Hospital in Cape Town, South Africa. She is President of the International Orthopaedic Diversity Alliance (IODA) and founder of the South African Female Orthopaedic Surgeons' Society (SAFOSS) In South Africa only 5% of orthopaedic surgeons are female; unfortunately this is a global trend. One of Dr Thiart’s objectives is to promote diversity and inclusivity in the field.  These ideals are advocated by IODA and SAFOSS. Industry partners are also helping to evolve the discipline by making tools and instruments more women friendly to accommodate their physiology. Dr Thiart shares some of her passion for pursuing orthopaedics as a specialisation, noting that in this discipline she aims to treat and cure patients rather than manage a condition. She has a special interest in treating children, addressing conditions like bone and joint infections, cerebral palsy and limb reconstruction. She describes how rewarding it is to see children transition into better versions of themselves after treatment. Dr Thiart closes the discussion with a few words of wisdom that encourages women to believe in their natural talents and develop them and to look for allies to help open doors to opportunities to help you reach your goals. Tune in for more…

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April 5, 2024

Dr Marí Thiart – Paediatric Orthopaedic Surgeon – Stellenbosch University: Diversity and Inclusion

This week on Womanity-Women in Unity, Dr. Amaleya Goneos-Malka talks to Dr Marí Thiart who is a Paediatric Orthopaedic Surgeon based at Stellenbosch University and Tygerberg Hospital in Cape Town, South Africa. She is P...

This week on Womanity-Women in Unity, Dr. Amaleya Goneos-Malka talks to Prof Eunice Mphako-Banda from the School of Mathematics at the University of Witwatersrand. Mathematics is instrumental to science, technology, engineering and mathematics careers. According to the Pew Research Centre, jobs in STEM occupations have grown by 79% since 1990. STEM jobs are projected to grow at a higher rate than non-STEM subjects and have higher earning potential.  Despite these statistics, women make up approximately a third of the STEM workforce, demonstrating that the STEM landscape is still male biased. Prof Mphako-Banda shares her journey into the mathematics discipline. Starting in Malawi her first-grade teacher remarked to her father, “Your child is going to be a doctor”. The combination of her aptitude for mathematics and positive support system in her early years nurtured her self-confidence. She considers these factors to be pivotal to overcoming the misconceptions girls face in patriarchal society and gender stereotyping. She strongly advocates for girls to be empowered from an early age to believe in themselves, that they can do anything, and should be exposed to women from different fields to realise what is possible. Furthermore, we are products of our environment; people and place play an instrumental role in shaping who we become. Choose your friends wisely. After graduating from the University of Malawi with a B.Ed. in sciences in 1992, Prof. Mphako-Banda sought to further her studies and applied to institutions in the UK. She hand wrote and posted hundreds of letters and received just as many rejections. Her perseverance paid off with a British Council Scholarship that funded her Postgraduate Diploma and MSc in Mathematics in the UK. Determined to fulfil her dream of being a doctor, after sending 101 applications for her PhD, she received three letters of acceptance and travelled to New Zealand to attain her Ph.D. in Discrete Mathematics from Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand. Travelling and living in different countries is an invaluable learning experience. Today, Prof Mphako-Banda’s research areas include Matroid Theory, Low-Dimension Topology-Knot Theory, Combinatorics, and Graph Theory. She shares an example of how she uses pure mathematics to help design chemical compounds to treat conditions like Alzheimer’s. Prof Mphako-Banda has achieved significant personal goals in her career and aims to encourage and mentor women. She urges women to not compete against one another, but rather work together, celebrate each other, lift one another up and embrace opportunities in STEM. #WomeninMaths Tune in for more…

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March 28, 2024

Prof Eunice Mphako-Banda – School of Mathematics – University of Witwatersrand: Breaking gender stereotypes

This week on Womanity-Women in Unity, Dr. Amaleya Goneos-Malka talks to Prof Eunice Mphako-Banda from the School of Mathematics at the University of Witwatersrand. Mathematics is instrumental to science, technology, e...

his week on Womanity-Women in Unity, Dr. Amaleya Goneos-Malka talks to Professor Tharina Guse, who heads up the Department of Psychology at the University of Pretoria and is a counselling psychologist. Professor Gusa shares some of her motivations for becoming a psychologist from initial plans to pursue journalism, which stemmed from her interest in people, their experiences and stories. Studying psychology was a natural fit to really understand people through human behaviour, human thoughts and human feelings. Her research and teaching focusses on positive psychology and well-being. Positive psychology distinguishing itself from traditional psychology by focusing on strengths, well-being, and resilience, to harness internal and external resources for personal growth as well as overcoming challenges. Positive psychology can help people become the best version of themselves. Considering satisfaction and well-being in the workplace, research has shown that in workplaces where there are attempts or policies in place to promote gender equality, women are happier. They perform better and their well-being is higher. She is one of the lead researchers of the International Hope Barometer Research Programme, which is an annual survey covering 13 countries that measures people's hopes and expectations for the coming year, but also how much their hopes were fulfilled in the prior year. Interestingly, African countries have high levels of hope, which seems to stem from a trust in resources in the community and the people around us as well as faith-based trust. Reflecting on her leadership role, Professor Gusa highlights the significance of creating supportive and collaborative environments, echoing her belief in the power of compassion and understanding. She acknowledges the challenges of balancing work and personal life, emphasizing the importance of setting boundaries, seeking support, and embracing imperfection. Professor Gusa remarks on some of her strong female role models, including her academic mentor and her grandmother, who’s ABBA inspired words instilled in her the belief that "There is something good in everything." In closing, Professor Gusa shares a message of hope, emphasizing its transformative power in navigating life's complexities. Her story serves as a testament to the resilience and strength of women Tune in for  more…

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March 21, 2024

Prof Tarina Gusa – Head of Psychology Department – University of Pretoria: Hope has power

This week on Womanity-Women in Unity, Dr. Amaleya Goneos-Malka talks to Professor Tharina Guse, who heads up the Department of Psychology at the University of Pretoria and is a counselling psychologist. Professor Gusa...

This week on Womanity-Women in Unity, in celebration of International Women’s Day 2024, #InvestinWomen, Dr. Amaleya Goneos-Malka talks to the Ambassador of the European Union Sandra Kramer, the Ambassador of Denmark Elsebeth Søndergaard Krone, the Ambassador of the Republic of Lithuania Rasa Jankauskaite, the Ambassador of Austria Romana Königsbrun, the High Commissioner of Jamaica Joan Thomas Edwards and the High Commissioner of Australia Tegan Brink. The conversation touches on the persistence needed to overcome gender disparities globally. The ambassadors highlight their countries' initiatives towards gender equality and the importance of fostering strong role models for women in leadership positions. They stress the need for continuous efforts from individuals, organizations, and governments to advance gender equality, with legislation being a crucial tool in accelerating progress. The dialogue concludes with messages of empowerment and encouragement for women to lean in, pursue opportunities, and believe in their abilities. Overall, the discussion underscores the ongoing commitment to achieving gender equality worldwide. Happy International Women’s Day. Tune in for more…

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March 16, 2024

International Women’s Day 2024 Views from High Commissioners and Ambassadors

This week on Womanity-Women in Unity, in celebration of International Women’s Day 2024, #InvestinWomen, Dr. Amaleya Goneos-Malka talks to the Ambassador of the European Union Sandra Kramer, the Ambassador of Denmark El...

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