Let's talk about Vaccines...
Three critical engagements will be hosted to provide you with an opportunity to hear the facts about the COVID-19 vaccines, and ask any burning questions you may have.
The Q&A portion of the critical engagement sessions will NOT be recorded, but the beginning “fact-presentation” portion of the engagements will be recorded and uploaded here for your viewing.
The three engagements will cover the following topics:
- What are the Pfizer and J&J vaccines really? Are they truly safe?
- Concerns, fears and reasons for not getting vaccinated.
- Speaker 1: Prof Dorfman, from the Division of Virology
- Speaker 2: Prof Mahomed, from the Western Cape Department of Health
- Date: 17 February 2022, 17:30-18:30, LH 11 and MS Teams
2. Do the benefits outweigh the risks? What are the risks?
- What are the main concerns about short term and long-term risk?
- What are the side effects?
- Speaker 1: Prof Mahomed, from the Western Cape Department of Health
- Speaker 2: Dr Barnabas, who was involved in the ENSEMBLE 1 and 2 and SISONKE clinical trials
- Speaker 3: Dr Veshni Pillay-Fuentes Lorente, from the Division of Clinical Pharmacology
- Confirmed date: 2 March 2022, 17:30-19:00, LH 11 (Tygerberg Campus) and MS Teams
3. Ethical discussion around vaccines and vaccine mandates
- How ethical is a mandate?
- Speaker 1: Prof Moodley, Head of Division for Medical Ethics and Law
- Speaker 2: Dr Nair, Ethicist
- Speaker 3: Dr Obasa, Ethicist
- Confirmed date: 6 April 2022, 17:00-18:30, LH 11 (Tygerberg Campus and MS Teams)
If you would like to submit questions for the Q&A portion of the critical engagements, based on the proposed topics, please use the links below.
Critical Engagement 1
Our Speakers
Prof Jeff Dorfman is an Associate Professor at Stellenbosch University, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Division of Virology.
Prof has worked for 15 years studying infectious diseases and vaccines in eastern and southern Africa. He ran all aspects of the laboratory work for a vaccine clinical trial, including hiring and training staff, quality control, day to day supervision and data analysis. This trial is recently published in Lancet Infectious Diseases.
Prof Hassan Mahomed is a Public Health Medicine Specialist at the Western Cape Department of Health and part of the Department of Global Health at Stellenbosch University, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences.
He has an MMed in Community Health and a PhD in Public Health and has played a key role in co-ordinating the province’s response to the COVID-19 epidemic including the vaccine rollout.
Links to the Presentations (PowerPoints)
Click here to view Prof Dorfman’s presentation.
Click here to view Prof Mahomed’s presentation.
Critical Engagement 2
Our Speakers
Prof Hassan Mahomed is a Public Health Medicine Specialist at the Western Cape Department of Health and part of the Department of Global Health at Stellenbosch University, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences.
He has an MMed in Community Health and a PhD in Public Health and has played a key role in co-ordinating the province’s response to the COVID-19 epidemic including the vaccine rollout.
Dr Barnabas is the Deputy Director at Famcru at Stellenbosch University.
He has a PhD in Immunology from the University of Cape Town and is a Paediatric Infectious Diseases Specialist.
Dr Barnabas was also a clinical researcher at the Desmond Tutu Health Foundation for a period of three years.
Dr Pillay-Fuentes Lorente obtained an MBChB degree at Walter Sisulu University in 2010.
Thereafter, she completed a 2-year internship at King Edward VIII Hospital, Durban and worked as a community service medical officer at the former Gordonia Hosptial, Upington.
Dr Pillay-Fuentes Lorente then worked as a medical officer over a 4 year period in Internal Medicine at Dr Harry Surtie Hospital, Upington before completing a 2 year post-graduate diploma in Medicines Development between 2016 – 2017 with the Division of Clinical Pharmacology at Stellenbosch University.
She obtained a Masters of Medicine in Clinical Pharmacology and completed a 4-year clinical pharmacology training programme before qualifying as a Specialist Clinical Pharmacologist in 2021.
Critical Engagement 3
Our Speakers
Prof Moodley is a Distinguished Professor from the Department of Medical Ethics and Law at Stellenbosch University.
Prof Moodley is also an Adjunct Professor at the Department of Social Medicine at the University of North Carolina and is a Family Physician and Bioethicist by training.
She has expertise in medical ethics, clinical research and research ethics.
Dr Nair is a senior lecturer at Stellenbosch University at the Department of Medical Ethics and Law.
Dr Obasa is a lecturer at Stellenbosch University at the Department of Medical Ethics and Law.
Dr Obasa is a Virologist, Bioethicist and Ethicist by training. He is an infectious diseases expert and completed his Doctorate in Medical Virology.
