Head of Division: Professor Mohamed Jeebhay MBChB UKZN DOH MPhil (Epi) Cape Town MPH (OccMed) PhD Michigan
The Division of Occupational Medicine is a joint division of the School of Public Health and Family Medicine and the Department of Medicine of the University of Cape Town.
Occupational Medicine is that branch of medicine concerned with the study, diagnosis, treatment and prevention of disease and ill-health attributable to work.
Medical practitioners and patients can find details of our Occupational Medicine Clinic at Groote Schuur Hospital, one of the few referral clinics in the country offering specialist services in the diagnosis and management of occupational disease and hazardous workplace exposures.
Potential students will also find details of our postgraduate programmes. These include the MMed in Occupational Medicine aimed at training medical specialists in the registrable specialty of Occupational Medicine and the Diploma in Occupational Health (DOH), directed at medical graduates wishing to acquire competency in Occupational Health practice at primary care level. The Division also offers research-related degrees including the MPhil and doctoral studies (PhD) in occupational health.
It is a multidisciplinary health sciences speciality, drawing on a number of clinical disciplines, notably pulmonology, dermatology and musculoskeletal medicine, on the sciences of epidemiology and toxicology, and on an understanding of occupational hygiene, law and ethics as applied to workplaces.
The Division of Occupational Medicine is a joint division of the School of Public Health and Family Medicine and the Department of Medicine of the University of Cape Town. The Division has clinical service, training and research functions.
Contact Information:
Division of Occupational Medicine
School of Public Health and Family Medicine
Faculty of Health Sciences
University of Cape Town
OBSERVATORY
7925
South Africa
Administrative Assistant: Ms Faranaaz Bennett
Tel: +27 21 406 6818
Fax:+27 21 406 6459
Email: Faranaaz Bennett
The Division provides contact teaching to 2nd year medical students. This is in the form of two seminars that introduce the concepts of occupational health and risk assessment, with a specific focus on hazards encountered by healthcare workers.
The Division also provides contact teaching on the 4th year medical students’ course “Health in Context” (a combined course teaching Public Health, Primary Health Care, Family Medicine). The occupational health teaching in the “Health in Context” course provides a broad overview of occupational medicine and with a specific focus on making a diagnosis of an occupational disease, as well as an introduction to important occupational health legislation. Seminars on “Occupational Lung disease”, focusing on occupational asthma, silicosis and asbestosis, are delivered to 4th year medical students during their Medicine block.
Registrars are closely involved with supervision of 4th year research projects that are undertaken as part of the Public Health teaching in the “Health in Context” course.
Occupational Health MBChB Year 6 Elective
The Division offers 5th and 6th year medical students both short (2 weeks) and long (4 week) electives, which provide students with the unique opportunity of deepening their clinical and practical experience in occupational health. Each student works under the close supervision of a multidisciplinary team running occupational health services and programme support at Groote Schuur Hospital, City of Cape Town and the Provincial Health Department.
Final year medical student, Luyanda Ngongoma, wrote this Report on her experience while participating in this programme.
The Division offers the Postgraduate Diploma in Occupational Health (DOH) aimed at medical practitioners who are working part-time in the practice of occupational health. This is a legal requirement for appointment as an occupational medical practitioner under South African legislation. It is established to demonstrate that the holder has achieved a level of competence appropriate to the generalist working in occupational health as required by the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA) and the Mine Health and Safety Act (MHSA) of South Africa.
The Division also serves as a unit for the training of occupational medicine specialists through the MMed Occupational Medicine programme. Occupational medicine is a registerable specialty with the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) once the candidate has fulfilled all the requirements and completed the national examinations (FCPHM Occ Med) conducted under the auspices of the Colleges of Medicine of South Africa.
The Division also offers research-related degrees including the MPhil (Occupational Health) and Doctoral degree studies in occupational health.
Head: A/Prof Shahieda Adams, MBChB, MFamMed, DOH MMed (OccMed), FCPHM(SA) (OccMed), PhD
Specialist Consultant: vacant
The Clinic provides comprehensive clinical services to persons suffering or suspected to be suffering from ill-health or disease attributable to occupational exposure. These conditions include respiratory, skin, musculoskeletal and neurological conditions, among others.
Typical exposures bringing patients to the clinic are workplace dusts and fibres, gases and fumes, chemical substances, biological agents or allergenic substances, metals, plastics and oils, ergonomic factors such as high load or repetitive work or postural stress as well as physical agents such as excessive cold and vibration.
The service covers exposure assessment, clinical diagnosis, treatment, management of workplace factors where possible, assistance with workers’ compensation, rehabilitation and incapacity assessment (in collaboration with other specialities). Medical benefit examinations under the Occupational Diseases in Mines and Works Act are provided.
Referrals are welcome from any health professionals in public or private practice, including cross-referrals from other specialities.
Referrals are also welcome from other parties involved in occupational health and safety (e.g. Departments of Labour and Minerals, unions and workplace officials or managers). Such referrals need to be discussed in advance with a member of the clinic, contactable via Reception (see below).
Patients need to arrive with a referral letter plus as much relevant documentation or previous medical reports or x-rays as are available.
Venue: E16, Groote Schuur Hospital (New Main Building), Observatory
Time: Tuesday mornings, 08h00-12h00, by appointment only
Appointments: Email: occmedclinic@uct.ac.za (include referral letter and all relevant documentation)
Tel: 021 404 4369 (Specify “Occupational Medicine”)
Documentation may be sent by:
Email: occmedclinic@uct.ac.za (or)
Fax: 021 404 6390 (Marked clearly for Occupational Medicine)
Specialist Consultant: vacant
This is a joint clinic with the Division of Dermatology at Groote Schuur Hospital. The Clinic provides comprehensive clinical services to persons suffering or suspected to be suffering from skin conditions attributable to occupational exposure.
Typical exposures bringing patients to the clinic are irritant exposures at work (wet work, work with solvents and wearing occlusive gloves) or exposure to common allergens such as preservatives and rubber additives.
The service covers exposure assessment, clinical diagnosis, treatment, management of workplace factors where possible, assistance with workers’ compensation, rehabilitation and incapacity assessment.
Referrals are welcome from any health professionals in public or private practice, including cross-referrals from other specialists.
Referrals are also welcome from other parties involved in occupational health and safety (e.g. Departments of Labour and Minerals, unions and workplace officials or managers). Such referrals need to be discussed in advance with the specialist consultant, contactable via Reception (see below).
Patients need to arrive with a referral letter plus as much relevant documentation or previous medical reports as available.
Venue: G23, Groote Schuur Hospital (New Main Building), Observatory
Time: Two Tuesday mornings per month 08:00-13:00, by appointment only
Appointments: Tel: 021 404 4369 (Specify “Occupational Dermatology”)
Documentation may be faxed: Fax: 021 404 6390 (Marked clearly for Occupational Dermatology)
Major research areas of interest include:
Mohamed Jeebhay, Professor and Head of Division
Email: Mohamed.Jeebhay@uct.ac.za Phone: 021 406 6309
Professor Mohamed Jeebhay, is an Occupational Medicine specialist, and holds joint appointments as Head of the Occupational Medicine Division in the School of Public Health and Family Medicine as well as in the Department of Medicine at the University of Cape Town (UCT). Professor Jeebhay established the occupational medicine specialist training programme at UCT in 2004. He also convenes the MPhil (Occupational Health) and the PhD programme in the Occupational Medicine Division. He is a fellow of the Collegium Ramazzini, an international academy of internationally renowned fellows in occupational and environmental health (2011-present). He is a previous recipient (1998) of the International Award in Occupational Health and Safety of the American Public Health Association (APHA). He is rated by the National Research Foundation (South Africa) as an internationally acclaimed (B2-rated) research scientist. Professor Jeebhay leads the research programme on occupational allergens and asthma in the Centre for Environmental and Occupational Health Research (CEOHR). His research has a major focus on environmental risk factors and preventive approaches for work-related allergy and asthma. His other research contributions are in occupational health services development, occupational health and safety law and worker’s compensation in South Africa. He serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Current Allergy & Clinical Immunology and the African Journal of Thoracic and Critical Care Medicine. |
Shahieda Adams, Associate Professor Email: Shahieda.Adams@uct.ac.za Phone: 021 406 6435
A/Prof Shahieda Adams is an Occupational Medicine specialist and holds joint appointments as Senior Lecturer in the Occupational Medicine Division in the School of Public Health and Family Medicine as well as Occupational Medicine Consultant in the Department of Medicine at the University of Cape Town (UCT). Shahieda heads the Occupational Medicine clinic at Groote Schuur Hospital and provides clinical training to registrars in the occupational medicine specialist training programme at UCT. She also convenes the Postgraduate Diploma in Occupational Health (DOH) and provides research and supervisory support to students undertaking research at postgraduate level (masters and PhD) in the Occupational Medicine Division. She is a recipient of the Discovery Academic Fellowship and a Fogarty International Clinical Research Fellow. Her research has a major focus on occupational health of health workers, occupational lung disease due to mining exposures and occupational health systems research with a focus on improving occupational health services and compensation to workers affected by occupational injuries and diseases. Shahieda's other contributions are the review and provision of technical expertise in occupational health policy formulation, occupational health and safety law and worker’s compensation in South Africa. |
Roslynn Baatjies, Research Co-ordinator Email: roslynn.baatjies@uct.ac.za Phone: 021 406 6665
Dr Roslynn Baatjies is a Research Project Coordinator engaged in research in Occupational allergy and asthma. She supervises postgraduate students (PhD, MMed) and provides Biostatistical support within the Division. |
Dr Greg Kew |
Dr Shuaib Manjra |
Dr Anne Raynal |
Dr Jim te Water Naude |
Dr Jack van Zyl |
Dr Blanche Andrews |
Dr Brynt Cloete |
Dr Shamila Fakie |
Dr David Knight |
Dr Haidee Williams |
Rodney Ehrlich |
Gail Todd |
Itumeleng Ntatamala |
Zahida Sonday |
Name | Description | Telephone No | |
---|---|---|---|
Faranaaz Bennett | Postgraduate Administrative Assistant | ![]() |
(021) 406 6818 |
Tebelo Mokoena | Clinic Administrative Assistant | (021) 404 4369 |
Journal articles
Chapters in books
Conference abstracts
University publications and technical reports
PhD dissertations submitted to UCT
Masters (MMed – Occ Med) dissertations submitted to UCT
Masters (MSc and MPhil) dissertations submitted to UCT
Journal articles
2020
2019
2018
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2016
2015
2014
Chapters in books
2018
2017
2015
2014
Conference abstracts
2020
2019
2018
2017
2016
2015
2014
Other publications (non-peer reviewed), training manuals, e-tools
University publications and technical reports
2020
2019
2018
2015
PhD dissertations submitted to UCT
2019
2015
2013
Masters (MMed – Occ Med) dissertations submitted to UCT
2018
2016
2013
2012
2009
2008
2007
Masters (MSc and MPhil) dissertations submitted to UCT
2020
2011
2010