Health
34
National Institute for Occupational Health
Website
Asanda Mkulisi, 34, is a medical scientist in the epidemiology department of the National Institute for Occupational Health. She conducts medical checks in Johannesburg occupational clinics to identify and evaluate the health needs of women in the workplace and conducts health risk assessment and occupational risk exposure profiles. she also works with occupational clinics in Johannesburg to identify and evaluate the health needs of workers.
Asanda, who holds a master’s in Public Health from the University of Johannesburg, a Certificate in Occupational Health from the University of Bergen, Norway, and is pursuing a PhD in Public Health at the University of the Witwatersrand, is passionate about education and supervises Master of Public Health students.
Asanda does charity work, supporting youths in rural areas and informal settlements in Johannesburg by providing clothes to those who need them and assisting them with university entry applications and accommodation while they wait for res approval. She also helps occupational nurses with job placement and mentoring during their studies.
“It is our duty as people sharing life in this world to make our future better because the future is not only ours. The next generation should be proud of us one day when they look back and find out how hard we worked to make the world a better place,” Asanda says.
- Baccalaureus Curationis, Further National Higher Diploma in Occupational Health and Master’s in Public Health (MPH) from the University of Johannesburg
- A certificate in Occupational Health in Developing Countries from the University of Bergen, Norway
- A certificate in The Science Behind Forensic Science from King’s College in London
- Various other certificates that are too many to mention in Health Sciences
- Currently pursuing a PhD in Public Health at the University of Witwatersrand
Having completed my master’s degree in public health and securing a position as a medical scientist.
I grew up with my grandmother and she always made sure I ate a balanced diet that included vegetables, proteins and fruits to the point where she would even allow me to eat eggs from a hatching chicken because she used to say, if I ate right I am more likely to increase my concentration in class, therefore, I had no reason not to listen. That is what actually kept me going — to prove to her that she was right and, since then, I have kept that eating habit and my grades have always been on the better side as well as my health.
If you want to touch the sky, accept that you will fall numerous times before you reach the sky. Therefore, convince your brain that you can do it, no matter what, because the brain is the most powerful organ in the human body.
A country with renewable energy — no more load-shedding, less air pollution and less global warming. Make progress with sustainable development goals — goal no 3, good health and well-being. I believe, if adequate research is done on improving the environment, this will ultimately improve the quality of life because one can’t treat the patient and send them back to the same environment that made them sick. That said, I would like South Africa to focus more on primary healthcare, which focuses on preventative and health-promoting strategies more than curing. Also to see SA as a safe area to raise children, especially girls, with less crime, fewer killings, no gender-based violence, and a safe space for all the vulnerable groups, women, children as well as the LGBTQIA+ community.