EXCO
Dr Ethel Andrews
Ethel Andrews is a tenacious trailblazer being the first nurse to have a PhD in Burns in South Africa, the first nurse to be a representative on the Pan African Burn Society, the first nurse to be on International Society for Burn Injuries’ committees from Africa and the first non- surgeon to be elected as president of the South Africa Burn Society. She is currently the vice president of the nursing committee of the International Society of Burn Injuries, being the only South African to hold this position. Ethel began her professional career at Rand Afrikaans University as a professional nurse and went on to specialise in midwifery at the University of Witwatersrand. Ethel completed a PhD at the University of Witwatersrand. She returned to patient care and used the skills and networks she acquired over the years to build a successful practice, WoundDoc. In a pursuit of improved patient outcomes Ethel went on to complete the International Interdisciplinary Wound Care Course with the University of Toronto. Ethel spends a lot of time on preventative health care training health workers and doing awareness campaigns to health workers and the public. She has presented research papers in Abidjan, Miami, Abu Dhabi, India and have been invited to speak at several local conferences. Ethel is a visiting lecturer at the University of Witwatersrand and has published papers on research, burns and wound care. She works full time in a wound care practice where she manages all types of wounds in a multidisciplinary team.
Dr Ethel Andrews (RN PhD)
South African Burn Society President
Wound Specialist
Life Brenthurst hospital/ Netcare Mulbarton hospital,
Tel: 0835366806
Dr. Rachel Moore
I am a specialist general surgeon with experience in both adult and paediatric burns. My special interests are peri-operative care, nutrition, and critical care. I am convinced that a key aspect to improving burns care in South Africa is educating healthcare professionals on effectively managing severe burns patients. To that end I oversee the running of Emergency Management of Severe Burns (EMSB) courses in South Africa. I am a passionate proponent of the importance of the multidisciplinary team in both the management of burns and acute care surgery as this is the only way to ensure best outcomes for our patients!
Rachel Moore
Specialist Surgeon
MBBCH, FCS(SA)
Tel: 0835366806
Head: Acute Care Surgery
Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital
GEMP 3 coordinator & lecturer
University of the Witwatersrand
Vice President: South African Burn Society
Dr. Ronell Parkhurst
I am Dr Ronell Parkhurst. I graduated from Wits medical school in 2011. I have surgical experience and I am currently the clinical head of the paediatric Burn Unit at Chris Hani Baragwanath hospital. My passion lies with helping these selfless kids with burns, to get them back into their community as active participants. I would love to address the major burden of paediatric burns, by launching a burns prevention course.
Tel: 0835366806
Dr. Vengal Medapati
I am a specialist Plastic & Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeon with experience in both adult and paediatric burns. My special interests are with burns reconstruction, especially with regards to improving the functional aspects of the injured burns victim. I currently work in both the private sector and part-time in the government sector.
Plastic & Reconstructive Surgeon
MBChB (UL), MMed Plast Surgery (SMU), FC Plast Surg (SA), CIME
Tel: 0835366806
Practice Number: 0665568
Dr Gary Dos Passos
MB.BCh (Wits); FC Plast Surg (SA); M. Med (UCT)
Dr Gary Dos Passos is a specialist Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeon based at the Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital and Life Kingsbury Hospital in Claremont, Cape Town. He completed his undergraduate medical degree at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg. He moved to Cape Town to specialise in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at the University of Cape Town, where he completed his FC Plast Surg (SA) and M. Med (UCT) degrees.
Dr Dos Passos has experience managing all aspects of plastic surgery, but has a particular interest in burns, lower limb, head and neck, and breast reconstruction. Other fields of interest include aesthetic surgery, hand surgery, and skin cancer. He is a full member of both The Association of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons of South Africa (APRASSA) and the South African Burns Society (SABS). He is part of the SABS Executive Committee.
In May 2017, Dr Dos Passos became the Head of the Burn Unit at the Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital in Cape Town. He is a member of the Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery Faculty for the University of Cape Town.
Tel: 0835366806
Ms Moira Wilson
Moira Wilson qualified as a physiotherapist in Glasgow, Scotland. Her practice is at Milpark Hospital, Johannesburg which houses the largest Level 1 Private Trauma Unit in the country.
In 2018 Moira completed her Msc in Burn Care with distinction from Queen Mary University, London. Last year training was completed in Micro needling in London, U.K and subsequently registered with the European Medical Council U.K. Micro needling can be a useful modality in the Burns Patient with regards to Scar Management.
She contributed the Burns chapter in the first South African prescribed textbook Cardiopulmonary Physiotherapy in Trauma for physiotherapists.
The 4th year physiotherapy students from Wits come to her practice for supervision and experience in Trauma and Burns.
Moira has lectured on Physiotherapy on the Burns patient at various clinical meetings such as Critical Care and Wound Care Conferences. Moira is passionate about all aspects of Burn care from the critically ill patient right through to the rehabilitation, discharge and scar management.
She is a Trustee of the Education Trust of the Society of Physiotherapy.
Tel: 0835366806
Dr. Ane Vorster
Dr. Ane Vorster is currently a surgeon-in-training in Gauteng. She has spent 2 years in the Tembisa Burns unit where she developed a keen interest in burn injuries and a passion for burn surgery.
Tel: 0835366806
Mrs Susan Parkes
Brought up in East London and moved to Zambia as a teen. Travelled and worked overseas (Australia and UK) then moved back to Johannesburg in 1971. Joined Wits Medical School in 1986, as Senior Administrator of Surgery and retired a few years ago.
She has been actively involved in the Boy Scout movement, and other youth activities, and is now working part-time for Federation of South African Surgeons. Joined SABS in November 2018.
Has many varied interests including pottery, reading, opera, theatre and film, and keeps on walking.
Tel: 0835366806
