LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD RECIPIENTS

for contribution to burn care in South Africa

Emeritus Professor  Heinz Rode

MB ChB ( Pretoria )  Mmed Surg Pretoria  F.R.C.S. Edinburgh  F.C.S. S.A.

Professor Heinz Rode has been a paediatric surgeon for over 32 years and is recognized throughout the world as a leading paediatric burns specialist. He headed up the burns unit at Red Cross Children’s hospital for many years, the only paediatric burns unit on the continent, until he ‘retired’ in 2007. Since then he has continued his work, full-time, at the hospital, training young surgeons in the art and practice of paediatric burns with the aim of transferring burn care responsibilities to them in the future.

He is described as a hero both  by his colleagues and students for his determined work as an advocate for burn victims and the compassionate way he treats every one of his young patients and their families.

Since 1995 he has also run a free clinic at Michael Mapongwane Hospital in Khayelitsha, for patients who do not have the means to get to Red Cross Children’s Hospital for treatment. This is the only surgical clinic for paediatrics run by a surgical specialist in the Western Cape region at primary health care level. He has published extensively in Burns and has made significant contributions in the field of Burn Research

Professor Don A Hudson

MB ChB(UCT)  FRCS(Ed)   FCS(SA)   MMed (UCT)   FACS

Prof Don Hudson was head of the Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery for almost 25 years. During this period he was committed to uplifting burn care in Cape Town and South Africa –both the acute management of burns but particularly burn reconstruction. It is the latter field that he pioneered reconstructive techniques, particularly involving tissue expanders. These techniques were published in the world’s leading journals and the techniques are still in use. He published over 25 articles in the field of burn care

He also served on the editorial board of BURNS; The Journal of the International Society for Burn Injuries for almost 25 years.

He received a Lifetime Contribution Award from the SA Burns Society in 2012.

Dr Elbie van der Merwe

Tygerberg Hospital’s Burns Unit chief, Dr Elbie van der Merwe, one of the country’s most holistic and innovative burns specialists, has received international recognition for her ground-breaking local work in burns prevention, treatment and rehabilitation

She founded the Tygerberg Burn Society, a non-profit organisation for the most disadvantaged burns victims providing rehabilitation, education and psychosocial support and pioneered multidisciplinary burns care in an extensively renovated burns unit in spite of severe staff shortages, creating an Africa-wide model of care.

Van der Merwe was central in evaluating the influence of traditional medicine in burn management in Africa and has collaborated with surgical colleagues across the continent. She also teamed up with the Continuing Medical Education (CME) journal to campaign for burns management education for non-specialists and GPs.

Van der Merwe took the lead in establishing the Pan African Burns Society and continues to provide support and practical advice to burns care colleagues in resource-constrained countries. A lecturer and consultant in the Department of General Surgery at the University of Stellenbosch since 1990, the avid mountaineer is cited for her ‘humanitarian, clinical, political and cultural achievements’ in the field of trauma care.

In May 2004 she co-founded the Pan African Burn Society and hosted the First Pan African Burn Society Conference in Cape Town.

Mr. Roger Crawford

UKZN alumnus, Mr Roger Crawford, has earned a Lifetime Achievement Award from the South African Burn Society for his contribution to burn care in South Africa, in particular his intimate involvement with the establishment of the Johnson & Johnson Burn Treatment Centre at the Baragwanath Hospital in Soweto.

Management of thermal injury is an arduous task and is fraught with many challenges particularly in our environment. The South African Burns Society has chosen to acknowledge the dedication and lifetime perseverance of certain individuals who have worked towards improving the care of burnt patients over the last few decades.

The first phase of the adult unit of the Johnson & Johnson Burn Treatment Centre was opened in 1991 and four years later the paediatric unit was completed at the Baragwanath Hospital. This 52-bed world class facility became the first multidisciplinary burn treatment facility in Africa.

It all began in the mid-1980s when Crawford, who was employed at Johnson & Johnson, wanted to ensure that the contribution the company was making in social investment programmes was both meaningful and sustainable.  He consulted widely and learnt that the treatment and management of serious and complicated burns was an area in need of attention.

Since the opening of the facility Roger has remained engaged with the surgeons, nurses, allied health professionals and administrators to assist with the management and development of the facility.  Recently the Johnson & Johnson Travelling Burn Fellowship was launched to permit health professionals from hospitals in Africa to complete a fellowship at the burn unit.

Over the past 21 years Johnson & Johnson, through Crawford’s leadership, has made an important contribution to burn management and treatment in South Africa, and more recently in Africa.

Honorary members – as invited speakers to SABS congress:

  • David Mackie
  • Ian McCallum
  • Brian Watermeyer
  • Trevor Smith
  • Adriano Duse
  • Bishara Atiyeh
  • Nichola Rumsey
  • Merlin Guggenheim
  • David Linton