2026 Biennial Research Day
From Silos to Synergy: Transdisciplinary Science for Health Impact
Greetings, esteemed students, and colleagues!
South Africa and the African continent confront interconnected health challenges ranging from complex disease burdens and fragile health systems to rapid technological change and deep‑rooted inequities. These realities call for bold, context‑responsive solutions that transcend disciplinary boundaries. Only through transdisciplinary science that integrates ideas, methods, and perspectives, can we generate meaningful and lasting health impact.
On the 17 September 2026, the Faculty of Health Sciences Biennial Research Day will convene under the theme “From Silos to Synergy: Transdisciplinary Science for Health Impact.” This theme speaks directly to both our ambition and our responsibility as a faculty to move beyond disciplinary silos and harness our collective expertise to address complex health challenges in ways that are innovative, equitable, and impactful. This year’s Research Day is therefore designed as an inclusive space for connection, bringing together students, early‑career researchers, and established scholars across basic science, clinical medicine, public health, technology, education, and innovation, united by a shared commitment to improving health across the life course and across contexts.
This year marks an important evolution in our Research Day. For the first time in many years, we are excited to introduce five reimagined thematic tracks that reflect both the diversity of expertise across our Faculty and the pressing health priorities facing South Africa and the continent: Clinical Excellence, Translational Therapeutics and Implementation; Global Health and Health Systems; Brain Health Across the Lifespan: From Molecules to Society; Digital Health Innovation and the Ethical Use of AI in Health Systems; and Precision Medicine, Omics, and Computational Health. Together, these tracks mirror the strengths of our six schools while deliberately encouraging collaboration across them. They are also not intended as new silos, but as points of entry into dialogue, inviting participants to engage across scales, from molecules to populations, from innovation to implementation, and from discovery to policy and practice.
As we look ahead to September, we warmly invite and strongly encourage students, postdoctoral fellows, and researchers at all career stages to submit abstracts and take part in this year’s Research Day. Your research matters, whether it is applied, policy‑oriented, or practice‑based. Research Day offers a supportive environment to present your work, receive constructive feedback, and build meaningful cross‑disciplinary connections. Your contributions are central to shaping a future where collaboration replaces silos and science translates into tangible health gains.
We look forward to receiving your abstracts and to welcoming you in September to a Research Day that celebrates emerging talent and advances transdisciplinary science for meaningful health impact.
Dr Prudence Ditlopo
Chair: 2026 Faculty of Health Sciences Research Day Organising Committee
Centre for Health Policy, School of Public Health
Important Dates
Call for abstracts: 30 April 2026
Deadline for submission of abstracts: 30 June 2026
Completion of review process & feedback on outcomes to participants: 31 July 2026
FRD registration closes: 21 August 2026