UKZN’s Chief Specialist and Head of the Department of Psychiatry, Associate Professor Bonga Chiliza, began his term as President of the African College of Neuropharmacology (AfCNP) at its recent meeting in Cape Town.
Chiliza thanked those who walked the journey before him. ‘The AfCNP was established at the University of Cape Town by Professor Dan Stein, who handed over to Dr Dickens Akena at Makerere University in Uganda, who passed on the baton to Professor Lukoye Atwoli at Aga Khan University in Nairobi, and now it is my turn to lead from the great University of KwaZulu-Natal.’
Chiliza said his predecessors had done a huge amount of work in collaborating with similar institutions in Europe (ECNP), and the Unites States (ACNP) in particular. ‘We have now secured funding to have annual Schools in Africa where we teach early career psychiatrists and neuroscientists about evidence-based algorithms in the treatment of people with mental illness, and how to collaborate with great scientists across the world.’
Chiliza said they also had funding for a secretariat based at Aga Khan University which had already improved their work. He said he intended to continue the work of international collaborations but also focus on collaborations within Africa where large societies of psychiatrists already existed in South Africa, Nigeria and Kenya.
Chiliza said he aimed to strengthen ties with societies of neuroscientists such as the Society of Neuroscientists of Africa, the Africa Global Mental Health Institute, and the African Alliance of Psychiatrists. One of his focus areas will be upskilling early-career specialists in these fields for the greater benefit of society.
Chiliza’s main research interests include schizophrenia, trauma, culture and medical education.
Chiliza is the Editor-in-Chief of the South African Journal of Psychiatry and has received many awards including the Hamilton Naki Clinical Research Fellowship and the CINP Rafaelsen Young Investigators Award. He has received research funds from national and international funding agencies.
Words and photograph: Lunga Memela
