Bongani Mawethu Mayosi BMedSci,

MB ChB Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery ( la, Medicinae Baccalaureus, Baccalaureus Chirurgiae; abbreviated most commonly MBBS), is the primary medical degree awarded by medical schools in countries that follow the tradition of the United King ...

, FCP(SA),

DPhil A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is ...

, (28 January 1967 – 27 July 2018) was a South African professor of

cardiology Cardiology () is a branch of medicine that deals with disorders of the heart and the cardiovascular system. The field includes medical diagnosis and treatment of congenital heart defects, coronary artery disease, heart failure, valvular h ...

He was the

Dean Dean may refer to: People * Dean (given name) * Dean (surname), a surname of Anglo-Saxon English origin * Dean (South Korean singer), a stage name for singer Kwon Hyuk * Dean Delannoit, a Belgian singer most known by the mononym Dean Titles * ...

of the Faculty of Health Sciences at the

University of Cape Town The University of Cape Town (UCT) ( af, Universiteit van Kaapstad, xh, Yunibesithi ya yaseKapa) is a public research university in Cape Town, South Africa. Established in 1829 as the South African College, it was granted full university statu ...

and an A-rated National Research Foundation researcher. Prior to this, he was head of the Department of Medicine at the University of Cape Town and

Groote Schuur Hospital Groote Schuur Hospital is a large, government-funded, teaching hospital situated on the slopes of Devil's Peak in the city of Cape Town, South Africa. It was founded in 1938 and is famous for being the institution where the first human-to-huma ...

. his research interests included rheumatic fever, tuberculous pericarditis and cardiomyopathy. He was a member of the Academy of Science of South Africa and a former President of the College of Physicians of South Africa and he headed numerous other biomedical organisations during his career.

Early life

At the youthful age of 15, he received the top marks in the Independent Transkei's matric exams.

Career

In 2017 he was elected to the US

National Academy of Medicine The National Academy of Medicine (NAM), formerly called the Institute of Medicine (IoM) until 2015, is an American nonprofit, non-governmental organization. The National Academy of Medicine is a part of the National Academies of Sciences, Eng ...

. Professor Mayosi published over 400 peer-reviewed academic articles individually and collectively, including collaborating with eminent researchers like Salim Yusuf. He was part of the team which discovered one of the

gene mutation In biology, a mutation is an alteration in the nucleic acid sequence of the genome of an organism, virus, or extrachromosomal DNA. Viral genomes contain either DNA or RNA. Mutations result from errors during DNA or viral replication, mitos ...

s responsible for causing the life-threatening heart disease

arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia Arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy (ACM), arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia (ARVD), or arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC), most commonly is an inherited heart disease. ACM is caused by genetic defects of the parts of hea ...

, this discovery was regarded as one of the most important medical advances in South Africa since the first human

heart transplantation A heart transplant, or a cardiac transplant, is a surgical transplant procedure performed on patients with end-stage heart failure or severe coronary artery disease when other medical or surgical treatments have failed. , the most common procedu ...

. Professor Mayosi served as the chairperson of the team appointed by the South African Minister of Health Aaron Motsoaledi to investigate irregularities and maladministration at The Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA), the organisation which registers, regulates and guides health professionals. He was very involved in creating systems to train the next generation of

physician-scientist A physician-scientist is traditionally a holder of a medical degree and a doctor of philosophy also known as an MD-PhD. Compared to other clinicians, physician-scientists invest significant time and professional effort in scientific research an ...

s; his vision included training 1,000 of them across South Africa every year. Mayosi raised over 250 million rands for research.

Awards

Throughout his career, Mayosi received numerous awards. These included the

Order of Mapungubwe The Order of Mapungubwe is South Africa's highest honour. It was instituted on 6 December 2002, and is granted by the President of South Africa, for achievements in the international arena which have served South Africa's interests. The order ori ...

in 2009, the highest honor given to South African citizens, the Platinum Award from the

South African Medical Research Council The South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) is a para-statal medical research organisation in South Africa. The current president is professor Glenda Gray. The South African Medical Research Council was established in 1969 to act as an indep ...

, and the

BHP Billiton BHP Group Limited (formerly known as BHP Billiton) is an Australian multinational mining, metals, natural gas petroleum public company that is headquartered in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The Broken Hill Proprietary Company was founded ...

Award from the National Science and Technology Foundation.

Personal life

His father was a medical doctor and so was his wife.

Death

Mayosi died by suicide on 27 July 2018; he had been experiencing depression for two years. Eight months before his death he had tendered his resignation to the

, however, it was apparently declined. According to his family the

FeesMustFall #FeesMustFall was a student-led protest movement that began in mid-October 2015 in South Africa. The goals of the movement were to stop increases in student fees as well as to increase government funding of universities. Protests started at the ...

protests contributed to Mayosi's declining

mental health Mental health encompasses emotional, psychological, and social well-being, influencing cognition, perception, and behavior. It likewise determines how an individual handles stress, interpersonal relationships, and decision-making. Mental hea ...

. An exit strategy from his "very stressful" job was being planned apparently where Mayosi would instead head the

. The President of South Africa,

Cyril Ramaphosa Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa (born 17 November 1952) is a South African businessman and politician who is currently serving as the fifth democratically elected president of South Africa. Formerly an anti-apartheid activist, trade union leader, and ...

, conveyed his condolences on Mayosi's death and accorded him a provincial funeral. Among several dignitaries, Graca Machel, the Chancellor of

UCT The University of Cape Town (UCT) ( af, Universiteit van Kaapstad, xh, Yunibesithi ya yaseKapa) is a public research university in Cape Town, South Africa. Established in 1829 as the South African College, it was granted full university stat ...

at the time, sent her condolences too. Little was done to support Professor Bongani Mayosi, according to the findings of an independent inquiry panel set up to examine his tenure and death while at the University of Cape Town.

Selected publications

* * *

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Mayosi, Bongani 1967 births 2018 suicides South African cardiologists People from Mthatha University of Cape Town alumni Alumni of the University of Oxford Members of the National Academy of Medicine Academic staff of the University of Cape Town Suicides in South Africa University of KwaZulu-Natal alumni 21st-century South African physicians