Professor Mashudu Tshifularo is a South African educator and Otolaryngologist. He led the first team in the world to use 3D-printed bones for reconstructive middle ear implants in 2019 at the

University of Pretoria The University of Pretoria ( af, Universiteit van Pretoria, nso, Yunibesithi ya Pretoria) is a multi-campus public university, public research university in Pretoria, the administrative and de facto capital of South Africa. The university was ...

and

Steve Biko Academic Hospital Steve Biko Academic Hospital (formerly the Pretoria Academic Hospital and before 1994 called H F Verwoerd Hospital) of Pretoria, South Africa, previously located at what is now Tshwane District Hospital, is a purely tertiary training healthcare ...

. He has cured deafness. As a lay pastor, he has also published several books.

3D-printed implants

Using a 3-D printer, Tshifularo creates implants that replace the

ossicles The ossicles (also called auditory ossicles) are three bones in either middle ear that are among the smallest bones in the human body. They serve to transmit sounds from the air to the fluid-filled labyrinth (cochlea). The absence of the auditory ...

: the hammer ( malleus), anvil (

incus The ''incus'' (plural incudes) or anvil is a bone in the middle ear. The anvil-shaped small bone is one of three ossicles in the middle ear. The ''incus'' receives vibrations from the ''malleus'', to which it is connected laterally, and transmit ...

) and stirrup ( stapes) during middle ear reconstructive surgery, or tympanoplasty, that are more affordable compared to the traditional titanium implants. Tshifularo is the head of the Department of Ear, Nose, Throat, Head and Neck Surgery at the

Otorhinolaryngology Otorhinolaryngology ( , abbreviated ORL and also known as otolaryngology, otolaryngology–head and neck surgery (ORL–H&N or OHNS), or ear, nose, and throat (ENT)) is a surgical subspeciality within medicine that deals with the surgical a ...

Department of the

, and started developing this technology during his PhD studies. He and his team at the

Pretoria Pretoria () is South Africa's administrative capital, serving as the seat of the Executive (government), executive branch of government, and as the host to all foreign embassies to South Africa. Pretoria straddles the Apies River and extends ...

performed the first transplant on 13 March 2019. The

endoscopic An endoscopy is a procedure used in medicine to look inside the body. The endoscopy procedure uses an endoscope to examine the interior of a hollow organ or cavity of the body. Unlike many other medical imaging techniques, endoscopes are insert ...

procedures lasted approximately 2 hours. The first patient was a 40 year old with accidental trauma damage and the other was a 62 year old born with a middle ear issue and a history of failed interventions.

Church ministry

Tshifularo is the senior pastor and founder of the Christ Revealed Fellowship Church near

. He has authored several books in this ministry.

Biography

Tshifularo was born on June 18, 1964 in South Africa the third son of Florah Tshinovhea Tshifularo and Zacharia Thanyani Tshifularo. He grew up as a herdsman in the rural village of Mbahela outside

Thohoyandou Thohoyandou ( ve, Ṱhohoyanḓou) is a town in the Limpopo Province of South Africa. It is the administrative centre of Vhembe District Municipality and Thulamela Local Municipality. It is also known for being the former capital of the bantustan ...

, in

Venda Venda () was a Bantustan in northern South Africa, which is fairly close to the South African border with Zimbabwe to the north, while to the south and east, it shared a long border with another black homeland, Gazankulu. It is now part of the ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

. At the age of 13, Tshifularo knew he would be a medical doctor. He was married to Samdika Blessings Tshifularo and they have six children including their adopted children. He matriculated at

Mbilwi Secondary School Mbilwi Secondary School is a school in the town of Sibasa in Limpopo, South Africa. Mbilwi Secondary School has been producing 100% pass rate for its matric students since 1994. The school also produces over 90% of matric exemptions since 1997 ...

and after studying at the University of Natal, he began his career as a physician at Tshilidzini Hospital in 1990. Since 1995 he has been a professor and head of the Department of

at the

and also a chief specialist at the

MEDUNSA Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University (SMU) is a university in Pretoria North, Gauteng Province, South Africa. Its current incarnation was formed on 1 January 2015. Previously it was known as ''Medical University of South Africa (MEDUNSA)' ...

(currently the

Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University (SMU) is a university in Pretoria North, Gauteng Province, South Africa. Its current incarnation was formed on 1 January 2015. Previously it was known as ''Medical University of South Africa (MEDUNSA)' ...

). He was appointed in 2000 as the youngest and only black professor of ENT in South Africa. His medical interests include Otology,

Rhinology Otorhinolaryngology ( , abbreviated ORL and also known as otolaryngology, otolaryngology–head and neck surgery (ORL–H&N or OHNS), or ear, nose, and throat (ENT)) is a surgical subspeciality within medicine that deals with the surgical a ...

and Paediatric ENT.

Bibliography

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References

External links

UP Department of Otorhinolaryngology researchMashudu Tshifularo Ministriesfacebook: Mashudu Jacob-Israel Tshifularo
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tshifularo, Mashudu Living people Year of birth missing (living people)