Top of her class, bottom of her age group

A 24-year-old University of Pretoria (UP) student has become the youngest person to graduate with a PhD from the University’s School of Health Systems and Public Health in what she describes as “a dream come true”.

Dr Rose Nabi Deborah Karimi Muthuri graduated with a Doctor of Philosophy in Health Systems at the faculty’s virtual Spring 2021 graduation ceremony, at which 147 graduates were honoured. “I hope this will inspire more young people to pursue their dreams,” she says. “Earning my Doctor of Philosophy is one of the highlights of my academic career. It was an extremely challenging journey, but also a blessing and a dream come true.”

Dr Muthuri is a Kenyan citizen who was born in South Africa in 1997 but left for Kenya when she was a year old. She holds a Master of Arts degree in Counselling Psychology (magna cum laude) and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology (magna cum laude) from the United States International University-Africa in Kenya, and graduated top of her class in both instances. The enthusiastic academic is passionate about using research to enhance the performance of health systems. Her doctoral thesis highlights the importance of improving the health and well-being of healthcare workers, with a view to improving the performance of the national health system. “I realised that there was a gap in the positive mental health aspects among the health workforce, and chose to pursue a PhD in health systems to gain an in-depth understanding of these workers and their well-being,” she explains.

She is grateful for the administrative and academic support that she received from the UP community.

“The University helped me in many ways, mainly by creating an enabling environment that encouraged me through the various learning resources available to students and to strive for excellence throughout my studies.” She also credits her supervisors for their unwavering focus, which helped her to cultivate her creativity and drive for excellence when things got challenging. “I was privileged to have knowledgeable, experienced, committed and inspiring supervisors – Professors Flavia Senkubuge and Charles Hongoro.”

Author: Mmane Boikanyo

I realised there was a gap in the positive mental health aspects among the health workforce, and chose to pursue a PhD … to gain an in-depth understanding of these workers and their well-being

Dr Rose Muthuri

Number of graduates who were honoured at the 2021 virtual Spring graduations.