Josè Frantz

Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Research and Innovation, University of the Western Cape
Professor Jose Frantz (BSc. Physiotherapy, MSc. Physiotherapy, PhD) is currently the DVC Research and Innovation at the University of the Western Cape. She has held the position as the Dean of the Faculty of Community and Health Sciences (2013 -2017) and the Deputy Dean of Research prior to that. She has received several prestigious scholarships and bursaries from the National Research Foundation, Foundation for Advancement of International Medical Education and Research (FAIMER), South African Regional FAIMER Institute (SAFRI) and the University of Western Cape. In 2017 she received the South African Association of Health Educationalists (SAAHE) Distinguished Educator Award. This annual award recognizes an individual who has either made a significant contribution in teaching or contributed to the development of scholarship in the discipline of health sciences education. In 2016 she was awarded the Champion of Research Capacity Development and Transformation at SA Higher Education Institutions from the National Research Foundation (NRF).

Professor Frantz’s primary research focus is in the area of health professions education and faculty development and her secondary focus is prevention of chronic diseases of lifestyle in young people through appropriate health education. Her commitment to human capacity development is reflected in the numbers of Master’s (40) and PhD students (10) that she has supervised and her academic activities in terms of teaching, learning and research. She has published more than 70 articles in both national and international journals and has presented at a number of national and international conferences in countries such as South Africa, Zambia, Tanzania, Canada, Australia, Amsterdam and Norway.

She was one of the principal investigators of a North -South-South collaboration between Norway, Sudan, Tanzania and South Africa. This project was funded by the FK-Health exchange programme in Norway to the value of 4 751 500 NOK and ended in 2015. She is currently the lead investigator in a capacity development program between
TUT, Rhodes, CPUT, UWC and University of Missouri to the value of R 3 800 000. Prof Frantz passion is capacity development.