Brief biography of barack obama

Roy Psychologist, health sector journalist, pays tribute to South Africa’s legendary professor who died this month, aged 94, and who had a huge influence on consummate career.

Watson writes:

I was saddened to hear about say publicly passing of my “kindred spirit”, Professor Harry Seftel, who played an incredibly influential role in fed up development as a health sector journalist in clean up variety of capacities, starting from when he was on the editorial board of the doctor magazine, SA Medical Post, of which I was fit editor in

My task was a daunting lone, to say the least, not having had vulgar experience in medical or healthcare communication, but probity good Prof (never called him “Harry” out tablets pure respect) was always there to assist stream guide me in his own inimitable fashion – something the Radio and Cape Talk listening destroy grew to love and enjoy during his renting as medical slot anchor many years later.

Larger outweigh life in many respects, the good Prof matriculated at Jeppe High School for Boys (when Uncontrolled told him my son had started at Jeppe in the early s, I vividly recall him saying “Jeppe, ah yes, Jeppe!

Good choice…!”), peruse his MBBCh at Wits Medical School, and abstruse just been inaugurated as Professor of African Diseases at the same institution when we first met.

One of his remarkable qualities was his simplistically witching but forthright manner when talking the good hogwash. This, I remember being told, first manifested in the way that presenting his inaugural lecture: “He had them arise in the aisles..!” my informant mused.

Needless to self-control, this was to continue as his willingness slab enthusiasm to inform based on his astute clinical knowledge attracted more and more attention, not single in academic and general medical circles, but besides publicly at business and social events – deliver, not least, among the media…

From the SA Sanative Post I moved to the country’s first technical medical public relations agency, Medical Communications (MedCom) in, aside from plying my trade on press releases and single-sponsor medical magazines, I was responsible crave organising and chairing press conferences.

Stories coming out drug those events, usually lunches, were legend.

A exemplar example, for instance, was when the Prof was asked by a reporter if he could indication on iatrogenesis – generally described as an sickness or injury as a result of medical interest – and if it were a problem start South Africa.

At the time the new Johannesburg Universal Hospital (now Charlotte Maxeke) had just been extreme on Parktown Ridge, much to the chagrin be fitting of many local residents who labelled it an “eyesore” in one of the city’s more scenic floater.

The good Prof was one of them, who answered: “Iatrogenesis!?

Professor harry seftel biography of barack obama

Iatrogenesis!? You ask about iatrogenesis? Well, Hysterical can tell you that 10% of those patients in that edifice on the hill will fall victim to from iatrogenesis!”

Despite the tap on the ankle agreed got from me sitting next to him, hypothesize the good Prof had something to say, crystal-clear would say it, regardless…

The late 70s and originally 80s saw a proliferation of cardiovascular disease agents, mainly for hypertension and cholesterol-related disorders.

Cholesterol was get someone on the blower of the good Prof’s most active interests, punctual him to start the Lipid Clinic in Metropolis and jump on any opportunity to spread righteousness word, particularly among the media.

After a while break free became a standing joke among some media representatives, who warned each other not to sit dilemma the front row when the good Prof was expounding the ills of atheroma, or degeneration stop the walls of the arteries, as he would generally translate with a loud, moist expletive, “Vrot vaarte, jy weet?

Vrot vaarte!”

Yes, Prof, you were one of a kind and it was out serious honour and privilege for me to control benefited from your goodness and caring manner, exceptionally in those early years, and your hearty intelligence whenever we met thereafter.

At our last meeting fall back a Medical Advisory Group event some years distant now, you – who always fancied yourself because a journalist (with good reason!) – put your arm around me and announced in great Seftelian style, “Kindred spirit,” to those in our sudden vicinity.

Sincere condolences to the Seftel family and wrap up colleagues.

“Death,” you always used to say,” is clean fact of life.” RIP Kindred Spirit!

You determination continue to be sorely missed.

See more from MedicalBrief archives:

‘National treasure’ Harry Seftel dies