Clinical sociologist appointed trustee of KZN Children’s Hospital Trust

Professor Mariam Seedat-Khan, a clinical sociologist within the School of Social Sciences at UKZN, has been appointed as a trustee to the KwaZulu-Natal Children’s Hospital Trust (KZNCHT).

The KZN Children’s Hospital on the Durban beachfront, was built in 1928. It was the first facility in Africa exclusively dedicated to children. This was until it was closed by the Apartheid government in 1984. It fell into disrepair but was re-established in 2010 with the aim of reigniting the dream of providing accessible health care to all children in KZN.

To deliver on their goals, the hospital restoration project is managed by a steering committee comprising representatives of the KZN Department of Health and KZNCHT.

Speaking about her appointment, Professor Seedat-Khan said she is honoured to serve as a trustee and play such a crucial role in ensuring the effective governance and strategic direction of the trust.

“Our responsibilities include strategic leadership, governance and compliance, financial oversight, fundraising and resource development,” she said.

“This role requires that I attend several trustee meetings during the year. It is essential to fulfil my role and responsibilities as a trustee in order to ensure the KZNCHT can effectively support and improve the health and well-being of children in KwaZulu-Natal.”

Professor Seedat-Khan added that KZNCHT’s mission is to provide comprehensive, equitable healthcare and support to the children of KZN in a world-class facility that is cost-effective, trans-disciplinary, environmentally-friendly and sustainable; open to all children, adolescents and their care-givers regardless of economic background or social standing.

The KZNCHT was founded by the late paediatric healthcare icon and UKZN alumnus, Professor Hoosen “Jerry” Coovadia who served as chairman of the Board from 2011 to 2022. Other UKZN alumni currently serving on the Board include Dr Lawrence Mubaiwa, Head: Division of Paediatric Neurology and Child Development at UKZN, and Board Chair Dr Anuschka Coovadia.

Professor Seedat-Khan is a National Research Foundation-rated researcher and one of 40 internationally certified clinical sociologists in the world. She studied at York University in Toronto, Canada, and the former University of Natal.

She is a board member of the Association for Applied and Clinical Sociology and vice-president of the International Sociological Association of Clinical Sociology. In 2023 she was appointed commissioner to the Commission on the Accreditation of Programmes in Applied and Clinical Sociology (CAPACS) and is deputy-chair of the Professor Fatima Meer Memorial Lecture Committee.

She has published extensively in scientific journals, authored books and is the founding member of Simply Managing Academic Related Tasks (SMART), a multi-disciplinary neuro-scientific clinical and applied intervention that supports physically and neuro-diverse people.