Faculty of Health Sciences researchers continued to shine at the University of Pretoria’s 25th Annual Academic Achievers’ Awards, held on 23 October 2025. Among the distinguished recipients of the Exceptional Academic Achievers Award was Professor Christa Janse van Rensburg, Head of the Department in the Section of Sports Medicine and newly appointed Director of the Sports, Exercise Medicine, and Lifestyle Institute (SEMLI). Her award recognises her sustained contributions to advancing sports medicine, exercise science, and athlete health on both national and international levels.

Professor Christa Janse van Rensburg is a full professor and the Head of the Department in the Section of Sports Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences.

She is the recently appointed Director of SEMLI (Sports, Exercise Medicine, and Lifestyle Institute). A qualified rheumatologist, she also holds an undergraduate medical degree (MBChB – cum laude), a MSc degree in sports and exercise medicine and a MMed degree in physical medicine (rheumatology – cum laude). She earned her doctorate (DMed) in internal medicine.

She is a fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine (FACSM) and the International Sports Medicine Federation (FFIMS). Her DMed studies highlighted the benefits of exercise for patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Her current research explores travel in athletes and injuries, illnesses, and mental health issues across various sports disciplines. In this space, several ongoing international collaborations are underway, including those with Amsterdam University Medical Centres (Netherlands), Leeds Beckett University (United Kingdom), Limerick University (Ireland), and Aspetar Orthopaedic Hospital (Qatar).

She has 170 peer-reviewed publications, five of which have over 100 citations (https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=GAGKeV4AAAAJ&hl=en). She reviews manuscripts for many journals and serves on the editorial board of four ISI journals: the American Journal of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, the British Journal of Sports Medicine, Translational Sports Medicine, and the South African Journal of Sports Medicine. Professor Janse van Rensburg has also contributed chapters to several academic sports reference books, including Cricket Sports Medicine, Exercise in Disability Sports, Return to Play in Football, and Clinical Sports Medicine.

She received a C2 rating from the NRF and has been a keynote speaker at numerous national and intrnational conferences, including lectures for the Royal Society of Medicine. Her significant recognitions and awards in the past three years include: chair of the Medical Advisory Panel for World Netball (2022-current); panel member on the Clinical Science Advisory Group for the International Tennis Federation (ITF) (2022-current); founding member of the College of Sports and Exercise Medicine in South Africa (2022); president of the South African Sports Medicine Association (2020-2022); Scientific Committee Member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) World Conference (Monaco, 2021 and 2024); primary supervisor of a joint doctorate with Vrije University in the Netherlands; three ongoing doctoral bursaries with the University of Amsterdam in the Netherlands; IOC funding to develop a travel risk assessment tool (2024-2027).

As the head of the Section Sports Medicine, Professor Janse van Rensburg coordinates the MSc in Sports Medicine and oversees the development of the recently approved MMed in Sports and Exercise Medicine. She initiated the postgraduate Diploma in Sport, Exercise, and Health, set to launch in 2027. She has also received approval to establish a travel and sleep clinic at SEMLI, with the rollout currently in progress. Additionally, she has presented annually at the IOC's Advanced Team Physician Course since 2016.

Among her significant accomplishments in sports are being selected as the venue medical officer for Loftus during the 2010 FIFA World Cup and serving as the team physician for various sports teams. These teams include the South African Olympic Team at the 2004 Athens Games, the South African Team at the 1999 (Johannesburg) and 2003 (Abuja, Nigeria) All-Africa Games and the 2002 Commonwealth Games (Manchester, UK), as well as several Protea Netball teams, notably the South African Senior Netball Team, which competed in the 1999 World Cup in New Zealand.