Professor Flavia Senkubuge, Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Pretoria, has been awarded an Honorary Fellowship by the Colleges of Medicine of South Africa (CMSA) – the highest honour the CMSA can bestow. The ceremony, held in Johannesburg on 26 June 2025, marked another milestone for Prof Senkubuge, who is now the youngest recipient of the honour in the College’s history.

The CMSA’s Admission Ceremony recognises the achievements of medical specialists and subspecialists across the country. This winter’s Gauteng gathering was attended by senior officials from government, the higher education and health sectors, including the Minister of Health, Dr Aaron Motsoaledi, and the Gauteng MEC for Health, Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko.

Prof Johan Fagan, the immediate past president of the CMSA, delivered the citation in Prof Senkubuge’s honour. He described her as a principled and visionary leader whose contributions to public health, health systems strengthening and medical education have shaped the trajectory of the CMSA and influenced healthcare delivery across South Africa and beyond.

“She is being honoured for her enduring legacy within the CMSA, her visionary and principled leadership, her unwavering advocacy for equity and excellence in healthcare and healthcare education, and her deep commitment to social justice,” he said.

“She helped reimagine the CMSA as a people’s college and among her many contributions during her leadership of the CMSA, several stand out… She helped establish the CMSA’s Health Policy Committee to influence national health policy, laying a strong foundation for the CMSA to be able to focus on its mission to promote the highest degree of skill, efficiency, ethical standards, and professional conduct for the benefit of humanity.”

“It is a profound honour to be recognised by the Colleges of Medicine of South Africa. This fellowship is an affirmation of the work I’ve dedicated my life to – leading, shaping and strengthening public health in South Africa and beyond. I’m humbled by this honour and proud of the journey that brought me here,” Prof Senkubuge said.

“At the University of Pretoria, we are deeply invested in developing the kind of leadership that transforms institutions and improves lives. I remain committed to nurturing future leaders who will serve with integrity and compassion, and who will carry forward the vision of health for all.”

Prof Senkubuge’s leadership within the CMSA has been both historic and transformative. In 2018, she was elected the youngest and first Black woman to serve as President of the CMSA. During her term, she helped guide the organisation through the COVID-19 pandemic, introduced reforms to decentralise examinations and admissions, and championed structural changes that expanded access and representation. 

Prof Fagan highlighted the full arc of Prof Senkubuge’s distinguished professional journey, rooted in her Eastern Cape upbringing and shaped by her training in public health medicine at the University of Pretoria. A Fellow of the College of Public Health Medicine (CPHM), and a past Vice-President of the CMSA, Prof Senkubuge has held several international leadership roles. These include Chair of the WHO African Advisory Council on Research and Development, Vice-President of the East, Central and Southern African College of Public Health Medicine and African Ambassador of the International Medical Educators Leaders Forum (IMELF).

Her academic leadership at UP includes establishing the Health Business Unit to grow external funding for education and research, and founding the Albert Luthuli Leadership Platform for Health, which advances leadership in African health systems. In May 2025, she was appointed Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences at UP – the first woman to hold this position in the faculty’s history.

Speaking at the ceremony, Gauteng MEC for Health acknowledged Prof Senkubuge’s leadership and service, saying: “Your bold leadership and dedication to fair public health inspire us all.”  

The CMSA’s Honorary Fellowship is awarded to individuals whose work has significantly advanced medicine and humanity. Past recipients include President Nelson Mandela and former WHO Africa Regional Director, Dr Matshidiso Moeti.