82-year-old Dolly Niasulu earns PhD in South Africa — TimesLIVE
In South Africa, 82-year-old Dolly Nonthuzelo Niasulu earned a Doctor of Philosophy degree in public health at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. Her dissertation focuses on family-centred postpartum care in rural areas of KwaZulu-Natal province, TimesLIVE reports.
Experience in medicine and midwifery
Niasulu said her interest in the topic emerged during her childhood in Flagstaff, in the Eastern Cape province. She watched midwives at work and listened to their conversations about childbirth. In 1964, Niasulu enrolled in nursing training at Livingstone Hospital in Port Elizabeth and later specialised in midwifery.
Her professional career included general and psychiatric nursing, midwifery, and advanced midwifery and neonatal care. She also earned a Bachelor of Nursing degree specialising in public health and nursing management, as well as a clinical master’s degree in maternal, child and women’s health. Niasulu worked as a provincial coordinator for maternal, child and women’s health in KwaZulu-Natal and contributed to the development of national and provincial guidelines on maternal and newborn care.
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Supporting families after childbirth
In her research, Niasulu examined the possibility of involving families more actively in caring for mothers and newborns. According to her, relatives previously took part in supporting the woman who had given birth and the midwife, but this practice ceased as people moved from communities to cities and townships. The researcher expressed a desire to restore it in cooperation with healthcare workers, health authorities and communities.
Her doctoral studies coincided with a difficult period: in 2019, Niasulu lost her daughter and her husband Guy, who was her greatest supporter. She also experienced health problems and had to adapt to the technological requirements of postgraduate studies. Niasulu said that her family and academic supervisors helped her complete the research.
A degree in honour of grandmothers
Another university graduate, Lethukuhula Mngomezulu, earned a Bachelor of Laws degree and dedicated the graduation ceremony to his late grandmothers. For the ceremony, he wore a tie he had created featuring images of his maternal and paternal grandmothers, as well as a photo of himself at the age of 18 months. Mngomezulu said that one grandmother bought him a school uniform every year and encouraged him to study well, while the other motivated him to achieve more in life.
