Co-President Sebastiana Kalula retires from Geriatric Medicine at Groote Schuur Hospital

Sebastiana Kalula retired as a consultant in Geriatric Medicine at Groote Schuur Hospital and the University of Cape Town at the end of August 2019. Her retirement comes after 22 years of service in the position. She has subsequently been appointed as Emeritus Associate Professor in the Institute of Ageing in Africa at the University, and will continue to conduct research and to build ILC South Africa.

In her Valedictory Lecture on August 27, entitled “We are all getting there: Where are the old age health professionals?“, she traced steps in her career, reviewed the state of Geriatric Medicine in South Africa – practice and training, and shared amusing anecdotes of her experience as an African woman practicing clinical medicine in patriarchal African society.

The lecture, which was well attended, was followed by a reception. A choir from the NGO Grandmothers Against Poverty and AIDS (GAPA) (hyperlink to GAPA) entertained the audience with songs in isiXhosa towards the end of the lecture, and then mingled with guests at the reception.

Professor Marc Combrinck, Sebastiana Kalula, Professor Wendy Spearman and retired Professor Monica Ferreira at a reception following the lecture

Sebastiana Kalula with a team of GAPA members who sang and danced at the ceremony