Faculty of Dentistry P r o f e s s o r s u d e s h n i n a i d o o t o P ac h i e v e r
Importance of evaluating where to invest your energy most PROFESSOR Sudeshni Naidoo was promoted to Senior Profes- teaching and support; and intensified — doing more of the same sorship based on a proven research and mentorship record, thing). This caused both intellectual and health challenges for contribution to curriculum development, teaching excellence, de- women. partmental and faculty leadership, and service to academic and When asked what the hardest thing about dealing with the panprofessional fields locally, nationally and internationally. demic has been, Prof Naidoo admits that “the transition towards Today, she is an Emeritus Professor at the University of the West- online teaching has been an unwelcome distraction to the proern Cape as well as the Director of the World Health Organigress of writing and research during this time. sation Collaborating Centre for Oral Health. “Spending more time online teaching leaves you Her main research focus areas include infecwith less time for research. Organising ontious diseases and infection control; ethline seminars and supervising students ics, bioethics and research ethics; using digitally are obstacles to writing and information technology for teledenpublishing productivity. tistry; as well as trauma and child “There has also been an increase abuse. in the time needed for gen“For many women already jugeral admin, which has been gling ‘double burdens’ or ‘seca hindrance to conducting ond shifts’, the pandemic shatrobust research. There are tered the precarious, fragile delays in the administrabalance between their protive processes, such as fessional and personal lives. the registration and ethical Routines were upended. clearance of research proDaily habits have completely jects (due to the reduced changed; homes suddenly number of Senate Higher became workplaces and Degrees and Research childcare spaces.” Committee meetings) and She sums up the current situabecause of the inability to tion by observing that women’s collect data, carry out laboparticipation in academic life has ratory work, face-to-face inbeen severely threatened. terviews, observational studies, “The disruptions caused by the Covetc.” id-19 pandemic have endangered the The pandemic helped her realise engagement, experience and retention how important it was to continuously of women in academia, making jobs more evaluate where she needed to invest her precarious than before. This has caused much energy most. anxiety and stress, especially since the demand for “I was careful to engage with and prioritise self-care academic performance from university management continues for my mental and physical health. Essentially, the balance of a as normal.” good quality of life together with a healthy work-life centred on This view is reinforced in a study conducted by Professor Jona- more effective time management, stress management, keepthan Jansen and his team entitled Gening my husband and family members der Inequality in the Shadow of Covid-19. happy, and ensuring the sustainable “I was careful to engage with and They showed that there was a dramatic prioritise self-care for my mental and management of my professional and increase in the academic and adminpersonal lives. These were useful physical health.” istrative workload for women working techniques that helped me integrate under lockdown conditions (additional work-life-family commitments.”
