Staff appointed in senior positions

A few senior staff appointments have recently been made at the University of Pretoria. Prof Stephanie Burton from the Cape Peninsula University of Technology was appointed as the Vice-Principal: Research and Postgraduate Education. Prof Carolina Koornhof will fill the position of Executive Director (Finance and Business Activities) from 1 April this year, and Prof Eric Buch was appointed as dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences from 1 January.

Prof Stephanie Burton

Prof Burton will join the University on 1 April 2011, and will initially work with Prof Robin Crewe, the outgoing incumbent of the position.

Prof Burton is currently the Director: Postgraduate Studies at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology. She holds a B-rating from the National Research Foundation (NRF) and enjoys international recognition for her research in organic chemistry and biochemistry.

She has successfully managed several large and diverse research groupings and projects, often involving substantial budgets and international collaboration. She has an excellent track record of fund raising for her research group, having successfully generated more than R25 million in research funding.


Prof Stephanie Burton

Prof Carolina Koornhof

Prof Koornhof is currently dean of the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences at UP and an UP alumna. She holds a doctoral degree in accounting and is a registered chartered accountant (SA).

She specialises in financial reporting, and has, among other publications, published four textbooks on accounting and financial reporting with co-authors. Furthermore, she was invited to join the British Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) as a fellow and is a registered auditor with the Independent Regulating Board of Auditors of South Africa.

In 2007, Prof Koornhof was nominated by the University to attend the Advanced Management Programme (AMP) at Harvard Business School in the USA. She has acted as board member and audit committee member of a number of entities and as trustee of the UP Pension and Provident Fund, and thus has extensive experience in the oversight, governance, finances and management of large organisations.

Prof Koornhof will take up her position as executive director on 1 April.


Prof Carolina Koornhof

Prof Eric Buch

Before his appointment as dean, Prof Buch was professor of health policy and management in the School of Health Systems and Public Health at the University of Pretoria. He is a medical doctor and a registered specialist in community medicine, and serves as health adviser to the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD).

Over the past 30 years, Prof Buch has gained executive experience in academic, government, non-governmental organisation (NGO) and global health environments in the fields of health policy and management, health systems, the health workforce, as well as research, education and community service, and has built skills in strategic development. Over the past decade he has developed his expertise in the field of human resources for health at the continental and global levels. He is currently working on developing an executive leadership programme in health in collaboration with Harvard and Fort Hare universities. He is also the scientific coordinator of a European Union Incodev Project on Health Initiatives in Africa.

Prof Buch’s future plans include strengthening the reputation and visibility of the faculty based on the innovative developments implemented by this faculty team. Some of these developments are curricula reform and review, changes in admission policies, staff development programmes and a comprehensive student support system – especially for historically disadvantaged students.

Prof Eric Buch