AfrIPEN board
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
Prof Gérard Filies is a registered Occupational Therapist by profession with a B.Sc. (Occupational Therapy) degree from the University of the Western Cape. He also has an M.Phil. (Health Sciences Education) Master’s degree from Stellenbosch University and a PhD in the Child and Family Studies programme at the University of the Western Cape (UWC). The title of his PhD study was Development of an interprofessional education model that aims to instil the core competencies of interprofessional collaborative practice in allied health students’ curriculum.
At UWC, he is employed as a full-time senior lecturer and Chairperson of the Interprofessional Education Unit (IPEU) in the Faculty of Community & Health Sciences. Research areas of interest are aligned to Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 3 (Good Health and Wellbeing) , 4 (Quality Education) and include: Interprofessional Education, Service-Learning, Health Promotion, Primary Health Care and Community-Based Education. Dr Gérard Filies as part of a team was appointed as convenor for driving the process for registration and accreditation of the Postgraduate Diploma in Interprofessional Education in Health – a first of its kind in the Western Cape, if not a first in South Africa. The programme was launched in August 2021. This is aligned to Agenda 2063, Aspiration 6, by getting the African Health Professionals to relying on their potential to work collaboratively in addressing the health inequalities in our country.
PROF GERARD FILIES (Chairperson)
Dr. Hanlie Pitout is an occupational therapist and senior lecturer in the Department of Occupational Therapy. She obtained her undergraduate qualification from the University of Pretoria, a Master’s degree from the University of Limpopo, and a Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Education from the University of Pretoria. She completed her PhD at the University of the Witwatersrand in 2023, focusing on the development of an Interprofessional Education and Collaborative Practice (IPECP) module for health sciences students at Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University. Dr. Pitout is an active researcher and supervisor of undergraduate and postgraduate students. She serves as Vice-Chairperson of AfrIPEN and contributes to the Interprofessional.Global Capacity Building Working Group. A founding member of AfriVIPE, she plays a key role in developing innovative, contextually relevant interprofessional learning experiences, including the annual production of case-based educational resources for international collaboration.
DR HANLIE PITOUT (Vice-Chairperson)
Tammy-Lee Williams is a Lecturer in the Department of Physiotherapy at the University of the Western Cape (UWC). She holds a doctoral degree and has established a focused research programme on chronic pain in the traumatic spinal cord injury population. Her research has been funded by the National Research Foundation, UWC’s Developing Early Career Researchers Programme, and the University of Missouri South African Exchange Programme.
A committed advocate for interprofessional education, Dr Williams serves as an IPE Champion within the Faculty of Community and Health Sciences at UWC, preparing students across multiple health disciplines for collaborative practice through structured faculty-wide events including the Ethics World Café and the Amazing Race. She facilitates interprofessional case-based learning sessions on chronic pain through the Interprofessional Education Unit, equipping physiotherapy and allied health students to manage complex conditions collaboratively. Her community engagement extends beyond the institution. As a member of the South African Society of Physiotherapy, she contributes to its Neurorehabilitation Special Interest Group and, through her work with the Western Cape Rehabilitation Centre and City of Cape Town municipal clinics, has co-created chronic pain management principles and implementation strategies alongside healthcare professionals from multiple disciplines, translating her doctoral scholarship into actionable clinical practice.
Dr Williams serves on the Executive Committee of the African Interprofessional Education Network as Public Relations and Communications Officer, developing and disseminating interprofessional health professions education content to a global audience through digital and social media platforms. She also serves on the Organising Committee of the biennial AfrIPEN conference, contributing to the planning and coordination of one of the region’s foremost interprofessional education events.
DR TAMMY-LEE WILLIAMS (PR & Comms Officer)
Dr Abigail Dreyer (Treasurer) is currently employed as the Research and Training Manager at the Regional NGO the Paediatric-Adolescent Treatment in Africa (PATA). She holds a Master’s in Public Health (MPH) and an Advanced Diploma in Adult Education from the University of the Western Cape. She also holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Health Professions Education & Leadership from the Foundation for Professional Development and an interdisciplinary PhD from the University of the Witwatersrand. She has been a joint faculty member for the Sub-Saharan African FAIMER Regional Institute (SAFRI), which supports medical education, and holds a Consortium for Advanced Research Training in Africa (CARTA) fellowship. Abigail was responsible for teaching at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels and supported interprofessional learning across disciplines in her role as a Lecturer at the University of the Witwatersrand, Faculty of Health Sciences. She served as the Chairperson of the Faculty Committee for Community-Based Health Science Education (CoBHSE). Her research interests include curriculum design, innovations in Health Professions Education, community-engaged teaching, collaborative practice, community-oriented primary care, interprofessional teaching, and research that contributes to improving the quality of health care in rural and underserved areas. Abigail holds an Extraordinary Lecturer position at Stellenbosch University. In practice, she actively supports multilevel partnerships and engages in building the network locally. She has more than 25 years of experience working in rural and underserved communities in the Western Cape, Free State, Gauteng, North West, and Mpumalanga, as well as Lesotho and Swaziland. Dr Dreyer serves on the Executive Committee of the African Interprofessional Education Network as the Treasurer and serves on the Organising Committee of the biennial AfrIPEN conference, contributing to the planning and coordination of one of the region’s foremost interprofessional education events.
DR ABIGAIL DREYER (Treasurer)
Prof Yolande Heymans is a full Professor in the Centre for Health Professions Education, Faculty of Health Sciences, North-West University. As module coordinator, she co-teaches an aligned undergraduate module with 1,500 health students in an online modality. Her main research focuses on health professions education in the higher education context, specifically on the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, enhancing student engagement, interprofessional collaborative learning, large-class teaching, online learning, and authentic pedagogy. Yolande supervises postgraduate students in health professions education, and publications include journal articles, book chapters, and conference papers.
PROF YOLANDE HEYMANS (Secretary)
Dr Luzaan Africa is a Senior-Lecturer and Interprofessional Clinical Supervisor in the Interprofessional Education Unit within the Faculty of Community and Health Sciences at the University of the Western Cape (UWC). Luzaan joined the unit in 2016 after working as a physiotherapist for nearly two years in the private sector. She holds a BSc in Physiotherapy, an MSc in Physiotherapy, and a PhD in Physiotherapy. She is actively involved in the development, implementation, and evaluation of an interprofessional curriculum offered to health and social science students across three faculties at UWC. She also serves as the conference chair of the 2026 Africa Interprofessional Education Network Conference. Her research interests include interprofessional education and collaborative practice, primary health care, and health professions education.
DR LUZAAN AFRICA (2026 Conference Chairperson)
WORKING GROUP LEADS
Working Group: EVALUATION
Dr Fatima Ismail
Working Group: CAPACITY BUILDING
Prof Renata Eccles
Working Group: COMMUNICATION
Dr Estelle Beyers
Working Group: GLOBAL IMPACT
Dr Aayesha Kholvadia
Dr Helga Lister
Working Group: PARTNERSHIP DEVELOPMENT
International (Global) Partnerships: Shamila Gamiet
Regional (Africa) Partnerships: Prof Cynthia Chaibva
Local Partnerships: Dr Jana Muller
