A lecturer in the Department of Basic Medical Sciences at the Durban University of Technology (DUT), Ms Jennifer Ducray, is counting down the days before she graduates with her PhD in Health Sciences at the DUT 2024 Spring Graduation ceremony, to be held at the Durban Exhibition Centre on Thursday, 19 September 2024.
For Ducray, who has been a lecturer at DUT for the past 30 years, this is a great milestone. Despite already having a track record of supervision, personal research, publishing and reviewing, Ducray decided to register for her PhD in the spirit of continuous education and striving for excellence, as well as to broaden her research capacity and footprint.
“I initially felt that embarking on a PhD journey was for younger academics. But I have experienced enthusiastic support from people of all ages, particularly my young students and my own children. Learning and personal growth of every kind is for people of all ages. As Pope John XXIII said, consult not your fears but your hopes and your dreams. Think not about your frustrations, but about your unfulfilled potential. Concern yourself not with what you tried and failed in, but with what it is still possible for you to do,” said Ducray.
The title of her thesis was: “Towards integrated care of the breast cancer patient: Perspectives on the challenges and opportunities of medical pluralism in a disparate society”.
According to Ducray, her study sought to explore Traditional, Complementary, and Alternative Medicine (TCAM) choices and experiences of South African cancer patients and oncologists and to ascertain the challenges and opportunities, for the growth of formalised Integrative Oncology in the local setting. She indicated that the data for the study was derived from patient and oncologist surveys and interviews, with participants recruited from government and private facilities.
“I chose this field of study as it was something I had lived through. I was diagnosed with bilateral breast cancer at the age of 41 and went through five years of treatments and associated side-effects, with many of the latter remaining to this day. I recognised the need for research into the role of TCAM in the lives of patients and oncologists, and an increased understanding of how patients and oncologists navigate the local pluralistic medical landscape. I support the evidence-based holistic approach of Integrative Oncology and wanted to explore the challenges and opportunities for its growth in South Africa,” shared Ducray.
Speaking about juggling a full-time job, running a home and embarking on a complex PhD journey, Ducray said it proved to be much more challenging than she anticipated. At times, she indicated that her PhD had to be placed on the back burner in favour of her work demands, meanwhile there were many occasions when her family had to make adjustments to allow for vital progress in her PhD studies.
“There is no doubt that sacrifices must be made by more than just the student. A PhD journey requires a lot of support and understanding from those closest to them. I was greatly blessed in the unwavering support of my husband,” stated Ducray.
One of the biggest challenges she faced was the outbreak of COVID-19. In addition to the increased duties of a sudden move to online lecturing, Ducray revealed she was unable to access the oncology clinics where her PhD data collection was taking place. Under these tight restrictions, she had to develop creative ways to recruit and collect data from participants, ensuring ongoing compliance with ethical processes.
“In addition, I originally battled to find a statistician to take on my data analysis. I had to learn to do a lot of the initial statistics myself until such time as I could find a statistician. The biggest challenge for me was the passing of my mother in the final months of writing up my thesis. These and other challenges required great courage, faith and the determination to keep persevering one day at a time,” reiterated Ducray.
She hopes to take the skills and knowledge she had gained through her PhD journey, into the DUT and wider community. Ducray feels she has a responsibility to the participants of the study to publish all her findings. She mentioned that she had already presented data at relevant local and international medical forums.
Sharing a heartfelt congratulatory message, the Head of Department of Basic Medical Sciences at DUT, Professor Firoza Haffejee said: “This remarkable accomplishment is a testament to your dedication, hard work and unwavering perseverance. I have watched you tackle your various challenges and push boundaries, in order maintain high standards of scholarship. We are incredibly proud of your achievement and the valuable insights that you will bring to our team. Your new skills and knowledge will contribute to our future successes.”
Pictured: Lecturer in the Department of Basic Medical Sciences at DUT, Ms Jennifer Ducray who will be obtaining her PhD in Health Sciences at the DUT 2024 Spring Graduation.
Simangele Zuma
