Professor Jackie Stewart has a PhD in Psychology and over 30 years of community mental health experience including heading up the Counselling Department of The Trauma Centre for Survivors of Violence and Torture. Such expertise positioned her well to move into the public health research space in 2008. At that time Professor Stewart joined Stellenbosch University within the Institute of Life Course Health Research (ILCHR) where she held the position of the Director of the Masiphuhlisane Research Centre in Khayelitsha for 12 years. It was during this time that Professor Stewart worked with the World Health Organisation on the ‘Zifune’ Programme. She was the Lead Intervention Developer for the programme which later became the Change The World (CTW) intervention supported by the Vodacom Foundation and the Department of Basic Education. Professor Stewart continues to be actively involved in CTW by running training for all of the CTW psychosocial support workers. Professor Stewart is currently the Executive Director of SHAWCO, UCT, and the Director of Advocacy, Community Engagement and Service at the Division of Global Surgery, UCT.
