The society aims to provide academic support, training, and the establishment of guidelines for comprehensive and holistic peripartum medicine.
SOOMSA (Society of Obstetric Medicine South Africa) was founded in 2020 to represent health care workers caring for women with medical conditions in pregnancy.
Obstetric medicine focuses on the pre-pregnancy, intra-partum and post-partum care of women with medical conditions. Obstetric physicians work closely with maternal fetal medicine specialists in caring for women with chronic or acute medical conditions.
We aim to provide support for all health care workers working with women with medical conditions associated with pregnancy.
SOOMSA is a non profit organization dedicated to the reduction of maternal mortality in South Africa.
Become a Member
SOOMSA welcomes all physicians, obstetricians, anaesthetists and midwives caring for expecting mothers.
MEMBER BENEFITS
The opportunity to be first in line to join meetings, training workshops and events
Join a large network of your peers and experts
Contribute to establishing guidelines for Obstetric Medicine in South Africa
Access to research and trials
Quarterly Newsletter with the latest news from SOOMSA and international Obstetric Medicine Societies
NEW MEMBER
R300
(please note that membership fees are not pro-rated and the SOOMSA membership year runs from 1 March to to 28 February)
ANNUAL RENEWAL
R300 per year
payable by 31 March every year
(please note that membership fees are not pro-rated and the SOOMSA membership year runs from 1 March to to 28 February)
Meet the Team
Society of Obstetric Medicine South Africa
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Treasurer
Dr Lizemarie Wium is a Specialist Physician with an interest in Obstetric Medicine. She completed MBChB at the University of the Free State, and in 2016 acquired an MMed (Internal Medicine) and FCP(SA) from the University of Pretoria. Lizemarie was trained in Obstetric Medicine by Prof. Catherine Nelson-Piercy at the Guy's and St Thomas Hospital Trust, London in 2018. She practiced as a General and Obstetric Physician at the University of Pretoria until 2021 and now practices as an Obstetric Physician at King’s College Hospital in London. She has a special interest in the care of high risk obstetric patients, critical care obstetrics and renal disease in pregnancy.
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IT and Administration
Dr Valerie Vannevel graduated from the Catholic University Leuven, Belgium and relocated to South Africa in 2015. She started her academic career at the University of Pretoria in 2016 while working at Kalafong Provincial Tertiary Hospital. She then moved over to the University of the Witwatersrand in 2022 and works as a consultant at Rahima Moosa Mother & Child Hospital. She is currently completing her subspecialty training in Maternal and Fetal Medicine. She has been involved in several antenatal and intrapartum research projects and guideline development, both national and international. Her academic interests lie in the prevention and management of adverse pregnancy outcomes and development of new technologies.
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Secretary
Shastra Bhoora is a specialist Obstetrician and Gynaecologist and is a subspecialist in Critical Care. She completed her MSc (Wits) in 2022. Shastra is affiliated with the University of the Witwatersrand as an Honorary Lecturer in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology and in the Centre for Health Science Education in Simulation. She is also affiliated with Baylor College of Medicine, in Texas, USA as an Associate Professor in Maternal Critical Care. She is a faculty member of the SMFM Critical Care Obstetrics Simulation Team and an instructor for Basic ICU courses held at Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital. Since 2019, Shastra has served on the NCCEMD as a maternal death assessor for Gauteng Central.
Her key interests involve preventing critical illness by optimizing maternal early warning signs vigilance and by offering timeous critical organ support when needed. By teaching and mentorship Shastra believes that great skill, ongoing education and strong intuition will empower women and their pregnancies to live healthier and happier lives.
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Executive Member
Prof. Elise Schapkaitz is a Specialist Haematologist at Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital and the National Health Laboratory Service in Johannesburg, South Africa. She completed her PhD in the field of pregnancy and venous thromboembolism in 2023. She has a special interest in managing anticoagulation in pregnant women and delivering care within a multidisciplinary team.
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Chairperson
Jarrod Zamparini is a Specialist Physician in the Department of Internal Medicine at Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital (CMJAH) and Netcare Park Lane Hospital. He completed his undergraduate training at the University of Pretoria and his postgraduate training in Internal Medicine on the University of the Witwatersrand training circuit. Jarrod has a special interest in Obstetric Medicine and is passionate about working with Obstetricians and other healthcare professionals to deliver top quality medical care to pregnant women with medical problems. He has established an Obstetric Medicine Unit at CMJAH and provides an Obstetric Medicine service at Netcare Park Lane Hospital.
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Deputy Chairperson
Dr Samantha Budhram is a subspecialist in Maternal Fetal Medicine (MFM) and received an MPhil (MFM) from the Stellenbosch University in 2016. She is currently Head of Clinical Unit in the Department of Maternal Fetal Medicine at Tygerberg Hospital and a senior lecturer in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at Stellenbosch University. She has a keen interest in the impact of maternal disease on the feto-placental unit and pathology of the feto-placental unit affecting maternal health (e.g. Diabetes and the hypertensive disorders). She loves teaching and enjoys research. Her goal is to increase access to care and more specifically quality care to pregnant women and their unborn child/children and believes that the key is education and creating opportunities and SOOMSA is ideally positioned to make the change!
Latest News
“Obstetric physicians can play a vital part in the management of complicated pregnancies. South Africa has most of the infrastructure ready for developing an obstetric medicine programme and sub-speciality. With an increased focus on maternal health, babies and children will be nurtured into stronger, healthier adults. The HPCSA and College of Medicine do not yet recognise obstetric medicine as a sub-speciality.”
Lizemarie Wium