Meet the Finalists in Human and Social Sciences – Distinguished Young Woman Researcher Category at the South African Women in Science Awards 2025

As South Africa celebrates Women’s Month, the Department of Science, Technology and Innovation (DSTI) proudly unveils the finalists of the South African Women in Science Awards (SAWISA) 2025. These exceptional women exemplify excellence, leadership, and transformative impact in research and innovation. Today, we spotlight the finalists in the Distinguished Young Woman Researcher category in the Human and Social Sciences.
Dr Maurine Musie is a Senior Lecturer and Advanced Midwife Specialist in the Department of Nursing Sciences at the University of Pretoria (UP). Dr Musie is recognised as the youngest PhD holder in the nursing department at UP.
Dr Musie's research focuses on optimising maternal and neonatal health through interdisciplinary approaches that integrate indigenous and formal healthcare practices. Her work promotes collaboration between midwives and traditional birth attendants in rural, resource-constrained settings. These efforts provide culturally sensitive and policy-relevant strategies to improve maternal and neonatal outcomes in South Africa. She currently leads a pioneering training programme to enhance continuous professional development for midwives and educators in obstetric emergency care. This initiative supports South Africa's National Development Plan 2030, AU Agenda 2063, and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), while also contributing to international collaboration and policy advancement.
She holds prominent leadership roles, including serving on the executive committees of the South African Young Academy of Science (SAYAS) and the Society of Midwives in South Africa, and as the African Regional Leader for the International Nursing Now Global Committee, in collaboration with the Burdett Trust for Nursing. Additionally, she is the Board Secretary for the Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing. In 2024, she was named a Fellow of Black Women in Science.
In recognition of her work, Dr Musie was selected in 2024 as one of South Africa's top 10 scientists to represent the country at the BRICS Forum in Russia, where she presented research on mobile health technologies for managing obstetric emergencies.
Dr Musie has published 19 peer-reviewed articles, including six as first author. Her work is cited in Scopus (h-index = 4), Web of Science (h-index = 3), and Google Scholar (h-index = 6). She also contributed a chapter to the book Working with Indigenous Knowledge: Strategies for Health Professionals, which addresses African beliefs and practices during pregnancy, childbirth and postpartum care.
She currently serves as an Academic Editor for Public Library of Science (PLoS) One and is a keynote speaker at national and international events. She has won multiple awards, including the Emergent Research Excellence Award at UP (2021), the 2024 Emerging Young Women Leaders Award by the Higher Education Resources Services South Africa (HERS-SA), the South African Health Excellence Emerging Leader Award (2024), and the International Bioscience Scientists Award for Nursing Sciences (2025).
She has supervised 14 master's and five honours students, and currently supervises six PhD, 13 master's and nine honours students in midwifery and neonatal care.
Stay tuned as we continue to profile the 2025 finalists during Women’s Month.