Cape Town - Hailing from Manenberg, University of Cape Town (UCT) head of Clinical Skills Centre, Dr Marvin Jansen, has been awarded the prestigious Harvard South Africa Fellowship for 2025.
Jansen’s centre forms part of the Department of Health Sciences Education.
Prior to joining the university, he worked as an advanced life support paramedic in both the public and private sectors.
It was during his time as a paramedic lecturer that he discovered and developed a passion for education in health care.
He founded and leads the African Simulation Network, an initiative aimed at advancing health care simulation across the African continent.
“My work currently revolves around health care simulation, a powerful tool for training future health care professionals.
“I hold a PhD in Health Sciences Education, and my passion is twofold: first, to help health care professionals become more effective educators, and second, to explore how health care simulation can enhance the training of health care students,” Jansen said.
“My belief in the transformative power of education is what brought me into this field. I am deeply committed to helping people become the best versions of themselves, and I see education, both formal and informal, as a key vehicle for achieving this.”
The husband and father of two is the eldest of two children raised in Manenberg by Maureen and Allan Jansen.
“While Manenberg, like many areas in the Cape Flats, faces significant social challenges, it is also a community defined by resilience.
“My family played a critical role in instilling values of perseverance and determination in me.”
Established in 1979 by Harvard University President Derek Bok, the Harvard South Africa Fellowship Programme (HSAFP) provides educational opportunities to South Africans who had been denied access to higher education as a result of and during apartheid.
The programme was also a response to the movement by Harvard students and faculty during the divestment campaigns of the 1970s.
“The programme offers mid-career professionals from South Africa the chance to study at Harvard University, typically for a year, with the goal of equipping them with skills to contribute to South Africa’s development across various sectors, including public service, business, academia and civil society.”
Jansen was selected to attend the prestigious general management programme at Harvard Business School.
The programme focuses on enhancing strategic thinking, leadership skills and overall business management abilities, he said.
“Being selected for this fellowship is both an incredible honour and a humbling recognition of my professional journey. It offers me a platform to grow, not just as a leader, but as someone committed to making a meaningful impact both in South Africa and beyond.”
Jansen uses the widely popular TikTok social media app, under the username Dr Marvin Jansen (PhD), to reach a wider audience and particularly high school learners, using the platform to share educational content in an engaging and accessible manner.
With friend Kevin Martin, he has also co-founded an in-person mathematics tutoring initiative called SilverStream Tutoring, offering tutoring sessions within the Heideveld community.
@dr.marvin.jansen Critically ill patient management with 3rd year UCT medical students. #medicalsimulation #uct #medicaleducation ♬ original sound - Dr Marvin Jansen (PhD)