Health Sciences Writing Lab-led project wins Oxford VC Award

Papers with Purpose, a project led by the Writing Lab in the University of Cape Town’s (UCT) Faculty of Health Sciences (FHS), has scooped the University of Oxford’s (Oxford) Research Culture Award. The award is for treating scholarly writing as a social and identity practice, and for their dedication in assisting postgraduate students and early-career researchers to develop impactful, empirical research publications.

The announcement was made during Oxford’s 2026 Vice-Chancellor’s Awards in June. The award recognises an inclusive writing programme that transforms research culture through capacity development and community building among scholars from underrepresented groups.

The award-winning project was recognised for its impact on early-career researchers who work in the field of health professions education across Southern Africa.

“Naturally, we are proud of this award. But we are most proud of the postgraduate students and early-career African scholars who put their trust in us and gave up their time for this programme,” said Dr Natashia Muna, the director of the FHS Writing Lab, based in the Department of Health Sciences Education. “The participants are at the heart of this work, and it is their dedicated effort that has made this project a success.”

UCT News spoke to the Writing Lab’s Dr Muna and academic literacies specialist Taahira Goolam Hoosen for more on the project and what this award means.

Niémah Davids (ND): What set the wheels in motion for your collaboration with Oxford?

Taahira Goolam Hoosen (TGH): I came across the British Academy’s funding call for international writing workshops in developing nations. One of the application criteria was to work in partnership with a United Kingdom (UK) institution of higher learning. So, I reached out to UCT alumna Dr Danica Sims, a senior lecturer in the Department of Education and the course director of the MSc in Medical Education programme at Oxford about the possibility to partner with us.

In no time, Danica and the director of our Writing Lab, Dr Muna, met to brainstorm some ideas and the Papers with Purpose project was conceptualised. The idea is to use the project as a springboard to support research literacy development and publication within the field of health professions education. Our focus is on Southern African researchers.

ND: Tell us more about Papers with Purpose.

TGH: Papers with Purpose was designed to provide participants with longitudinal, structured, mentored support. The year-long programme is supported by the South African Association of Health Educationalists (SAAHE) annual conference. As the premier health professions education conference, it provides an important opportunity for novice researchers to connect and learn from others in the field. Gathering participants for the conference also created an opportunity for an intensive two-day writing workshop to kick-start participants’ writing process. Following the conference and workshop, participants attended monthly webinars focused on different aspects of research writing and also had the opportunity to attend weekly online writing sessions.

ND: What makes the project unique?

Natashia Muna (NM): Papers with Purpose is grounded in the Writing Lab’s transformative academic literacies ideology: We treat scholarly writing as a social and identity practice. Participants aren’t being remediated with so-called writing skills. Instead, they’re being supported to claim authorial voice and to publish on their own terms. The project also addresses a structural gap in knowledge production and doesn’t just teach manuscript writing. It addresses professional identity development.

ND: What kind of impact has this project had on early-career researchers in the field?

NM: At an individual level, participants developed knowledge and skills that relate to academic writing, manuscript development, journal selection, peer review and publishing processes, grant writing, and research dissemination.

“Winning this award truly legitimises our work and provides outstanding recognition for this important work to continue.”

Through regular webinars, writers’ circles, and “shut up and write” sessions, we helped participants establish sustainable writing practices and progress their own research towards publication. Evidence of this capacity development can be seen in the publication output produced during and following the programme, as well as participants’ reports of increased confidence as researchers and academic writers.

ND: What are some of the lessons you’ve learned that you’ll be applying?

NM: We learned the value of combining face-to-face engagement with sustained online support. We also learned the importance of flexibility. As a participant, when you are balancing academic, clinical, teaching and personal responsibilities, flexibility is important. And finally, the importance of peer-to-peer support. It is integral to the researcher development journey.

ND: How are you using this project to transform research culture through capacity development and community building among scholars from underrepresented contexts?

NM: When it comes to capacity development, we provide structured, mentored writing support that treats participants as emerging scholars with something to say. We also walk the road to publication with them. We attain community building by connecting participants to each other, as well as to wider networks through conference participation.

TGH: The aim of this work is cultural – to build a foundational southern knowledge base so that our research and practice aren’t dependent on northern framings that don’t fit our context. Transforming research culture, for us, means shifting who gets to produce authoritative knowledge that starts with helping underrepresented scholars publish work, and to be cited by their peers.

ND: What does this award mean to you?

NM: Winning this award truly legitimises our work and provides outstanding recognition for this important work to continue.

Other members who contributed to the project include UCT’s Professor Francois Cilliers and Dr Lynelle Govender.