Prof Leon Janse van Rensburg is a distinguished academic who has been recognised internationally for expertise in head and neck imaging. Picture: Taygon Sass

The University of the Western Cape (UWC) Dentistry Faculty proudly celebrated the re-appointment of Prof Leon Janse van Rensburg as Extraordinary Professor in the Department of Craniofacial Biology, Pathology, and Radiology. This marks his ninth three-year term - a rare and remarkable milestone that reflects his decades of dedication to radiology, education and innovation.

“Last night I found my first appointment letter as an extraordinary professor… dated December 1998. This is my ninth tenure of three years that I'm starting,” he said.

His reappointment has come at a time of rapid transformation in medical imaging. Prof Janse van Rensburg is now championing the procurement of a cranio-maxillofacial MRI unit at UWC. This will transform patient care and research at the faculty.

“We cannot take imaging further with black and white. We can make it faster, we can make it smaller, but we cannot take it further to get more information. We need advanced imaging modalities,” he said.

Prof Manogari Chetty, Head of Department: Craniofacial Biology, Pathology & Radiology, Prof Leon Janse van Rensburg, Extraordinary Professor at UWC, and the Dean of the Faculty of Dentistry, Prof Veerasamy Yengopal. Picture: Taygon Sass

Prof Janse van Rensburg advocated for low-field MR machines that were ideally compact, affordable, and could be installed in clinics and hospitals, and even in rural areas. These machines offer functional imaging at the cellular level and could be life-saving in cases like strokes or paediatric trauma. 

He said: “You can most probably do it for a third of the price of a big machine, but it's a dedicated machine, which I think UWC should explore acquiring.”

The Dean of Dentistry, Prof Veerasamy Yengopal, encouraged young researchers to look to Prof Janse van Rensburg for inspiration and mentorship: “UWC wants to be a global player in dentistry, in teaching, training and research. With the staff of Prof Janse van Rensburg’s calibre, we’ve already reached that kind of level. He has always inspired a lot of these young colleagues to move on in the same direction, and the hope is he will continue to do so.”

Prof Janse van Rensburg’s career spans over four decades, with a footprint in clinical practice, academic leadership and international collaboration. He currently serves as a consulting radiologist at Tygerberg Hospital and holds extraordinary professorships at both UWC and Stellenbosch University.