Wayne Derman is Professor and Executive Head of the Department of Exercise, Sport and Lifestyle Medicine and Director of the Institute of Sport and Exercise Medicine at Stellenbosch University, and is a past president of the South African Sports Medicine Association. He is also Co-Director of the IOC Research Centre of South Africa, Director of the FIFA Medical Center of Excellence, and is Chairperson of the International Paralympic Committee Medical Commission.
Professor Derman has played an important role in clinical support for South Africa’s athletes at International level. He fulfilled the positions of Chief Medical Officer for the South African Team to the Sydney 2000, Athens 2004 Olympic Games, and Medical Officer for the South African Paralympic Team to Beijing 2008 and London 2012. In December to May 2002, he served as Flight Surgeon to Cosmonaught Mark Shuttleworth during the “First African in Space” mission in Russia and served as the Medical Officer for Cape Town for the FIFA 2010 World Cup.
Having diverse interests, he has been awarded many accolades in his career ranging from a Fellowship of the American College of Sports Medicine; the Val Schreire Award for Outstanding Investigator in the Cardiovascular Field in Southern Africa; the Paul Harris award from Rotary International for community contribution; to a Mondi Award nomination for health journalism. Professor Derman was also recipient of the Department of Health and Health Professionals Council award for Excellence in Health Care in South Africa. His research has focused on secondary prevention of chronic disease of lifestyle, and injury and illness prevention in athletes, especially those with disabilities. He has published more than 250 peer-reviewed articles, book chapters and policy documents, and presented widely on the International academic stage.