Soraya Maart

Soraya Maart is an Associate Professor in the Division of Physiotherapy in the Faculty of Health Sciences ath the university of Cape Town. She completed her BSc Physiotherapy and Masters in Public Health at the University of the Western Cape. She has a keen interest in improving access to people with disabilities and has completed her PhD at the University of Cape Town in this area. She serves on the World Health Organisation of Classifications (WHOFIC) Network as the South African representative in the Functioning and Disability Reference Group and ask secretariat to the Family Development Committee. The purpose of the WHOFIC is the maintenance and development of classifications for the standardized reporting of health information globally.

She was the Head of the Physiotherapy Division from 2011-2017. She convened the Undergraduate Education Committee for the Department of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences (2011-2019). The focus of the committee was the development of shared learning opportunities and the enhancement of interprofessional collaborative clinical practice. A/Prof Maart is the 4th year convener and the course convener of Becoming a Rehabilitation Professional I and II.

Her main research interests are in promoting standardized reporting of disability and functioning, improving equitable access to services for people with disability and health promotion. She serves on the editorial boards of journals and is frequently invited as a reviewer.

Education

• UCT- PhD in Physiotherapy
• Mastes in Public Health University of the Western Cape

Teaching areas

Becoming a Rehabilitation Professional 1 and 2.

Research focus areas

• HIV/AIDS and community health
• Provision of rehabilitation services at community level

Research Interests

• Public Health
• Provision of rehabilitation services at community level
• Disability in context

Publications

Leonardi, M., Lee, H., van der Veen, S. Maart S et al. Avoiding the Banality of Evil in Times of COVID-19: Thinking Differently with a Biopsychosocial Perspective for Future Health and Social Policies Development. SN Compr. Clin. Med. (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42399-020-00486-8

Maart, S., Amosun, S., & Jelsma, J. (2019). Disability prevalence-context matters: A descriptive community-based survey. African Journal of Disability, 8, 8 pages. (https://doi.org/10.4102/ajod.v8i0.512)

Amosun, S.L., Maart, S. & Naidoo, N.(2018) ‘Addressing change in physiotherapy education in South Africa’, South African Journal of Physiotherapy 74(1), a431. https://doi.org/10.4102/sajp.v 74i1.431 (https://doi.org/10.4102/sajp.v74 i1.431)

Jelsma J, Maart S. Should additional domains be added to the EQ-5D health-related quality of life instrument for community-based studies? An analytical descriptive study. Population Health Metrics (2015) 13:13 doi:10.1186/s12963-015-0046-0

Dean E, de Andrade AD, O'Donoghue G, Skinner M, Umereh G, Beenen P, Cleaver S, Afzalzada D, Delaune MF, Footer C, Gannotti M, Gappmaier E, Figl-Hertlein A, Henderson B, Hudson MK, Spiteri K, King J, Klug JL, Laakso EL, LaPier T, Lomi C, Maart S, Matereke N, Meyer ER, M'kumbuzi VR, Mostert-Wentzel K, Myezwa H, Olsén MF, Peterson C, Pétursdóttir U, Robinson J, Sangroula K, Stensdotter AK, Tan BY, Tschoepe BA, Bruno S, Mathur S, Wong WP. The Second Physical Therapy Summit on Global Health: developing an action plan to promote health in daily practice and reduce the burden of non-communicable diseases. Physiother Theory Pract. 2014 May;30(4):261-75. doi: 10.3109/09593985.2013.856977. Epub 2013 Nov 19.

Maart S, Jelsma J. Disability and access to health care – a community based descriptive study-Disability and Rehabilitation. Posted online on July 5, 2013. (doi:10.3109/09638288.2013.807883)

Edries N, Jelsma J, Maart S, The Impact of an Employee Wellness Programme in Clothing/Textile Manufacturing Companies: A randomised controlled trial. BMC Public Health 11 Jan 2013 (www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2458/13/25)

S Amosun, S Kambalametore, S Maart, G Ferguson Undergraduate physiotherapy education in Malawi - The views of students on disability. Malawi medical journal: the journal of Medical Association of Malawi 25(2):40-44 · June 2013

Amosun SL, Maart S, Ferguson G, Manie S (2012) Curriculum Transformation in Physiotherapy- pointers from South African students record-. South African Journal of Physiotherapy 68 (1)

Amosun SL, Maart S, Ferguson G, Manie S. Widening access to undergraduate physiotherapy education in South Africa - pointers from students’ records. South African Journal of Physiotherapy; Vol 68, No 2 (2012), 38-45. doi: 10.4102/sajp.v68i2.15

Soraya Maart: Reflections on how to use Disability Data for Service Planning pg 58-60. Disability Catalyst Africa (Series No.2) Marrying Community Development and Rehabilitation: Reality or Aspiration for Disabled People. 2012.Edited by Theresa Lorenzo: