Rate My Professor Vhonani Netshandama

Professor Vhonani Olive Netshandama is a Professor of Nursing Education and Community Engagement and Director of the Directorate of Community Engagement, Entrepreneurship, Inclusive Innovation and Commercialisation at the University of Venda. She holds a four-year diploma in nursing sciences, a degree majoring in Nursing Education and Nursing Administration from the University of South Africa, as well as honours and master’s degrees from the same institution completed between 1993 and 1997. She earned her doctoral degree in Nursing Education and Professional Nursing from the University of Johannesburg in 2003, with a focus on university-community partnerships.

Professor Netshandama joined the University of Venda in 1999 and has over two decades of experience in higher education. She served as the first Director of Community Engagement from 2009 and has held her current directorship role for more than 15 years. Her research specializations include community engagement, social entrepreneurship, participatory action research, indigenous knowledge systems, and social innovation leadership. She has supervised 28 master’s students and 18 PhD students, co-published over 50 articles in areas such as health, nursing, community engagement partnerships, and social entrepreneurship education, and mentored hundreds of students and colleagues. She is a DST Distinguished Woman (Social) Scientist, a certified ELI Entrepreneurial Mindset facilitator, and an alumnus of the MIT Innovation Leadership Boot Camp. Professor Netshandama has led initiatives including the rural Women in Entrepreneurship support programme and the skills for the future programme for grade 12 learners.

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