On 11 August 2022, Prof James Wabwire Oguttu, from the Department of Agriculture and Animal Health in the College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, delivered his inaugural lecture entitled "Antimicrobial drug resistance: Is the post-antibiotic era upon us?".
In his lecture, Oguttu discussed antimicrobial/antibiotic drug resistance. He stated the need to preserve the effectiveness of these vitally important compounds since failure to do so would spell doom for humanity. He focused on two things: training future epidemiologists, and contributing to the creation of knowledge in veterinary public health through publishing.
"The greatest lesson I have learnt during my journey in academia is not to be selfish with knowledge," Oguttu said. While doing his PhD thesis he was stuck, and did not know how to proceed with analysis until he told a colleague about it. He was not actually looking for help; he just wanted to vent about problems with his thesis. However, on hearing his story, the colleague offered his assistance. From there it was plain sailing to complete the thesis.
In addition, he said, most of what he knows and can do he learnt from colleagues who were willing to share their knowledge and skills with him. The other lesson he has learnt is that in academia hard work pays – the more hours you put in the more you get out. He has also learned that collaboration is key in academia. As they say, "If you want to go fast, go alone; but if you want to go far, go together". Through collaborations, he has made significant and, in some instances, even giant strides in his academic journey.
His research interest is in the field of veterinary public health and the epidemiology of foodborne diseases and antimicrobial drug-resistant pathogens in humans and animals. His said that he had always wanted to contribute to the well-being of both humans and animals. By researching foodborne diseases and antimicrobial drug-resistant pathogens of animal and human origin, he is contributing towards enhancing the quality of life for both humans and animals.
When asked about his thoughts on supervision, Oguttu declared that nothing is as fulfilling as taking someone through the process of developing an idea into something concrete like a dissertation or thesis. He said he loves seeing the joy on students’ faces when their names appear in print and their work is published in a peer-reviewed journal for the first time. In addition, the thought that he contributed to raising future academics makes him want to do it over and over again.
In Oguttu’s view, supervision and being a mentor are one and the same, even though distinctions are usually drawn between the two. However, on the whole supervision includes elements of mentoring.
To date, Oguttu has supervised the studies of six doctoral and seven master’s students to completion. He is currently supervising and/or co-supervising 11 postgraduate students with their doctoral theses or master’s dissertations. He indicated that it is not possible to be happy with everyone’s work as no two students are the same. "You get those who are determined to work hard and produce good work; and there are those who are not ready to pull their weight and need to be babied all the way," he commented.
When asked what inspired him to choose a career in a challenging field of teaching, he responded: "Firstly, I have a passion for developing young people. Secondly, I love research and community engagement. The only place you can do it all (teaching, researching and reaching out to communities), is at the university. Hence my choice to take up a career in academia."
Prof Oguttu’s wish is for the academic project to be given the prominence it deserves. He fully supports the Principal and Vice-Chancellor, Prof Puleng LenkaBula, in her endeavour to prioritise the academic project at Unisa. "The number one objective should be producing high-quality products: highly skilled and well-rounded graduates," he said.
Oguttu mentioned that he is part of the Mobile Clinic Community Engagement Project housed in the Department of Agriculture and Animal Health. He commented: "It is a great opportunity to give back to the community in terms of feedback from the research we do and the services we render during community engagement."
Oguttu has collaborated extensively and continues to collaborate with Prof Agricola Odoi from the University of Tennessee in the United States. In addition, his PhD study was part of a collaboration with the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) based in Nairobi, and he is currently reviving this collaboration. Next, he would like to conduct research in other countries either for purposes of learning from colleagues out there or passing on skills to those who have not been as fortunate to be exposed to what he knows and can do.
In conclusion, Oguttu remarked that he would like to be remembered for having contributed to building the community of researchers in animal diseases in South African, and for having contributed to the body of knowledge in terms of the epidemiology of antibiotic/antimicrobial drug resistance.
* By Gugulethu Ngcobo, Administrative Marketing Assistant, College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences
Publish date: 2022-08-30 00:00:00.0