17/04/2025
Epitome of Excellence...
It is possible.
Well done Prof Tshifularo!!!
South African 🇿🇦 doctor Mashudu Tshifularo, is the first surgeon in the world to successfully perform surgery to cure deafness.
Dr Tshifularo is also South Africa’s first Black otolaryngologist.
In 2019, at the University of Pretoria and Steve Biko Academic Hospital, Professor Tshifularo and his team of medics used innovative 3D technology to print the bones that make up the middle ear (hammer, anvil, stirrup and the ossicles) and successfully implanted the model into a trauma patient.
“By replacing only the ossicles that aren’t functioning properly, the procedure carries significantly less risk than known prostheses and their associated surgical procedures. We will use titanium for this procedure, which is biocompatible. We use an endoscope to do the replacement, so the transplant is expected to be quick, with minimal scarring,” Dr Tshifularo said.
Dr Mashudu Tshifularo was born in the rural village of Mbahela outside Thohoyandou, in Venda, South Africa. His father, Zacharia Thanyani Tshifularo, was a herder.
He attended Mbilwi Secondary School in Simbasa, Limpopo. He continued his schooling at the University of Natal, where he began his medical profession in 1990 at Tshilidzini Hospital.
He has always wanted to be a doctor since he was a child. Despite being born into a low-income family, he fought hard both to achieve his aspirations.
Dr Tshifularo’s 3D-printed middle-ear replacement operation is not his first historical achievement in medicine. In 2008, he created history by devising a surgical procedure that allowed for a bloodless endoscope-assisted tonsillectomy, the world’s first.
“Our future is in innovation towards excellent, internationally recognised solutions. Our aims are to improve safety and efficiency and to reduce costs in our communities as the field of ENT progresses,” Dr Tshifularo said.
His medical accomplishments have been extensively recognised both in South Africa and beyond. At the 2019 Health Excellence Awards, he received the Global Excellence Award for Excellence in Medical Research.
He also received the Hamilton Naki Award at the 2019 NRF Prizes, in addition to other awards and recognitions.
