Prof. Elly Grossman

Elly Grossman is currently the acting Head, Division of Experimental Odontology in the School of Oral Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand. She is a basic scientist who graduated with an Honours degree in the Department of Botany, specialising in Electron Microscopy.
Her return to academia occurred when she was appointed to the Electron Microscope Unit of the then National Research Institute for Occupational Diseases run by the Medical Research Council (MRC). There she was involved with research projects dealing with aspects of asbestosis, mesothelioma and fibrosing alveolitis.
Two years later she was transferred to the Dental Research Institute (DRI) where she remained until 2005. Initially she worked on oral mucosa and tooth ultrastructure before finding her metier in dental materials and the tooth restoration interface which has remained her research interest ever since.
During her 26 years of MRC service she has risen to the post of Senior Specialist Scientist and Honorary Lecturer at the University of the Witwatersrand, obtained an MSc and PhD, both in the Faculty of Dentistry, has published over 70 papers in peer-reviewed journals, 30 abstracts and has presented close to 70 papers at conferences in South Africa and abroad.
She has served as Acting Director of the DRI, on the EXCO of the Microscopy Society of Southern Africa, the South African Chapter of the Dental Materials Group and the South African Division of the International Association of Dental Research, as well as on the Faculty Boards of Dentistry and Health Sciences. She has been a referee for numerous journals and has supervised and acted as examiner for many higher degrees.
She has just completed a longitudinal study, extending over 55 years, on the research activities and subsequent careers of 132 DRI postgraduates. 
Her abiding interest has been in the fusion of research techniques and supervision skills within the Faculty of Health Sciences. She has been integral to the only formally recognised research techniques course in the Faculty of Health Sciences. This course has run on an annual basis since 1978 and has had over 1 700 attendees, from both inside and outside the University. She has been instrumental in initiating a course for Novice Supervisors and started a Supervision Support Group which serves to transfer skills from seasoned to inexperienced supervisors at the Faculty of Health Sciences. Her experience in postgraduate and supervisor activities led to her secondment to the Wits Postgraduate Project Office in 2009.