On Jan. 12, Robert Morris University welcomed its newest Rooney Scholars. The reception was held by the Center of Global Engagement in the Rooney House to introduce husband and wife, Dr. Monwabisi Gantsho and Dr. Moloko Ramashala-Gantsho to RMU this spring semester.

Monwabisi Gantsho is a medical doctor and consultant at Afris Health and Technologies in Johannesburg and Pretoria, South Africa. His wife, Moloko Ramashala-Gantsho is a medical adviser and health risk manager for MMI Health Risk Management in Pretoria, South Africa.

While on campus this semester, the couple plans on sharing their experiences and expertise on healthcare with the Nursing and Health Sciences department. In the midst of settling in on campus, Gantsho and Ramashala-Gantsho took the time to meet with fellow faculty and students at the Rooney House.

“The people are very warm, I must say. Warm and kind. Our experience with everybody, where we needed help, whatever we needed, it has been a warm and kind experience,” said Moloko Ramashala-Gantsho about the people of RMU she’s met so far.

Moloko Ramashala-Gantsho alluded to the lectures the scholars have recently sat in on to expose themselves to how RMU students are taught, learning and what they are capable of contributing to those classes while here this semester.

“The cause of it is to share experiences,” said Moloko Ramashala-Gantsho about their time at RMU. “We would like to share that knowledge that we have from our country with the community of RMU and the community of Pittsburgh at large.”

Moloko Ramashala-Gantsho has experiences dealing with HIV/AIDS Community Health from the South African perspective and health technology assessments in the real world, while Monwabisi Gantsho has extensive experience in the healthcare industry in both private and corporate sectors, representing general practitioners and specialists in the South African Medical Association and lobbying government institutions, regulatory bodies and healthcare actuaries and funders.

They plan to take a deeper look into Obamacare and health reforms in America to compare with the regulatory frameworks of the South African National Health Insurance Implementation.

“HIV/AIDS is the same all over. The patients are the same whether you’re in Africa or you’re in America,” said Moloko Ramashala-Gantsho. “Whatever we are sharing and learning here we can take it back home and apply as is. Whatever we are bringing here can be applied as it is. We have, in those cases, a lot in common that we do that is the same.”

“South Africa and in the United States, together with other various countries globally, are taking into consideration that this is a global initiative, perspective and collaboration,” said Monwabisi Gantsho.

The scholars explained the goal of their’s is to look into the important subject of health care systems while on campus by shadowing, participating in discussion panels, giving lectures and teaching of their expertise: health sciences.

“We are ready for any program that the Nursing and Health Sciences department will give to us,” said Moloko Ramashala-Gantsho.

When asked what they could contribute to campus Monwabisi Gantsho explained the good in interacting with people from other countries because they bring different experiences and perspectives from various backgrounds to the same challenges and achievements.

“International experience exposes people to how other people have lived and experienced at different types of initiatives to students and faculty members,” said Monwabisi Gantsho.

“You have an American culture, now you are going to experience a South African culture. Out of the classroom, we are not the same, we are different, we do things differently and we will learn from each other,” said Moloko Ramashala-Gantsho.