SASMA

South African Sports Medicine Association

A great resource for athletes, coaches, and sports medicine enthusiasts. Hosted by experienced sports medicine professionals, this podcast is dedicated to exploring the latest research, innovations, and best practices in sports medicine. Each episode features in-depth discussions with leading experts in the field, including physicians, physiotherapists, sports scientists and sports psychologists. Our guests share their insights on topics such as injury prevention, rehabilitation, nutrition, mental health, and performance enhancement. They also share their experiences working with athletes of all levels, from amateur to professional.

  1. 28 Jul

    Beyond the Degree: Life, Balance, and Reinvention After the PhD

    Welcome to the Research Masterclass series, a collaboration between the SASMA Podcast and the Research Masterminds Success Academy. This series was created for clinicians, academics, and professionals who are curious about research but often find the academic world opaque, intimidating, or complicated. The aim of this series is to slow that conversation down. We want to unpack research in a way that is honest, grounded, and practical. In this 6th and final episode, host Janesh Ganda sits down with Prof. Benita Olivier — Professor of Rehabilitation at Oxford Brookes University and Director of the Wits Cricket Research Hub for Science, Medicine and Rehabilitation, and founder of the Research Masterminds Success Academy focused on postgraduate productivity and work-life balance — alongside Ellen Dobson, Postdoctoral and Graduate Program Manager at the Morgridge Institute for Research, whose work centers on career development and networking for researchers transitioning beyond academia. Together they unpack what happens after the thesis is submitted: navigating identity shifts, career pivots, and sustaining wellbeing during and after doctoral study. The conversation draws on Benita’s own journey — completing her PhD in 2013 on cricket fast bowling biomechanics before building a career spanning clinical academia, sports science, and postgraduate mentorship — and Ellen’s experience guiding postdocs and graduate students through career exploration and networking strategies that go beyond the traditional academic track. Listeners will come away with practical insight into balancing research demands with personal life, redefining success after the PhD, and building a sustainable career path in academia, clinical practice, or industry.

    Beyond the Degree: Life, Balance, and Reinvention After the PhD
  2. 23 Jun

    “The Emails, The Edits, The Expectations” – The Research Love Story

    Welcome to the Research Masterclass series, a collaboration between the SASMA Podcast and the Research Masterminds Success Academy. This series was created for clinicians, academics, and professionals who are curious about research but often find the academic world opaque, intimidating, or complicated. The aim of this series is to slow that conversation down. We want to unpack research in a way that is honest, grounded, and practical. In this fifth episode, we look at what really happens behind the scenes of a Masters or PhD journey. Beyond the proposals, deadlines, and late-night edits lies one of the most influential relationships in academia — the one between a researcher and their supervisor. In this insightful episode, Dr Aasha Parshotam sits down with world-renowned researcher Professor Benita Olivier and Sports and Exercise Medicine specialist and PhD candidate, Dr Dhavina Naidoo to unpack the realities of postgraduate research. From setting expectations and navigating difficult feedback to building resilience, confidence, and academic independence — this conversation explores the challenges, growth, and mentorship that shape not just your thesis, but your identity as a researcher. Whether you’re considering a Masters, deep in your PhD journey, or supervising the next generation of researchers, this episode is packed with practical advice, honest reflections, and lessons you’ll wish you heard sooner.

    “The Emails, The Edits, The Expectations” – The Research Love Story
  3. 13 May

    The science behind the game: Inside cricket’s first sports medicine textbook

    In this episode of the SASMA Podcast, cricket clinician Nick Pereira sits down with John W. Orchard and Benita Olivier — editors and co-authors of Cricket Sports Medicine — to unpack the making of cricket’s first dedicated sports medicine textbook and what it means for the future of the game. Bringing together contributors from across the global cricket landscape, the textbook represents a landmark step in bridging the gap between research, rehabilitation, performance, and real-world clinical practice. Across 39 chapters, it explores the unique medical and performance demands of cricket, from injury epidemiology and rehabilitation to youth athlete development and return-to-play decision making. Drawing on his experience as former Chief Medical Officer of Cricket Australia, Dr Orchard shares insights from decades working at the highest level of the game, including the persistent challenge of lumbar stress injuries in fast bowlers, the realities of load management, and how clinicians can better use injury surveillance and classification systems in practice. Prof Olivier provides the academic lens, discussing the collaborative process behind the textbook, the importance of standardising knowledge in cricket medicine, and the ongoing challenge of translating evidence into meaningful clinical outcomes. The link to purchase the textbook is available below: https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-981-96-6321-7

    The science behind the game: Inside cricket’s first sports medicine textbook

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
7 Ratings

About

A great resource for athletes, coaches, and sports medicine enthusiasts. Hosted by experienced sports medicine professionals, this podcast is dedicated to exploring the latest research, innovations, and best practices in sports medicine. Each episode features in-depth discussions with leading experts in the field, including physicians, physiotherapists, sports scientists and sports psychologists. Our guests share their insights on topics such as injury prevention, rehabilitation, nutrition, mental health, and performance enhancement. They also share their experiences working with athletes of all levels, from amateur to professional.