Carla Kotzé
Carla Kotzé MBChB, DMH (SA), FCPsych (SA), MMed (Psych), PhD, MPhil (Applied Ethics)
Upon completion of her medical and psychiatric training at the University of Pretoria, Prof Kotzé was appointed as a consultant psychiatrist at Weskoppies Psychiatric Hospital, a tertiary facility involved in the training of medical students and specialists. Following her registration as a forensic psychiatry subspecialist in 2013, Prof. Kotzé's expertise was further recognized in November of the same year when she was appointed as Head of the Geriatric Psychiatry Unit. At the hospital she chairs the clinical risk committee, focusing on patient safety incidents. Additionally, she oversees the care, treatment and rehabilitation of all patients older than 65-years of age. Although she still conducts forensic assessments to evaluate criminal capacity for court-referred accused, her main focus at the hospital is on service delivery to the elderly patient population.
Alongside her clinical duties, she also made significant contributions to academia, notable serving as an associate editor at the South African Journal of Psychiatry since 2019. Her PhD thesis focused on End-of-life decision-making capacity in older people with serious mental illness and she completed an Mphil in Applied Ethics at the University of Stellenbosch where she examined the ethical complexities of medical assistance in dying for individuals with serious mental illness as their sole underlying diagnosis. These works contributed to the discourse on ethical psychiatric care, especially for older patients with serious mental illness.
Prof Kotzé holds a dual appointment at the University of Pretoria, where her roles have evolved. She joined the Faculty of Health Sciences Research Ethics Committee in 2017 and ascended to the position of deputy chair and then co-chair during 2024. Through her leadership roles, such as chairing of the postgraduate committee in the Department of Psychiatry and her position as President of the Colleges of Medicine of South Africa Council of Psychiatrists, Prof. Kotzé influences psychiatric education and professional standards across the nation. The various positions that she holds reflect her commitment to postgraduate education, as well as evidence- and value-based, person-centered care of the highest ethical standards, particularly for the often under-served aging population. She considers herself fortunate to be in her current position, where she can develop training, research, and clinical services for the populations
