The awards were handed over at the recent Department of Health National World Environmental Health Commemoration 2025, a two-day conference in Johannesburg with Minister of Health, Dr Aaron Motsoaledi as speaker on Day Two.
Mandela University’s Shireez Brown and Sydlynn Hambury, both lecturers in Environmental Health, attended the conference together with Mi-Juan.
Mi-Juan, who is currently performing her Community Service as Environmental Health Practitioner Kakamas Hospital, Northern Cape, obtained 25 distinctions and graduated cum-laude.
She says there is no secret to her success. “I had to work incredibly hard, many late nights, and tears when things felt overwhelming, and I constantly found my strength in God.
"My family’s support and prayers meant the world to me throughout those four years. Whenever I struggled, my lecturers were always willing to help and guide me.
"Without the dedication and long hours of the teaching staff at Mandela University, I wouldn’t have achieved what I did, and for that, I’m forever grateful.”
At Kakamas Hospital, Miu-Juan oversees health care risk waste management for the hospital and seven clinics in the sub-district. She supports dieticians with food service oversight, inspects health facilities for hygiene and legal compliance, and monitors hazardous chemical retailers under the Occupational Health and Safety Act.
From left, Sydlynn Hambury, Mi-Juan Barnard and Shireez Brown
She also assists the Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) nurse with monitoring and reporting communicable diseases. As the hospital’s only Environmental Health Practitioner (EHP), she serves on the operational management committee.
Mi-Juan would love to work in the agricultural sector, and therefore she is applying for jobs in that area as she is currently living in a farming community. She wants to live her passion for Environmental Health, and not be confined to an office, as well as build a good portfolio.