Prof Nicky Mostert

Professor
Department of Software Engineering
nicky.mostert@mandela.ac.za
041 504 9101
North Campus, J-Block, Room J112

Biography / Background

Nicky Mostert is a Professor in the Department of Software Engineering at Nelson Mandela University. She holds a PhD from Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University. Her research is mainly focused on health informatics, with a developing interest in various aspects related to social media and social networking. She has been a council member of the South African Health Informatics Association (SAHIA) since 2010 and is currently active in the portfolio of Immediate Past President. Her involvement in the health informatics field on the African continent has most notably been as the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Health Informatics in Africa (JHIA) and the Scientific Programme Committee Chair of the Health Informatics in Africa (HELINA) conferences. HELINA is the Pan African Health Informatics Association and the African Region of the International Medical Informatics Association (IMIA).

Qualifications
2015 – User Experience Design Short Course (Passed with Distinction)
University of Cape Town

2012: Ph.D – Information Technology
Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, Port Elizabeth

2011: Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Education (PGCHE)
Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, Port Elizabeth

2008: Cisco IT Essentials PC Hardware and Software Course
Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, Port Elizabeth

2008: Cisco IT Essentials PC Hardware and Software Instructor Course
Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, Port Elizabeth

2005: MTech – Information Technology
Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, Port Elizabeth

2003: BTech – Information Technology (Cum Laude)
Port Elizabeth Technikon, Port Elizabeth

2002: NDip – Information Technology (Cum Laude)
Port Elizabeth Technikon, Port Elizabeth

Awards and Achievements
• School of ICT Emerging Researcher of the Year 2014, NMMU
• Faculty of Engineering, the Built Environment and Information Technology Emerging Researcher of the Year 2014, NMMU
• School of ICT Emerging Teacher of the Year 2007, NMMU
• Faculty of Engineering, the Built Environment and Information Technology Emerging Teacher of the Year 2007, NMMU

Professional Activities
• Active council member of the South African Health Informatics Association (SAHIA) in the portfolio if Immediate Past President.
• Member of the Institute of Information Technology Professionals South Africa (IITPSA).
• Member of the South African Institute of Computer Scientists and Information Technologists (SAICSIT)
• Member of the Southern African Computer Lecturers’ Association (SACLA)

Teaching Interests

I believe that enthusiasm for both the subject matter and the learning experience is extremely important to motivate students to realize their individual potential. By demonstrating a passion for the subjects that I teach I hope to affect students in such a way that they actively involve themselves in the learning process. I strive to create a classroom environment in which the students feel comfortable to participate and take an active role in the learning process.
Since the students come from diverse backgrounds and have different abilities and talents I make use of several different techniques to accommodate the various learning styles of the students. It is important that the students are able to use their knowledge of the subject matter, so I try and structure assessments in such a way that it tests the students’ critical and analytical thinking skills and understanding of the subject matter, instead of just testing their ability to copy answers out of the textbook. Feedback is also a very important part of the learning process. Students learn a great deal from constructive feedback that encourages improvement and growth. This helps students to learn from their mistakes and empowers them to take control of their own learning.

Research Interests

There are various Health Information Technologies (HITs) that can play an important role in improving informational continuity of care in the healthcare sector and thus contribute towards improved quality of care. Such technologies include, amongst others, Personal Health Records (PHRs), Electronic Medical Records (EMRs), and Electronic Health Records (EHRs). My research has mainly focused on these HITs and various aspects related to the lack of adoption and meaningful use of such systems in the South African healthcare landscape. Despite the well-researched benefits associated with the adoption of such HITs the adoption rates remain low due to various socio-technical factors.
I have recently also started exploring research topics related to social media and social networking. Recent research projects in this area related to the awareness and compliance of stakeholders in the higher education sector towards social media policies at their institutions, as well as social networking addiction amongst students in higher education.

Representative Publications

Papers published in accredited journals:
2015
Title: Referring physician perceptions of Picture Archive and Communication Systems
Authors: Schoeman, R. and Mostert-Phipps, N.
Journal: South African Journal of Radiology
Volume: 19

2013
Title: Perceived Benefits Of Remote Data Capturing In Community Home-Based Care: The Caregivers’ Perspective
Authors: Shozi, N., Pottas, D. and Mostert-Phipps, N.
Journal: The Journal of Community Informatics
Volume: 9

Title: A South African Perspective on Factors that Impact the Adoption and Meaningful Use of Health Information Technologies
Authors: Mostert-Phipps, N., Pottas, D. and Korpela, M.
Journal: South African Family Practice
Volume: 55

2012
Title: Improving Continuity of Care Through the Use of Electronic Records: A South African Perspective
Authors: Mostert-Phipps, N., Pottas, D. and Korpela, M.
Journal: South African Family Practice
Volume: 54

Peer-reviewed published international conference papers:
2019
Title: Guidelines for Secure Cloud-based Personal Health Records
Authors: Mxoli, A., Mostert, N., and Gerber, M.
Conference: Information Communication Technology and Society (ICTAS) 2019
6 – 8 March 2019, Durban, South Africa.

2018
Title: The Impact of Social Computing on Health Information Seeking Behaviour
Authors: Mxoli, A., and Mostert, N.
Conference: International Conference on Information Society (i-Society 2018)
15 – 18 July 2018, Dublin, Ireland.

2017
Title: Information Security Risks Impacting Cloud-based Personal Health Records
Authors: Mxoli, A., Mostert-Phipps, N., and Gerber, M.
Conference: ECISM 2017
14-15 September 2017, Genoa, Italy.

2016
Title: Risks and Benefits of Social Computing as a Healthcare Tool
Authors: Mxoli, A., Mostert-Phipps, N., and Gerber, M.
Conference: The 7th International Conference on Society and Information Technologies
8 – 11 March 2016, Orlando, Florida, USA

2014
Title: Personal Health Records: Design considerations for the South African context
Authors: Mxoli, A., Mostert-Phipps, N., and Gerber, M.
Conference: Design, Development, and Research Conference 2014
8 – 10 September 2014, Cape Town, South Africa

Title: Personal Health Records in the South African Healthcare Landscape: A Socio-Technical Analysis
Authors: Mxoli, A., Mostert-Phipps, N., and Gerber, M.
Conference: International Development Informatics Association Conference 2014
3 – 4 November 2014, Port Elizabeth, South Africa

Title: Information security risk measures for Cloud-based Personal Health
Records
Authors: Mxoli, A., Gerber, M., and Mostert-Phipps, N.
Conference: International Conference on Information Society (i-Society 2014) 10 – 12 November 2014, London, United Kingdom

2013
Title: Guidelines to Encourage the Adoption and Meaningful Use of Health Information Technologies
Authors: Mostert-Phipps, N., Pottas, D. and Korpela, M.
Conference: 14th World Congress on Medical and Health Informatics (MedInfo 2013)
20 – 23 August 2013, Copenhagen, Denmark

Title: Citizens and Personal Health Records – The Case of Nelson Mandela Bay
Authors: Pottas, D. and Mostert-Phipps, N.
Conference: 14th World Congress on Medical and Health Informatics (MedInfo 2013)
20 – 23 August 2013, Copenhagen, Denmark

2011
Title: A Socio-technical Perspective on the Use of Mobile Phones for Remote Data Collection in Home Community Based Care in Developing Countries
Authors: Shozi, N., Pottas, D. & Mostert-Phipps, N.
Conference: 3rd International ICST Conference on e-Infrastructure and e-Services for Developing Countries (AFRICOMM 2011)
23 – 24 November 2011, Zanzibar Islands, Tanzania

2010
Title: A Socio-Technical Approach to Continuity of Care and Electronic Records in the South African Context
Authors: Mostert-Phipps, N., Pottas, D. and Korpela, M.
Conference: 13th World Congress on Medical and Health Informatics (MedInfo 2010)
12 – 15 September 2010, Cape Town, South Africa

Peer-reviewed published national conference papers:
2013
Title: Awareness and Interest in Web-based Personal Health Records
Authors: Jojo, S. & Mostert-Phipps, N.
Conference: Annual Conference on WWW Applications (ZA-WWW 2013)
10 – 13 September, Cape Town, South Africa

Title: An Analysis of Web-based Personal Health Records
Authors: Mxoli, N. & Mostert-Phipps, N.
Conference: Annual Conference on WWW Applications (ZA-WWW 2013)
10 – 13 September, Cape Town, South Africa

Title: Patient Preferences Regarding Storage Media for Medical Records
Authors: Masiza, M., Mostert-Phipps, N. and Pottas, D.
Conference: Health Informatics South Africa Conference (HISA 2013)
3 – 5 July 2013, Port Elizabeth, South Africa

2011
Title: Data Collection in the Home Community Based Care Environment
Authors: Shozi, N., Pottas, D. & Mostert-Phipps, N.
Conference: Health Informatics South Africa Conference (HISA 2011)
29 – 30 August 2011, Johannesburg, South Africa

2003
Title: The Role of e-Business Integration in the Extended Enterprise
Authors: Mostert-Phipps, N. and Pottas, D.
Conference: SAICSIT 2003
17 – 19 September 2003, Johannesburg, South Africa

Peer-reviewed published international conference posters:
2013
Title: Patients Prefer Electronic Medical Records – Fact or Fiction?
Authors: Masiza, M., Mostert-Phipps, N., and Pottas, D.
Conference: 14th World Congress on Medical and Health Informatics (MedInfo 2013)
20 – 23 August 2013, Copenhagen, Denmark

Workshops presented at international conferences:
2011
Title: Real World Engineering Projects: Discovery-based Curriculum Modules for First-year Students
Authors: Williams, S.,Agah, M., Dasilva, L., Dezhgosha, K., MacKenzie, A.,
Mostert-Phipps, N., Raman, S. and Resano, J.
Conference: Frontiers in Education Conference (FIE 2011)
12 – 15 October 2011, Rapid City, United States of America