The Physiology and Biochemistry Society of Southern Africa held its first meeting in Johannesburg on 10 – 11 September 1971: The first meeting was held in 1971.
Up until 1985 the convenor of the next congress was always also the Chairman of the Society, a tradition that has been retained to the present by the annual appointment of the joint position of “Convenor of the next Congress/Vice-President of the Society”. In 1985 the first “President” to be elected for a 3-year term was Prof Peter Belonje (Department of Physiology, University of Cape Town).
The Wyndham Prize Competition for the best presentation by a young researcher at the Annual Congress of the PSSA was instituted in 1985 (and first awarded in 1986). This competition constitutes one of the highlights of the current PSSA congresses. It offers Physiology Departments in Southern Africa an opportunity to put the success of their postgraduate programmes on display, while also giving young researchers their first experience of presenting and defending their work in front of a supportive, but competitive, international audience. It also affords young researchers their first opportunity to compare and discuss their work with those of their peers at other universities.