Plaudits for CAPRISA's ASPIRE and laboratory teams
CAPRISA’s ASPIRE study team and the CAPRISA Laboratory team were recognized for exceptional performance at the MTN regional meeting, held in Cape Town in October. The ASPIRE team received three awards for the implementation of the ASPIRE study which began in September 2012 and ended in June 2015.
L-R: Dr Gina Brown Coordinator, Microbicides and Women and Girls Research NIH; Dr Lulu Nair, Ms Kalendri Naidoo Study Coordinator & Dr Sharon Hillier PI MTN studies
The eThekwini ASPIRE team received a Certificate of Achievement for outstanding performance in the MTN 020, the MTN Regulatory Rigour Award for the efficient turnaround response to regulatory requests from the MTN, and the Community Engagement program team received a Certificate of Excellence in recognition of their collaboration with local NGOs to engage male partners in the ASPIRE study.
Site Principal Investigator of the CAPRISA ASPIRE study, Dr Lulu Nair, said that “the awards were a testament to the dedication and commitment of a skilled and enthusiastic team who ensured that the highest standards were maintained throughout the implementation of the study.”
The CAPRISA Laboratory team was also recognised and received the “Outstanding Laboratory Performance” award for MTN studies. The award was specifically in “recognition of the outstanding quality assurance that the laboratory employed during the conduct of multiple MTN Trials, and also for the exceptional shipment records that we had for this network with an exceptionally low number of errors.”, said Ms Natasha Samsunder, Head of the CAPRISA Laboratory. The recent audit by SANAS and DAIDS attests the exceptionally high level of service in all aspects of the laboratory’s operations. “The award and good audits are a testament of a dedicated and highly professional team”, said Samsunder.
The CAPRISA Laboratory Team includes: Back Row: L-R: Jacqueline Kasavan, Damien Sookoo, Ashley Singh, Lyle Mckinnon, Cara Mia Corris, Zanele Mchunu, Panji Pillay, Jessica Naidoo, Front:: L-R Phindile Tshabalala, Shannie Kamal, Natasha Samsunder & Norman Kanni