Successful Implementation Science Training Workshop held at CAPRISA
CAPRISA hosted an Implementation Science (IS) workshop on 23 March to showcase the projects undertaken by the trainees of a PEPFAR funded supplemental grant to the CU-SA Fogarty AIDS Training Programme (CU-SA AITRP) through the Fogarty International Center of the National Institutes of Health.
Delegates were welcomed by Ms Frances Chisholm, US Consul-General and Professor Quarraisha Abdool Karim Director of the CU-SA Fogarty AIDS Training Program.
In her presentation entitled: Building implementation science research capacity in KwaZulu-Natal South Africa, Professor Abdool Karim said that the purpose of the IS programme was to build a critical mass of well trained public health implementation scientists in KwaZulu-Natal “to enhance our response to the HIV and AIDS and TB epidemics through, among others, bridging the gap between proof of concept studies and programmatic scale-up of interventions.” She cautioned that “now is not the time to slow down our HIV and AIDS efforts”.
The workshop was divided into three sessions. The first session focused on “Enhancing TB Management”, the second on “Surveillance, HIV Testing and Linkage to Care” and the third on “Introducing New Interventions in Communities and Reaching Key Populations”. Mentors and members of the evaluation panel provided valuable feedback.
The winners of the three best presentations were Dr Marian Loveday (1st prize) from the Medical Research Council for her project on “Decentralised management of MDR-TB patients in KZN – final outcomes” , Roger Phili (2nd prize) from the National Health Laboratory Service for his project on “Feasibility of implementation of MMC in public sector health facilities in KwaZulu-Natal” and Nelisile Ngcobo (3rd prize) from CAPRISA for her project on “Implementation of voluntary medical male circumcision using a school-based recruitment programme in rural KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa”