Page 61 - SAMRC Annual Report 2024-2025

PERFORMANCE INFORMATION

Three non-profit organisations, Etafeni, Khethimpilo, and ANOVA that oversee the community workers operating
in the three townships of Kensington, Nyanga, and Gugulethu, respectively, have been working with us on our
FoodSAMSA project initiatives.

Building Capacity Through In 2024/25 NCDRU financially supported Mph, MSc
Training, Mentorship, and Support and PhD students. NCDRU senior researchers also
supervise MPH, MMED, MSc and PhD students
In the year 2024/2025 we successfully recruited who graduated during the reporting period. Finally,
1 post-doctoral research fellow and continued through our SASUF: SOUTH AFRICA – SWEDEN
mentoring 4 more from previously disadvantaged UNIVERSITY FORUM Virtual Exchange Grant we
backgrounds with the support of the SAMRC RCD managed to facilitate exchange of public health
Division. These research fellows help us drive the education between Sweden and South Africa,
mandates of the CODAD, SmokeRed, Diabetes under the project title “Capacity development for
Retinopathy, DPP and FoodSAMSA Studies. They, in health education and public health through virtual
turn, gain NCDRU research experience and training, exchange between Sweden and South Africa”.
since they are exposed to a learning environment
where they learn project management skills, how Navigating the Impact of US
to engage with communities, healthcare facilities Executive Orders on Funding
and participants, how to engage and manage
fieldworkers, etc. They learn how to work in teams, The SmokRED Study is NIH funded and currently
conduct collaborative research and develop skills in the no-cost extension period. The fieldwork is
such as conducting focus group discussions and key currently ongoing; however, we are not sure how
long this will go on without being affected by the US
informant interviews. They are exposed to regular executive orders.
scientific meetings in the unit including support from
the NCDRU post-doctoral forum. They learn how Moreover, in collaboration with researchers from
to analyse both quantitative and qualitative data, the University of Pittsburgh (US), University of
conduct scientific presentations and draft scientific Stellenbosch and University of Cape Town, the
papers, among other skills. NCDRU applied for funding from the NIH to support

SAMRC ANNUAL REPOR T 2024-25 59