Page 75 - SAMRC Annual Report 2024-2025

PERFORMANCE INFORMATION

Development Pathways for
Health Research Unit

Unit director:
Prof. Shane Norris
shane.norris@wits.ac.za

Advancing Research Priorities: cohort has been a strategic research platform of
Strategic Objectives and Impact DPHRU since its inception in 1990 with the original
cohort including 3273 mothers and their children
The Development Pathways for Health Research who have been followed up for more than three
Unit’s (DPHRU) top priority and strategic objective decades. The book describes why the study was
is to continue research activities as part of a high- started, how it is conducted, and the value it has and
impact scientific portfolio that advances our how it continues to add to science globally and to
understanding of human development and health policy and services in South Africa.
across the life course. This is achieved by four
scientific programmes interlinked across the life Another highlight is the promotion of Dr Lisa Ware
course. to Reader as well as her success in receiving a
Wellcome Trust Mid-career fellowship. This is to
Our research addresses problems using both fund the GenHeart Cohort which plans to recruit
population studies and randomised controlled trials young women in Soweto who intend to have a child
at various stages of the life course. Two of the trials within two years and follow the women who become
that were completed during the financial period pregnant, and their child postpartum. Another
were the IINDIAGO trial, which was a postnatal RCT highlight is the conceptualisation and leadership of
linked to baby wellness clinics to offset diabetes the Lancet Series on 'Early Childhood Development:
risk in women following gestational diabetes, and the next 1000 days', by A/Professor Cathi Draper.
the PLAY study which was an intervention designed
to improve infant neurodevelopment and growth
by encouraging responsive caregiving practices in Building Capacity Through
the first year of life. The PLAY study was delivered Training, Mentorship, and Support
by community health workers using an app called Currently DPHRU is supervising 17 postgraduate
'Ngeyethu Info' ("This is for us") which will be freely students (15 PhD and 2 MSc students) and continues
available, and its potential impact will be to improve to collaborate with the DSI-NRF Centre of Excellence
maternal and child health, optimise early childhood in Human Development on the Postdoctoral
development, and have long-term intergenerational Accelerator Programme (PAP). The philosophy of
effects. PAP embodies structured learning that aims to
mentor and develop postdocs to be at the senior
Key Milestones and Achievements researcher level within two years; co-ordinate
DPHRU continued to produce substantial scientific postdoc mentorship with other senior academics;
output, train postgraduate students and mentor peer-learning support; support to achieve a high
postdoctoral fellows within an extensive research number of publications and an NRF rating; support
portfolio. One of the highlights is the publication a career strategy plan. As part of the programme
of the book 'Birth to Thirty: A study as ambitious as DPHRU is currently mentoring 11 postdoctoral
the country we wanted to create'. The Birth to Thirty fellows.

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