Cochrane South Africa (CSA) is excited to announce becoming an Institutional Member of the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Health Inequality Monitoring (HIM) Network as of 7 May 2026. Led by Specialist Scientist Dr Anelisa Jaca, CSA joins the WHO-managed Network that brings together institutions committed to advancing health inequality monitoring globally and strengthening the use of equity-focused evidence to inform policy and decision-making.

The South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC), together with partners from the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) and international collaborators, recently hosted a celebratory event at Wits Medical School to honour the remarkable impact and enduring legacy of the SAMRC Developmental Pathways for Health Research Unit (DPHRU).

Each year, WHO honours individuals and organizations from each of the six WHO regions for their outstanding contributions to tobacco control.

The SAMRC Non-communicable Diseases Research Unit and other institutions across Africa and beyond who form the CKD-Africa Collaboration, have published a paper that will mark a major milestone for the network. The paper, titled “Prevalence of CKD Among Adults in Africa: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis,” was recently published in the American Journal of Kidney Diseases. This achievement signals the establishment of the first African-led big data platform dedicated to advancing the epidemiology of chronic kidney disease (CKD) across the continent.

Clinical trials are a cornerstone of modern healthcare. When conducted rigorously and ethically, they generate evidence that improves clinical practice, informs health policy, and ultimately strengthens trust between health systems, communities, and patients. At their best, clinical trials are not separate from care but embedded within, advancing the idea that research is care, and that high-quality evidence generation is essential to better health outcomes and underpins resilient health systems