The Health Research Unit in Zimbabwe (THRU-Zim) was awarded the EDCTP Outstanding Research Team Prize during the 2023 Forum’s plenary session on Wednesday. The team carries out a wide range of research studies across the life-course, particularly newborns but also adolescents and more recently older people.
THRU-Zim’s goal is toconduct research that addresses the most pertinent and relevant public health issues confronting Zimbabwe. It has a very strong focus on strengthening academic capacity – building the capacity not just of researchers but also of research support staff.
The Unit embeds capacity building in all its work and has hosted several EDCTP fellows. The team is also highly multi-disciplinary, encompassing epidemiologists, statisticians, social scientists, health economists and others.
The Outstanding Research Team Prize is awarded to outstanding research teams in sub-Saharan Africa and Europe working on HIV/AIDS, TB, malaria or neglected infectious diseases. The Prize consists of a recognition trophy and a cash prize of €50,000.
The Prize was presented to THRU-Zim at a ceremony at the 2023 EDCTP Forum by Professor Hannah Akuffo, an adviser to the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA) and former chair of the EDCTP General Assembly.
The Prize was presented to Professor Rishada Ferrand, Director of the Unit, and Professor Katharina Kranzer, Deputy Director, as well as a THRU-Zim postdoc and PhD student attending the Forum (Mandi Tembo and Nyasha Dzavakwa).
Responding on behalf of the team, Katharina noted that the Unit was embedded within the Biomedical Research and Training Institute (BRTI) in Harare, Zimbabwe, and has worked closely with the Ministry of Health and Childcare in Zimbabwe which, she suggested, had been central to their success: “Without the BRTI and without the Ministry of Health, we would not have been able to do what we have been doing, we would not be able to do what we are currently doing, and we will definitely not be able to do what we are planning in the future.”
