South Africa
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Centre for the AIDS Programme of Research in South Africa (CAPRISA)
719 Umbilo Rd.
Nelson R. Mandela School of Medicine
University of KwaZulu-Natal
Durban, South Africa
Center Director: Dr. Salim Abdool Karim
CAPRISA was created in 2001 and formally established in 2002 under the NIH-funded Comprehensive International Program of Research on AIDS (CIPRA) by five partner institutions; University of KwaZulu-Natal, University of Cape Town, University of Western Cape, National Institute for Communicable Diseases, and Columbia University in New York. CAPRISA is a designated UNAIDS Collaborating Centre for HIV Research and Policy. The main goal of CAPRISA is to undertake globally relevant and locally responsive research that contributes to understanding HIV and SARS-CoV-2 pathogenesis, prevention and epidemiology as well as the links between tuberculosis and AIDS care. To achieve this goal, CAPRISA conducts research in four main Scientific Programmes namely: 1) HIV pathogenesis and vaccines, 2) HIV and TB treatment, 3) HIV epidemiology and prevention and 4) SARS-CoV-2 epidemiology, prevention and vaccines. A fifth area of research on the prevention of mother-to-child transmission is conducted mainly in partnership with other Centres. Each program has a focused set of projects. Research activities at CAPRISA are supported by eight support cores including, administration, statistics, data management, laboratory, community, pharmacy, bioethics, and information systems. The fiduciary and policy oversight of CAPRISA is governed by the Board of Control which includes senior officials of the major partner institutions. The CAPRISA Scientific Advisory Board comprises senior researchers in the HIV/AIDS, TB and Ethics fields, as well as senior officials from the South African Provincial and National Department of Health. The Executive committee, responsible for the management of all CAPRISA’s activities, is chaired by the Director and includes the Centre’s senior investigators and Heads of the Support Cores. The current staff complement at CAPRISA comprises 252 staff of which 60% are Black, and 80% are women.
NHLS Johannesburg National Institute for Communicable Diseases
1 Modderfontein Road, Sandringham, 2131, South Africa
Center Director: Dr. Penny Moore
Member Researchers: Adrian Puren, Caroline Tiemessen, Janusz Paweska, Anne von Gottberg, Jacqueline Weyer, Jinal Bhiman
The National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) is a national public health institute of South Africa, providing reference microbiology, virology, epidemiology, surveillance and public health research to support the government’s response to communicable disease threats. The NICD serves as a resource of knowledge and expertise of communicable diseases to the South African Government, Southern African Development Community countries and the African continent. The institution assists in the planning of policies and programmes to support and respond to communicable diseases.