Reflections of resilience and vulnerability of adolescents living with HIV during COVID-19: A photovoice study in peri-urban Cape Town, South AfricaOn the 8th April 2025, I had the opportunity to present my PhD research, which explored the impact of COVID-19 on adolescents with HIV in peri-urban Cape Town, with a focus on their resilience and vulnerability using photovoice methodology. FIND OUT MOREReflections 2025 International AIDS Society Conference: Finding belonging, building resilience, and reimagining a future in research.Final Year PhD candidate Charné Petinger reflects on her experience presenting at IAS 2025 in Kigali, Rwanda, where she showcased her participatory research with adolescents living with HIV. In this piece, she shares key lessons learned from the global HIV...FIND OUT MOREThe promises and pitfalls of working with a co-design approach for advancing health and gender equality: Perspectives from programme implementers, public health researchers and fundersGlobally and in South Africa, young people face significant sexual and reproductive health (SRH) challenges. In South Africa, young people (15-24) represent a significant proportion of people living with HIV and women were disproportionately affected. FIND OUT MOREKhayelitsha and Eastern Substructure (KESS) Research dayThe Western Cape Government Department of Health and Wellness (WCGHW), Khayelitsha Eastern Sub-structure (KESS) is hosting its 2025 Research Day under the theme “Health and Harmony: Ecosystems, Equity, and Evidence for Sustainable Well-being” which will take place on 31 October...FIND OUT MORE
We had the opportunity to introduce the Centre of Excellence for Pharmacovigilance in Southern Africa (CEPSA) at the AU-EU Workshop Series on Public Health Innovations held in a hybrid format in Pretoria on 3 December 2024.
The three-day validation workshop held in Cape Town from May 8-10, 2024, brought together 20 feminist - researchers, academics, implementers, and activists from 12 countries and 16 institutions in Africa.
The SPARCS Project hosted a workshop to support increased collaboration and networking between national regulatory authorities (NRAs) and national ethical committees (NECs) on the regulation of clinical trials in Southern Africa and identify priority areas for a framework for effective clinical trial oversight in the region.
The SPaRCS Project hosted a Pharmacovigilance (PV) Systems Strengthening Workshop, 9-11 July 2023 in Windhoek, Namibia. The workshop marked the final in a series of capacity strengthening and mutual learning workshops in the Pharmacovigilance Systems Strengthening thematic area, and was attended by fifteen participants from seven countries (Namibia, South Africa, Eswatini, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Zambia, and Belgium)
In 2021 the SPARCS Project held a series of three virtual workshops aimed at strengthening the Pharmacovigilance (PV) Systems in the four countries in Southern Africa, based on an assessment of needs.
by Star Khoza, Carnita Ernest and Hazel Bradley
Since late 2021 the SPARCS Project has been developing a pilot training for Community Health Workers (CHWs) on Adverse Drug Reactions and Pharmacovigilance
This project develops a strategy to support and strengthen Community Health Workers (CHWs) in preventing Non-Communicable Diseases (NCD’s) in South Africa through interprofessional learning.