Advancing Equity through Research Partnerships in Africa
In 2022, The George Institute (The George Institute) and the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to enhance cooperation, maintain existing relationships and establish new ones aimed at conducting high-quality health research in mutually beneficial fields.
Underpinning this MOU is an understanding that many African countries continue to lag behind other parts of the world in terms of Universal Health Coverage (UHC) Service Coverage Index. Though research is fundamental to addressing the gap in UHC Service Coverage Index, many African countries still need to build the right research infrastructure and are underserved by existing global research funding and publishing structures.
The fireside chat will provide an opportunity for the leadership and staff of The George Institute and SAMRC and their networks in the region to reach a common understanding of health equity across various African contexts. Building on this common understanding, discussants will share insights on systems that constrain and facilitate the attainment of health equity, ultimately setting an agenda for its promotion through research partnerships with African researchers, institutions, and communities.
Time: Cape Town 12:45-14:30 | Delhi 16:15-17:30 | Sydney 21:45-23:00
Date: Wednesday 11th October
Speakers
Prof. Anushka Patel
Anushka Patel is Chief Executive Officer of The George Institute for Global Health and Scientia Professor at UNSW (University of New South Wales) Sydney. She is a cardiologist, with research interests in the prevention and management of common chronic conditions through large-scale clinical trials and implementation science. Anushka undertook her medical training at the University of Queensland, with subsequent postgraduate research degrees from Harvard University and University of Sydney. She is a Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians, and of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences.
Prof. Liesl Zühlke
Prof. Liesl Zühlke is a paediatric cardiologist in the Division of Paediatric Cardiology at Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital and directs the Children’s Heart Disease Research Unit which focuses on family-centred research into children’s heart diseases of relevance in Africa. Her research projects span congenital and rheumatic heart disease, HIV in adolescents, grown-up congenital heart disease and cardiac disease in women of childbearing age. She currently leads, among others, the PROTEA study, “Partnerships for Children with Heart Disease in Africa”, which aims to describe the epidemiology and genetic origins of congenital heart disease in several countries in Africa.
