Africa Health Research Institute, South Africa
Fellowship Site Directors: Adrie Steyn & Emily Wong
Site Contact: Adrie Steyn adrie.steyn@ahri.org & Emily Wong emily.wong@ahri.org
Website: https://www.ahri.org/about/
Site Specialties:
- Epidemiology, clinical research, and population level intervention research
- HIV, TB, and related diseases
- Emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases
- Immunology, proteomics, microbiology and virology
- Animal research
Site Description:
The Africa Health Research Institute’s vision is optimal health and well-being of under-resourced populations. The Africa Health Research Institute (AHRI) is an independent, transdisciplinary scientific research institute based across two campuses in the province of KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) in South Africa. AHRI’s research combines population, basic, social, and medical sciences to understand and intervene in the health and well-being of South African communities. AHRI works in partnership with local communities and South African academic, governmental and other policy stakeholders. We emphasize training of the next generation of African scientists. AHRI collaborates with over 60 institutions globally. The work lives of AHRI’s ~500 scientists, students and staff members are driven by our values: ubuntu, transformation, leadership, innovation, excellence and collaboration.
Research Facilities:
AHRI is based across two campuses in KwaZulu-Natal. AHRI’s Somkhele Research Campus hosts a population research and intervention platform which incorporates a rural area of about 845 km2 and a population of 150 000 in northern KZN. Our focus is on epidemiology, clinical research and population level intervention research; primarily on prevention, diagnosis and treatment of HIV and TB and related diseases. AHRI’s extensive longitudinal database integrates data collected from our population, clinical and laboratory research.
AHRI’s Durban Research Campus is based at UKZN’s Nelson R. Mandela School of Medicine. It incorporates state-of-the-art facilities including over 600m2 of biosafety level 3 (BSL-3) laboratory space. AHRI is fully equipped for diagnostic and exploratory testing services including immunology, proteomics, microbiology and virology, and animal research. We have a range of bespoke clinical cohorts and sampling populations within local clinics and hospitals to facilitate our laboratory research.