The State of Clinical Research in South Africa September 6, 2010
Posted by Phakamile in : Uncategorized , add a commentA 13-member consensus panel of experts, chaired by Prof Bongani Mayosi (UCT), have compiled a 11 chapter report on the Revitalization of Clinical Research in South Africa (SA). This report provides a review of the overall state of clinical research in SA.
The report looks at: why clinical research is important, it’s history in SA, the national culture supporting it, the public’s engagement, the ethical issues, the funding issues, the published outputs, the workforce and the institutional arrangements. It also looks at what kind of interventions have been successfully used elsewhere in the world to address the kind of challenges SA clinical research is facing.
Based on the report’s findings it is clear that clinical research in SA needs to be revitalized.
The panel then proposed recommendations/solutions and also identified which stakeholders/government departments need to attend to these. The overall recommendations state that there’s a need for:
- National Strategic Planning, Regulation and Co-ordination of Clinical Research
- Human Infrastructural Capacity
- The creation of Clinical Research Centres and Research Institutes as national hubs in the academic health complexes and other sites
- National Funding Schemes for Clinical and Health Research
- Monitoring and Evaluation of the Clinical and Health Research Enterprise
The report has been positively received and stakeholders are currently being engaged in order to ensure that the recommendations are implemented. The concise version of the report is available on ASSAf’s website.
SAJS: Land-cover change puts biodiversity at risk August 12, 2010
Posted by Andrea in : SAJS, Uncategorized , add a commentLand-cover transformation poses one of the greatest threats to global biodiversity and, in light of extensive land-cover change, protected areas are often viewed as a ‘Noah’s Ark’ for conservation. However, there has been growing awareness that formally protected area systems are failing to protect global biodiversity effectively.
Conservation initiatives have had to look beyond reserve fences, to the actual management of the surrounding landscape, to enhance the functioning of protected areas. Land-cover transformation beyond the borders of the protected areas may have potentially devastating impacts on the ongoing conservation efforts undertaken within these, should it continue unchecked. (more…)
SciELO Brazil visits ASSAf June 8, 2010
Posted by Louise in : Uncategorized , add a comment
- Working out who will win the World Cup?
Front: Roberta Takenaka, Louise van Heerden and Solange Santos
Two representatives from SciELO Brazil Solange Santos (the SciELO supervisor) and Roberta Takenaka (SciELO System Analyst) visited ASSAf from 24 May to 2 June 2010 for SciELO IT and SciELO workflow training. The following Scholarly Publishing staff attended the training: Tawanda December (Systems and Database Manager); Louise van Heerden (Metadata Librarian) and Zweli Ndayi (Project Officer). The training has enabled the SciELO-team to understand the SciELO network and how it is set up; as well as the SciELO methodology, including the markup and conversion of articles and sending them to the public SciELO site.
The SciELO SA and SciELO Brazil teams will work in parallel for a few months.
What’s in a name? The naming of Australopithecus sediba May 10, 2010
Posted by Alan in : SAJS, Uncategorized , add a commentProf Alan Morris, UCT; Associate Editor of SAJS
The first person to describe a new fossil gets the rights to name it. This has got be done at the time of the first publication as the privilege is not retrospect. Hesitate and someone else will pip you at the post. The payout is pretty impressive because the once the fossil has been named, the name is there forever with your priority stamped all over it in Latin.
But not everything in the name game is about priority and bragging rights. The whole system of classification is an art, not a science, and the choice of name tells you as much about the researcher as it does about the fossil. (more…)
Securing the Humanities in an Age of Failing Economics April 7, 2010
Posted by Peter in : Humanities and Education Studies, Projects, Uncategorized , add a commentProf Peter Vale, Co-Chair, ASSAf Consensus Panel on the Humanities
From almost every corner of the Anglophone world, the complaint is the same: “The Humanities are under threat”. I use the qualifier because, sadly, my ability to access other language worlds – beyond the Dutch-Afrikaans link – is limited.*
The question is what is to be done to recover and revive the Humanities?
Research and deliberations into ASSAf’s own Consensus Report on the Humanities in South Africa is well under way and the hope is to issue a preliminary report in late October, 2010. My own view of this issue is framed by an understanding of political economy – the rise of neo-liberal economics has emphasized economic growth and efficiency and, in this particular universe, the Humanities have no place ( the State of Science in South Africa, pg 210). This is a fallacy, of course. Take the creation of jobs. In this country alone, right now, one of the strongest areas of economic growth is Afrikaans cultural production – most of this is both creates jobs and pushes economic growth. (more…)
Earth Hour March 23, 2010
Posted by Zarina in : Uncategorized , add a commentOn the 27 March 2010 at 8:30pm, the world will yet again be celebrating Earth Hour. Earth Hour is a global movement that encourages people to switch off their lights for one hour, in support of action against climate change. In 2009 it is estimated that approximately 1 million South Africans participated in the event, which resulted in an energy saving of approximately 400MW.
‘It’s also a saving of 400 tons of carbon dioxide, 224 tons of coal and some 576 kilolitres of water’, says Dr Steve Lennon, Eskom’s MD for corporate services. If more people pledge to switch off their lights this year and maybe even their geyers, which consume more energy, imagine the amount of not only energy but also water and other resources we can save. It can be a small stepping stone to creating awareness for achieving Low Carbon Cities in our country. For more information please see http://www.earthhour.org.za
Earth’s axis moved in Chile quake, claims NASA researcher March 11, 2010
Posted by Louise in : Uncategorized , 1 comment so farNasa reports that one of their Nasa’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory research scientists, Richard Gross, has calculated that Chile’s 8.8 magnitude earthquake of 27 February 2010 may have shifted the Earth’s axis by about 8 centimeters and made days a bit shorter. Using a complex model Gross has come up with a preliminary calculation suggesting this has made our days 2.7 milliarcseconds shorter than before. To read the article click here .
The state of Multidrug-Resistant Tuberculosis [MDR TB] in South Africa: two-day workshop February 24, 2010
Posted by Phakamile in : Uncategorized , 3commentsThe Institute of Medicine (IOM) Forum on Drug Discovery, Development, and Translation is conducting a series of workshops in the US and in high burden countries – including South Africa, Russia, China, and India. They have partnered with the Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf) to convene a two-day workshop on MDR TB [3-4 March 2010, Roode Vallei Country Lodge, Pretoria, South Africa].
The workshop will bring together disease experts, community leaders, policymakers, and patient advocates to examine the state of MDR TB in the South Africa, to learn from the experiences of the South African public health community in its fight against MDR TB, and to draw lessons regarding best practices and novel approaches that can be applied both within and beyond the country.
Over 20 expert papers will be presented at this workshop [which be will attended by both national and international experts]. The focus of the presentations will be on:
- epidemiology;
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diagnostic & preventive therapies;
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treatment;
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transmission & infection control;
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paediatric TB;
- health economics & policy.
Proceedings of the workshop will be published and disseminated globally.
Tuberculosis [TB] is today one of the leading causes of death in the world, approximately 4500 people die daily from the disease. Although many cases of TB can be cured by available antibiotics, MDR TB is a major threat worldwide. Strains of TB resistant to even the second line therapies, i.e. extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis [XDR TB] are documented in over 50 countries, including the US, and we are seeing the emergence of strains that are fully resistant to treatment. And while the epidemic of TB is still primarily centered in the developing world, the reach of MDR TB extends to every continent, including both rich and poor countries.
The global battle against TB, once thought won is today very real.
Welcome, Zarina! February 16, 2010
Posted by Andrea in : Uncategorized , add a comment
ASSAf is proud to have a new member on the team – Zarina Moola. Zarina has taken the position of Project Officer, focussing specifically on the Low Carbon Cities Project, and the Water Project.
Born and raised in KwaZulu-Natal, Zarina completed her BSc (Hons) in Environmental Management at the University of KwaZulu-Natal in 2006.
She then worked as an intern at GroundWork, a non-governmental organisation based in that province, where she conducted research on landfill sites in South Africa.
Thereafter she pursued a MSc in Environmental Management, focusing on forecasting GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions for the City of Durban. During this time, she also worked as a climate change intern at Golder Associates, working specifically on energy and carbon-related projects. Zarina is passionate about nature and the environment.
Welcome, Zarina – we hope that you will be very happy with us!
Vote Earth Now November 16, 2009
Posted by admin in : Uncategorized , add a commentIn December this year, world leaders will gather in Copenhagen to determine how the world deals with climate change. Their choice is simple – a future for planet earth or global warming.
Climate change will have the greatest impact on the poor, people who have limited resources to cope with changing rainfall patterns, reduced agricultural yields, water shortages, more frequent extreme weather events and the spread of disease. This is the future that awaits us here in South Africa and the rest of the world if climate change is allowed to continue unchecked. There is hope for turning the situation around and preventing runaway climate change, but only if our leaders act now.
Add your voice and help create a global mandate for a fair and effective new climate deal that will keep global warming as far below 2 degrees as possible. Show your vote for Earth and call on world leaders to secure a deal in Copenhagen that will protect people, and protect the planet.
In December this year, world leaders will gather in Copenhagen to determine how the world deals with climate change. Their choice is simple – a future for planet earth or global warming.
Climate change will have the greatest impact on the poor, people who have limited resources to cope with changing rainfall patterns, reduced agricultural yields, water shortages, more frequent extreme weather events and the spread of disease. This is the future that awaits us here in South Africa and the rest of the world if climate change is allowed to continue unchecked. There is hope for turning the situation around and preventing runaway climate change, but only if our leaders act now.
Add your voice and help create a global mandate for a fair and effective new climate deal that will keep global warming as far below 2 degrees as possible. Show your vote for Earth and call on world leaders to secure a deal in Copenhagen that will protect people, and protect the planet.
