Africa Health Research Institute

20/04/2026

Last week, the Mtubatuba community came together for two powerful 'CO-LUMINATE' events; all in recognition of young people’s expertise in mental health.

Day 1: Photovoice gallery exhibition

Our young co-creators stepped into the spotlight: cameras in hand and stories to tell. Through their photography, they explored the social determinants of mental health in ways that no report or dataset ever could.

This event created a space to platform our youth’s incredible expertise: policy makers, decision makers, and community leaders came to listen, and the youth co-creators shone.

“Nothing about us, without us” in action.

Day 2: Dissemination and celebration

We gathered with families, community stakeholders, and everyone who made this journey possible: to celebrate everything the CO-LUMINATE project has achieved together, and create space for the community to see itself reflected in the work of its youth.

This is what participatory research looks like when it's led by youth.

Huge congratulations to every young co-creator, every partner, every family member, decision-maker and every community champion who made these two days possible as part of the CO-LUMINATE Mental Health Data Prize - Africa research.

16/04/2026

📢 Last month we co-launched a new KwaZulu-Natal working group to tackle

HPV is the primary cause of cervical cancer, and cervical cancer remains the leading cause of cancer related deaths among South African women. The new working group aims to build a provincial network of experts working together to advance HPV knowledge, improve patient care, and support evidence-informed policy and practice.

The initiative is a collaboration between AHRI, UKZN's College of Health Sciences CAPRISA the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Health and the National Health Laboratory Service.

Interested in joining us? Sign up here ➡️ https://forms.office.com/r/0JzFcpfQJs

13/04/2026

AHRI recently had the pleasure of engaging with over 200 matric learners from Mehlokubheka and Ikusasalethu High Schools during an inspiring career talk session.

The visit created a platform for meaningful conversations around career pathways, STEM opportunities, civic responsibility, and youth development. As these learners approach the end of their high school journey, it is vital that they are exposed first-hand to professionals in the fields they aspire to - helping them make informed decisions about their futures.

A heartfelt thank you to the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC), the local municipality youth desk, and our dedicated AHRI colleagues for making this engagement a success.

31/03/2026

AHRI Executive Director Prof Willem Hanekom is delivering the Annual Stephen Lawn Memorial Lecture today at the University of Cape Town.

His lecture: “New vaccines to dramatically interrupt the TB epidemic,” addresses one of the most urgent challenges in global health and honours the legacy of Stephen Lawn.

🗓 Tuesday, 31 March 2026
⏰ 17:00 (SAST)
💻 Watch online: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83605784022?pwd=Z1HVWxni9AmlXAwyxM4MdIdP17J57V.1

Hosted by the University of Cape Town, in collaboration with The London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, The Lancet, The International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease, The Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine, and The Desmond Tutu Health Foundation

27/03/2026

We were honoured to host members of the Wellcome Trust Board of Governors and senior leadership this week. Wellcome is a key partner in supporting AHRI’s work, and the visit provided an important opportunity to deepen understanding of our research and context, and to identify new areas for collaboration.

During their visit, the delegation engaged with members of our board, our executive team, faculty, early career researchers, and community advisory structures. They also experienced our public engagement work in action through a community dialogue.

We are grateful for the time, insight, and engagement, and for the continued partnership that underpins this work.

24/03/2026

🌍 Today we mark with an important reminder: TB is curable!

✅ Know your symptoms
✅ Get tested early
✅ Follow your treatment plan

We observed in partnership with the Somkhele community, local government, Mpukunyoni traditional authority and the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Health

10/03/2026

What am I looking at? 🤷🏾‍♀️

💡This image - on the front cover of the Journal of Experimental Medicine - shows a human TB granuloma in lung tissue. The tissue sample was generously donated by a patient undergoing surgery to repair TB-related damage.

🔎 Granulomas are organised clusters of immune cells that contain infections such as those caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), the bacterium responsible for TB. Whether that containment is successful or not determines if the infection will lead to disease or not. Using advanced techniques to study individual cell behavior within tissue, scientists at AHRI, with local and international partners, found that many cell types behave differently depending on their location within the granuloma. The red, green, and yellow cells shown, for example, are all macrophages, immune cells that fight infection by engulfing and killing microbes like Mtb. Their colours reflect the different proteins they express on their surfaces, indicating distinct functions. The green cells, only found on the inner edge of the granuloma, are known as SPP1 macrophages. This type of macrophage is important in cancer biology, where it is linked with poor clinical outcome, but have not previously been observed in TB.

✅ Discoveries like this improve our understanding of human-Mtb interactions at the microscopic level and may support the development of new treatments to reduce the impact of TB.

📢 This innovative work is only possible through the longstanding collaboration between researchers at AHRI and UKZN, the cardiothoracic surgeons at Inkosi Albert Luthuli Central Hospital and King Dinuzulu Hospital in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, and the generous contributions of study participants.

Full article here ➡️ https://rupress.org/jem/article/223/3/e20251067/281353/Single-cell-and-spatial-profiling-highlights-TB

02/03/2026

📢 AHRI is proud to introduce our newly elected community advisory board (CAB).

AHRI's CAB ensures community voices are represented in our research processes. It also advises on ethical and cultural matters, and helps to strengthen oversight and two-way communication between our researchers and the communities where we work.

The CAB represents all 32 izigodi within AHRI's health and demographic surveillance system (HDSS) area, as well as two wards of Mtubatuba municipality. In larger or remote villages, two members have been appointed to ensure full community coverage.

The new CAB reflects strong representation of women and youth, with a majority-women management committee, and includes members from diverse backgrounds - such as former educators and community leaders.

30/01/2026

📚✨ Books, big dreams & future plans at Mfekayi Library ✨📚

As part of AHRI’s social responsibility programme and commitment to inspiring the next generation of scientists, we recently donated Grade 12 maths textbooks and non-fiction books to Mfekayi Library - because access to the right resources matters.

We also hosted a career talk for 50 Grade 12 learners from Dlilanga High School. AHRI scientists Dr Aggrey Mokaya and Dr Andile Ngwane shared real-life advice on post-matric options, career choices, and practical tools to help learners navigate life after school.

A big thank you to Councillor Mr Mthiyane, the teachers, CAB members Thembeni Mdletshe and Bheki Nkumbuza, and the Mfekayi Library team for helping make this inspiring session possible.

Your future starts now - keep dreaming big!

28/01/2026

Last week AHRI hosted the Ragon Institute of Mass General Brigham, MIT, and Harvard for an intensive two-day visit focused on sharing research and identifying potential collaborations.

The programme included talks from Ragon and AHRI faculty, an early career scientist poster session, lab and clinic tours, and a rich community dialogue.

We look forward to many collaborative research projects in the future!

20/01/2026

💡 A reminder that research is a team effort!

This short video reflects on AHRI’s first employee recognition programme awards, which honour colleagues and teams who live our values and go above and beyond to advance our vision and mission.

Congratulations 🎊 to Zizile Sikhosana & Khanyisile Mthembu (AHRI values award); Zaza Ndhlovu (Exceptional faculty award); Kavidha Reddy (Exceptional manager award); Theresa Smit & team (Exceptional research unit award) and Munyadziwa Rabambi & team (Exceptional business unit award)

This video reflects on AHRI’s first employee recognition programme awards, where we honoured colleagues and teams who embody our values and advance AHRI’s vi...

13/01/2026

A performance for the books for KZN! 🎉

Congratulations to the KZN Class of 2025 on achieving a 90.6% National Senior Certificate pass rate. Special shout-out to the uMkhanyakude matrics - who ranked second in the country with an outstanding 93.63% pass rate!