CHI visits the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC)

Staff, students and group leads of the Cape Heart Institute (CHI) visited the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) on Wednesday 16 August 2023.

Hosted by CHI members Professor Liesl Zühlke (SAMRC Vice-President of Extramural Research and Internal Portfolios) and Professor Mark Engel (Chief Specialist Scientist at Cochrane South Africa), the meeting provided a wide-ranging overview of SAMRC and CHI research activities.

After a welcome by Professor Zühlke covering the strategic visions and history of the SAMRC, Professor Rabia Johnson, Deputy Director of SAMRC Biomedical Research and Innovation Platform (BRIP), gave a lecture highlighting examples of projects currently underway in the fields of noncommunicable disease and African traditional medicines. She then treated the group to a tour of the BRIP laboratories and facilities. Professor Karen Sliwa, Director of CHI, presented an overview of the CHI and its various research groups under the umbrella of cardiovascular research. The event ended with a special postgraduate lecture by Professor Engel on the importance of writing systematic reviews, and the value of integrating evidence-based methods into a thesis.

The CHI is grateful to Professors Zühlke and Engel for hosting us. This visit was an excellent opportunity for the CHI members to better understand the activities of the SAMRC and to strengthen the collaborative ties between our two institutions in the future.