Cape Heart Institute visits the South African Medical Research Council

CHI staff, students and group leads visited the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) on Wednesday 16 August. Hosted by CHI members Prof Liesl Zühlke (SAMRC Vice-President of Extramural Research and Internal Portfolios) and Prof Mark Engel (Chief Specialist Scientist at SA Cochrane Centre), the meeting provided a wide-ranging overview of SAMRC and CHI research activities.

After a welcome by Prof Zühlke covering the strategic visions and history of the SAMRC, Prof 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. Prof Karen Sliwa (CHI director) presented an overview of the CHI and our various research groups under the umbrella of cardiovascular research. The event ended with a special postgraduate lecture by Prof Engel on the importance of writing systematic reviews, and the value of integrating evidence-based methods into a thesis.
 

The CHI is grateful to Profs 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 hopefully strengthen the collaborative ties between our two institutions in the future.