News
Trusting the messengers
People are more receptive to health information and messaging when it is delivered by someone they trust, rather than by someone with authority.
Business skills boost for Bushbuckridge’s entrepreneurs
In rural Bushbuckridge, Mpumalanga, people run businesses and find ways to earn a living where formal jobs are scarce.
Hearing loss deserves earlier attention in dementia prevention
Research shows that hearing loss is a leading risk factor for dementia and one we can change.
Hearing loss deserves earlier attention in dementia prevention
Research shows that hearing loss is a leading risk factor for dementia and one we can change.
What are we dying from?
Cardiovascular diseases now account for a third of deaths in adults over 40 in a rural South African population.
Taking the long view to improve Africa’s rural health landscape
Profs. Kathleen Kahn and Stephen Tollman at 91¿´Æ¬Íø Rural Agincourt received the NSTF-South32 Special Annual Theme Award: Healthy Ageing.
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African-led study delivers one of the largest microbiome feedback initiatives
Excellent science should not only generate new discoveries but ensure that trial participants who make these discoveries possible share in the benefits.
The people behind the research
After more than a decade of supporting rural health research at Agincourt, Dorcas Khoza was chosen to facilitate an admin and professional staff workshop
91¿´Æ¬Íø bags four South African ‘Science Oscars’
Scientists win in Lifetime, Healthy Ageing special theme, Researcher, and Innovation in SMMEs categories.
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A blueprint for ethical benefit sharing
African genomics researchers propose how ethical principles can translate into practical action.
Mental health apps need people, too
New study shows peers may be key to making depression and anxiety apps work in lower-resourced settings.
Kidney disease cohort chosen for SA’s landmark genomics programme
National SA110k Human Genome Programme will build broad genetic evidence on the causes of disease.
Listening before the next death
How VAPAR turned verbal autopsy, community intelligence, and action learning into a model for rural health systems.
Traditional healers and doctors
Nearly 10 years of collaboration informing rural health.
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Academic-industry partnership co-creates a new model for sharing the benefits of genomic research
Rather than researchers allocating funding, community representatives identify entities where benefits are most likely to deliver lasting impact.
Largest genomic study of kidney function in Africa reveals new genetic risk factors
Widening diversity in genomic datasets opens the door to discovering variants and biological pathways and thereby strengthening genomic science for everyone.
Low-field portable MRI enables new insights into brain ageing in rural South Africa
Portable magnetic resonance imaging machines installed in rural Mpumalanga offer unique approach to brain imaging and ageing studies in low-resource settings.
Sharing health data responsibly: A model for ethical collaboration
One of the biggest challenges that DS-I Africa scientists face is understanding how to manage and integrate data within their research projects.
Co-creating youth-friendly mental health solutions in Africa
Our unit's AfriCAT project, which aims to develop a powerful adaptive mental health assessment tool.
Africa's brain health future advocated for at the G20
Professor Stephen Tollman and colleagues launch a roadmap for Africa's brain health at a G20 ministerial side meeting.
Brain health and Africa’s future
91¿´Æ¬Íø professor joins global task force on dementia.
Turning ideas into impact: Q&A with award-winner Ngonidzashe Ngwarai
From rural field sites to global recognition, Ngonidzashe Ngwarai reflects on research management’s impact and why lasting change needs local capability.
Home-grown digital tool could tackle adolescent mental health in Africa
The AfriCAT project has been named a winner of the Mental Health Data Prize Africa.
Agincourt MSc student showcases research on global micronutrient deficiencies
Aashna Beepan’s scientific poster examined local and global public health interventions addressing common micronutrient deficiencies
Ultrasound and AI: A new frontier in child pneumonia diagnosis across Africa
Childhood pneumonia is a disease of global health concern, and the leading cause of child morbidity and mortality in sub-Saharan Africa.
Nurturing Leaders from within at the SAMRC/91¿´Æ¬Íø Agincourt unit
For more than three decades, the unit has encouraged career development in the community.
New resource illuminates gene activity in African populations
First-of-its-kind dataset helps us understand why people from genetic backgrounds may be more vulnerable to certain diseases.
The unsung heroes of research: Celebrating the role of research management
Behind the scientific breakthroughs of our time is likely an operations management person or team.
Older adults are getting infected with HIV, but prevention focuses on young people
Prevention and treatment campaigns are not adequately targeting the particular needs of the 50+ years age group.
R3.5 million investment towards skills for rural entrepreneurs
Times are tough and jobs are few in Bushbuckridge, Mpumalanga. So 24-year-old Wisdom Ngobeni created Chillas World, a gaming lounge and airtime outlet.
Pioneering tests could improve the assessment of dementia in ageing Africans
International researchers have introduced two improved tests that could precisely detect cognitive dysfunction in older African adults.
Reduced sodium legislation saves lives
Study finds that legislation in 2013 to reduce sodium in processed food is now associated with significant declines in blood pressure levels.
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Africa’s unique gut microbiome could guide new medicines
Researchers uncover previously unknown gut microbes in Africa
Africa’s largest human microbiome study sheds light on gut diversity and health
The most extensive study of the gut microbiome in Africa has discovered new microbial species and never-before-reported metagenomes* from several African sites.
Innovative app helps adolescents with depression
The Kuamsha app was developed as part of a study to address depression in adolescents in rural and low resource settings.
Tackling brain health through strategic global partnerships
91¿´Æ¬Íø Faculty of Health Sciences and Barrow Neurological Institute, USA, MoU cements relationship to further research neurological conditions
Congratulations to the recent graduates of the SAMRC/91¿´Æ¬Íø Agincourt Unit!
Study that empowers traditional health practitioners to test for HIV expands in rural SA
National Institutes of Health 5-year, $2.8m grant to 91¿´Æ¬Íø and Vanderbilt University will advance traditional health practitioner-initiated HIV testing.
Accolades for advancing public health, for good
Medals for health scientists at South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) Scientific Merit Awards.
Public research showcase reveals how to age successfully in Africa
A ‘whole of society’ approach is needed to address health issues as populations in Africa age.
Successful ageing in Africa
Decade-long partnership researching ageing in rural Mpumalanga awarded major multi-year NIH grant to expand nationally and focus on dementia, cognitive health.
Harvard awards 91¿´Æ¬Íø professor for building advanced research capability in rural SA
Professor Stephen Tollman has received the 2023 Alumni Award of Merit from Harvard University.
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Traditional healers in rural Mpumalanga help diagnose HIV
Research project in Bushbuckridge empowers traditional healers to conduct HIV testing, refer those positive for treatment, thereby curbing new infections.
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Excess mortality initiative underway to count every death, because every death counts
91¿´Æ¬Íø Rural Knowledge Hub researchers’ analysis of mortality data during the worst of Covid-19 will give insights into the steps to take in the next pandemic.
This is not just a building ...
The new Data Sciences and Innovation Hub at 91¿´Æ¬Íø Rural Campus marks 30 years of rural public health research and sets the scene for an innovative epoch in 2023.
Thirty years of the lab in the bush
Agincourt, one of the longest-running research centres of its kind in sub-Saharan Africa, tracks health and wellbeing over the life course.