Well under the radar of any media, the Foundation for Professional Development (FPD) lead clinical researcher in the Eastern Cape, and extraordinary professor at the University of Pretoria, Remco Peters, is making a slow but profound difference to local health systems.
While adapting national policies to local conditions to render them more effective and creating local ownership and relevance, the FPD research unit has a single mantra: improve patient outcomes and strengthen and support quality healthcare delivery.
This is achieved through strong partnership with the local department of health, non-governmental and community-based organisations, and other stakeholders.
The projects have a community advisory board in place where the relevant structures are represented to ensure that projects are locally relevant and culturally appropriate.
Peters FPD clinical research team has an administrative office in East London, a clinical trial site at Ndevana near Qonce (previously called King Williams Town) and sexually transmitted infections research infrastructure at five facilities in the Buffalo City region. It consists of some 60 staff, including nurses, field and trial site workers, doctors and lab technicians.
Most of our work is in sexual health a good example being a project of rapid diagnostic testing for STIs [sexually transmitted infections
