In 2024 UCT partnered with national and international health institutions to translate research into action. The range of collaborations below show UCT operating across community, national and global levels to improve health and well-being.

1. MOBILE MEN — HIV prevention trial

In August 2024 the Desmond Tutu Health Foundation (DTHF) (a UCT-linked research centre) launched the MOBILE MEN programme — a male-focused, multi-site clinical and implementation study testing oral and long-acting injectable PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) for mobile populations (e.g., fishermen, truck drivers, migrant workers). This HIV prevention trial is a collaboration between the Foundation, the Africa Health Research Institute, and the Medical Research Council and the Uganda Virus Research Institute. This innovative project focuses on the “on demand” regimen for oral PrEP and the use of CAB-LA (long-acting injectable PrEP), marking the first male-only study of its kind in the region.

Men who are mobile for work are at high risk for HIV and have traditionally been underrepresented in PrEP trials. This study aims to address this gap by providing critical data on the effectiveness and implementation of PrEP among mobile men in Sub-Saharan Africa. The results of this study will guide the rollout of both oral and injectable PrEP in this population, ultimately contributing to the reduction of HIV incidence in the region.

The study was implemented in partnership with the Africa Health Research Institute (AHRI), MRC/UVRI (Uganda), and includes community engagement and multi-site data collection to inform roll-out strategies.

2. Children’s Institute — South African Child Gauge 2024 (policy and practitioner engagement)

UCT’s Children’s Institute published and launched the South African Child Gauge 2024 (focus: Early Childhood Development) at UCT in August 2024. The launch, attended by national stakeholders including the First Lady, fed directly into policy and practitioner discussions with government, UNICEF and civil-society partners about child health, nutrition and social protection.

3. Khayelitsha Cervical Cancer Screening collaboration (longstanding UCT partnership)

UCT researchers have been core partners in the Khayelitsha Cervical Cancer Screening Program (KCCP) for decades. The program’s clinical trials and implementation work (screen-and-treat approaches using HPV testing and point-of-care devices) continued to underpin implementation science in 2024 and are cited in major funded projects and program descriptions (National Institute of Health and partner reports) that document ongoing clinical/scaling activity in Khayelitsha to increase screening and treatment coverage. This multidisciplinary team included public sector health services in the Western Cape (Western Cape Department of Health & Wellness – WCDH&W), and researchers from UCT, and Columbia University Irving Medical Center (CUIMC). Partners work together to support South Africa’s cervical cancer elimination goals through the utilization of implementation science to develop and disseminate findings on strategies to increase coverage of evidence-based cervical cancer prevention equitably. The team has expertise in cancer prevention/control, implementation science, epidemiology and public health.

4. SHAWCO — community clinics and partnership outreach (ongoing 2024 activity)

SHAWCO (UCT’s student health & welfare NGO) operated multiple free primary-care clinics across Cape Town in 2024. These included adult night clinics, women’s health clinics and paediatric clinics. Shawco collaborates with local clinics, community health workers and schools across the Cape Metropole to improve access and referrals for vulnerable communities.

On average, SHAWCO runs three Saturday clinics a month, including a paediatric clinic in Hangberg and Imizamo Yethu [both in Hout Bay] and in Tambo Village in Gugulethu. SHAWCO also facilitates a women’s health and mom and baby clinic in Kensington. And on selected weekday evenings, depending on doctors’ availability, they run a health and wellness clinic in these communities, as well as in Wynberg and Masiphumelele.

5. Broader UCT health systems engagement (HEU / policy work / global inputs)

Through units such as UCT’s Health Economics Unit, Children’s Institute, Desmond Tutu Health Foundation and other research centres, UCT provided technical evidence, workshops and advisory inputs throughout 2024 to national policy debates (UHC/HTA/child protection) and to international partners (WHO, World Bank, donor consortia), translating research into actionable policies and implementation support.

6. Africa Health Collaborative

The Africa Health Collaborative is a transformative network of 9 higher education institutions, including University of Cape Town, and the Mastercard Foundation. The partnership aims to bolster the continent’s health sectors as part of efforts to improve care for millions while supporting youth employment and economic growth. Participating institutions from Africa include Addis Ababa University, the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences, African Leadership University, Amref International University, Ashesi University, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Moi University and the University of Cape Town. The University of Toronto and the Mastercard Foundation are also partners.

The AHEHC partners are committed to reshaping the health-care landscape in Africa by preparing young people for meaningful work in health and wellness through contextually appropriate and sustainable primary health care.

One of the pillars of this work is the Health Employment Pillar (HEMP). In HEMP, the inclusion of community health workers in capacity-building programs remains a key strategy for supporting improved health delivery services at all levels. A focal point of HEMP is enhancing the leadership capacities of women in the health and public health sectors, thereby addressing gender inequities in Africa’s health human resources.

In Cape Town’s Klipfontein region, young people and their families continue to face complex and interlinked health challenges, including mental health concerns, substance abuse, and teenage pregnancies. Determined to be part of the solution, community members are stepping forward to shape programmes and policies that reflect their lived realities. As part of the Africa Health Collaborative (AHC), the University of Cape Town (UCT) is supporting this movement by creating inclusive spaces where local knowledge and evidence come together to drive practical change and inform health policies.

Over the past months, two initiatives have demonstrated the power of that commitment in action.

In Bridgetown/Silvertown, Klipfontein, over 100 youth, parents, educators, healthcare workers, and NGOs braved stormy weather to participate in UCT’s community-driven health dialogue held in 2024. Together, they spoke honestly about mental health and sexual and reproductive health challenges, co-designed solutions, forged new partnerships between health facilities, local schools, NGOs, and local youth groups. This dialogue reinforced a collective commitment to provide youth-centred support on these issues — showing that meaningful change happens when those closest to the challenges lead the way.

At the same time, a Youth Well-being Survey — conducted in 2024 by UCT across 15 schools in Klipfontein and Langa in partnership with Planet Youth, the Western Cape Department of Health & Wellness and the Western Cape Education Department — captured the voices of 85% of Grade 8-9 learners in the selected schools. These youth shared insight into their experiences of substance use, family dynamics, leisure time, peer influence, community safety, violence, and general well-being. The data revealed both urgent risk factors and protective factors. Their perspectives are now being used to guide community-driven interventions and inform policy discussions with decision-makers to create safer, more supportive environments for young people.