SERENA HOTEL, NAIROBI
Monday, January 22, 2024
Prof Margaret J. Hutchinson, Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Research, Innovation And Enterprise (RIE) Officially opened the Annual Meeting of the University of Nairobi Collaborative Research Group for HIV, AIDS, Sexually Transmitted Infections, and Reproductive Health on January 22 2024.
Prof Hutchinson in her Speech noted that the University of Nairobi has a long and proud history of collaboration in the field of HIV/AIDS, STIs, and reproductive health, dating back to the early 1980s. Partnerships with institutions like the University of Manitoba, the University of Washington, and the Antwerp Tropical Medicine Institute have been instrumental in groundbreaking discoveries and advancements. Together, we have led the way in understanding the transmission patterns, clinical signs, and epidemiology of HIV in Africa. This includes pivotal research on mother-to-child transmission, the linkages between STIs and HIV transmission, and the factors influencing HIV resistance.
In addition Prof Hutchinson mentioned the collaborative efforts that have also extended to the realms of vaccine research, as seen with the establishment of KAVI – the University of Nairobi Institute for Vaccine Research and the University of Nairobi Institute of Tropical and Infectious Diseases (UNITID) . Moreover, in the past two decades, UON group has conducted definitive clinical trials demonstrating the effectiveness of male circumcision in HIV prevention, the use of antiretrovirals, and pre-exposure prophylaxis. These innovative approaches have set global standards for reaching vulnerable populations.
Today, collaboration spans across continents, bringing together a diverse array of institutions, including the University of California San Francisco, the University of Illinois at Chicago, and the University of Toronto, Northwestern University, University of Helsinki among others.
