"CIDRZ's success is a story woven out of sturdy partnerships and outstanding science. And maybe the most important point is that the story has just begun." -- Dr. Michael Saag, MD, Director - UAB Center for AIDS Research
What does it mean to do research with the goal of bringing hope and health to patients? It means analyzing the best way to save children who have contracted HIV infection and finding better ways to stop children from being infected in the first place. It means studying the risk of cervical cancer in women who are being treated with anti-retrovirals. Studies at CIDRZ are conducted to the highest international standards, but the results are designed to be local. Before taking on any new research project, the team asks this question: Will the results of this research be directly applicable to patient care in Zambia and the region? If the answer is “no” then the research is not for CIDRZ.
The CIDRZ research group includes seven faculty-level researchers living in Zambia: Drs. Jeff Stringer, Elizabeth Stringer, Benjamin Chi, Groesbeck Parham, Stewart Reid, Perry Killam, and Dara Potter. Studies are conducted in collaboration with the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), the University of Bordeaux, the University of Capetown, Boston University, Columbia University, Johns Hopkins University, and Vanderbilt University. To date, CIDRZ has completed 16 research projects and has another 25 ongoing studies. Core research support services are provided by a central research operations group that includes units dedicated to study regulation (including a full-time IRB liaison), training, data management, and quality control / quality assurance. The data analysis unit includes three epidemiologists residing in Zambia. The research group meets weekly with study coordinators and the CIDRZ clinical team to discuss ongoing and prospective studies.