"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 antiretroviral therapy. 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 comprises six Lusaka-based faculty members from the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), 16 Zambian investigators and numerous collaborators from the University of Zambia, University Teaching Hospital, and Zambian Ministry of Health. International partners include UAB, Columbia University, Boston University, Johns Hopkins University, Vanderbilt University, University of Bordeaux, University of Cape Town, and London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
To date, CIDRZ has completed 43 research projects, has another 20 ongoing studies and another 20 being planned. Core research support services are provided by a central research operations group with units dedicated to study regulation (including a full-time IRB liaison), training, data management, and quality control / quality assurance. The data analysis unit includes two analysts residing in Zambia. The research group meets weekly with study coordinators and the CIDRZ clinical team to discuss ongoing and prospective studies.