FPD Research Unit | The Foundation for Professional Development

The FPD Research Unit has five strategic goals: a) To coordinate and conduct rigorous scientific and epidemiologic research, b) Develop local, regional, and international partnerships that bring expertise to address issues of public health importance, c) Cultivate current and next generation public health researchers and epidemiologists through training and mentorship, d) Advance evidence-based policy recommendations, e) Contribute to the global body of scientific knowledge that directly informs public health programs and policy.

FPD’s Research Unit includes the rural Ndevana Community Research Site in the Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality (BCM) where HIV prevention and treatment clinical trials are conducted. This is a unique and rare capacity as conducting clinical trials in rural, resource-constrained settings is uniquely challenging and requires robust infrastructure and high regulatory standards. Five additional clinical research facilities have also been established at primary healthcare facilities in BCM where sexually transmitted infection (STI) projects, and maternal and reproductive health studies are conducted.

FPD’s Research Unit conducts diverse research in the fields of HIV treatment and prevention, STIs, tuberculosis (TB), COVID-19, antimicrobial resistance, maternal and reproductive health, and mental health. This research is funded by national and international donors and conducted by an experienced and qualified team of investigators, doctors, nurses, laboratory technologists, pharmacists, counsellors, research assistants, quantitative and qualitative data experts, and field workers. We have expertise in epidemiological research encompassing all quantitative study designs (trials; cohort studies; cross-sectional studies, etc.), qualitative evaluations, and implementation science.