On Friday the 17th of March, the Desmond Tutu TB Centre (DTTC) held the annual World TB Day celebrations at the Biomedical Research Institute Conference venue, Tygerberg Campus. The meeting was attended by all DTTC staff and honoured guests and partners. Vikesh Naidoo and Sue Purchase facilitated the event and the various speakers showcasing the wonderful achievements at the Centre. Guests were also sporting “Yes! We can end TB” badges to emphasise the theme for World TB Day 2023.
After director Anneke Hesseling welcomed attendees, Professor Regan Solomons, the new head of the Department of Paediatrics and Child Health at Stellenbosch University presented a talk on TB Meningitis, highlighting the burden of disease and the work that has been done by researchers to date.
Representatives from the various teams within the DTTC also presented on the work being done at the Centre, focusing on key projects and achievements during 2022. This included presentations from support services, the socio-behavioural research team, operational research teams, the HIV prevention studies team, and the TB prevention and treatment teams.
Key achievements at the DTTC included the multiple students currently enrolled for degrees – 10 PhD students, 22 Masters students, 2 Postgraduate and 5 undergraduate students and the promotional video created and shared by the DTTC Community Advisory Board (CAB).
During the interval, Marimba Jam entertained guests with live music. As part of the event, two competitions were held – a live quiz based on presentations during the event and a competition for the best photo taken on the day, with gift vouchers from Takealot for the winners. The quiz was won by Ntokozo Ntuli while the Care4TBMKids Team and the Brooklyn Chest Hospital team won the photo competition.
A lunch was enjoyed by all attendees of the dissemination meeting and provided everyone with a chance to socialise, dance to live music and celebrate the people working at the Centre.
The winners of the photo competition: Care4TBMKids Team.
The Brooklyn Chest Hospital Team.
