In the early 1980s, the then University of Zimbabwe Medical School’s Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology (Obs & Gynae) drew attention for its diversity and scholarship in research to advance reproductive health for women and men. At the time, the Department was led by Dr Tom Chimbira, an Obstetrician/Gynaecologist with an MD research degree from Oxford.

It was in this context that the late Professor David Katzenstein, an internationally renowned virologist from Stanford University working in HIV research, visited our department to explore potential research collaborations involving HIV and puerperal sepsis.

At that time, the Dept of Obs & Gynae was also a recipient of a Research Capacity Strengthening grant from WHO/HQ’s UNDP/UNFPA/UNICEF/WHO/World Bank’s Special Program for Research, Research Training and Development in Human Reproduction (HRP), which helped equip the Department and sponsored academic and research staff for further research training abroad. This also helped the Department acquire a significant complement of research and diagnostic equipment which included, inter alia, ultrasonography, colposcopy, phase-contrast microscopy, cardiotocography etc. Its research laboratories were the first in the country to introduce early HIV detection through PCR and diagnostic CD4 cell count, among others. The UZ Research Board and a number of external donors, including Foundations, were on board.

In this context, Prof David Katzenstein’s research colleague, Prof Nancy Padian, an epidemiologist from UCSF, had a postgraduate student, Dr Yanneke van de Wijgert (now Professor, UMC Utrecht), who was interested in pursuing her doctoral studies on assessing the effects of use of intravaginal products on HIV acquisition in women. Prof Katzenstein
referred her to the Obs & Gynae Department and, upon reviewing her research interest and the scope, I called Prof Mike Chirenje, given his interest and expertise in colposcopy. Prof Chirenje immediately agreed to serve as her local co-supervisor.

Through the postgraduate research grant, with support from Prof Nancy Padian as external supervisor, we recruited two research nurses, Sister Nyamapfeni and Sister Mwale, to help with clinical work and HIV counselling, and Dr Marshall Munjoma, for laboratory investigations, including HIV testing.

With this, the then UZ-UCSF Collaborative Research Program, now UZ-CTRC, was born. Established in 1994, it has consistently generated high-quality healthcare research, serving as a global centre of excellence in HIV prevention and care research. UZ-CTRC has expanded nationally and internationally, receiving and training dozens of research fellows from abroad, and strengthening local research capacity through securing postgraduate and doctoral research training opportunities abroad for its promising junior and mid-level clinical, laboratory, pharmaceutical and other research staff. Beyond what could have been imagined at its founding, UZ-CTRC has significantly grown, engaging up to 400 research and support staff at peak research periods and providing research management support to an additional 200 individuals. This expansion has encapsulated a diverse array of areas involving research expertise and support, including clinical, medical, pharmaceutical, laboratory, data management, counselling, social and behavioral science, community advice, and research administration.

The UZ-CTRC’s publication record is a testament to its value as a national and global resource for advancing research knowledge and innovation.