By Felix Khanoba
As efforts to integrate human immunodeficiency virus with non-communicable diseases to enhance health outcomes continue to gain traction, top medical researchers convened at the 2024 HLB-SIMPLe Annual Conference in Gaborone, Botswana, from May 28th to 30th.
The conference featured updates from six study sites across Africa, including Nigeria, South Africa, Uganda, Mozambique, Zambia, and Botswana.
HLB-SIMPLe, which stands for Heart, Lung, and Blood Co-morbidities Implementation Models in People Living with HIV, is an alliance of researchers focused on integrating HIV and high blood pressure care across the six African nations.
“We held the Gaborone meeting under the theme: ‘Integrating HIV and Non-Communicable Diseases Programmes for Scale-Up and Sustainability: Leveraging Community Engagement,’ with participation from various countries,” said Dike Ojji, Associate Professor of Preventive Cardiology and lead investigator of the Cardiovascular Research Unit at the University of Abuja.
Ojji’s team, Managing Hypertension Among People Living with HIV – An Integrated Model (MAP-IT), presented notable updates on their trials.
Ojji outlined that the meeting’s objectives included sharing site updates, allowing mentees to present their small research projects, and fostering networking opportunities. He confirmed that these goals were met, highlighting that the MAP-IT team, which includes the University of Abuja, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, Akwa Ibom State Primary Healthcare Development Agency (AKSPHCDA), and other collaborators, achieved outstanding results. The team excelled in terms of publications, stakeholder engagement, and providing platforms for trainees and young researchers to present.
The director of the University of Abuja Institute for Advanced Medical Research and Training noted that the University team presented two NIH-NHLBI Short Research Projects (SRP) from early career investigators, a science communications project, and two poster presentations on various hypertension and HIV topics.
Other notable presentations included studies on reducing HIV/hypertension stigma in Akwa Ibom State, integrating diabetes, hypertension, and HIV care in Nigerian primary healthcare centers, and a qualitative study on the perception of hypertension in rural communities of Akwa Ibom State.
“The conference has inspired us to think ahead about advancing our work and reinforced the importance of diligence,” Ojji concluded.
