B. ASSAf Workshop Proceedings and Other Reports
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Proceedings Reports are a verbatim reflection of a live ASSAf event. It is published with consent of all speakers.
Peer-Review Status: Non-Peer Reviewed
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Item Gender and Innovation: Implications for Sustainable Development(Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf), 2017) Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf)This report reflects the proceedings of the GenderInSITE Elsevier Foundation Thematic Workshop – Gender and Innovation: Implications for Sustainable Development held on 4 – 6 September 2017 at the Technology Innovation Agency, TIA House, and Pretoria, South Africa.Item Preparing for the Future of HIV/AIDS in Africa: A Shared Responsibiltiy(Academy of Science of South Africa, 2012) Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf)The sub-Saharan Africa region still remains the region most heavily affected by HIV/AIDS. In 2010, about 68% of all people living with HIV resided in sub-Saharan Africa and the region also accounted for 70% of new HIV infections. However, there has been a notable decline in the regional rate of new infections. The epidemic continues to be most severe in southern Africa, with South Africa having more people living with HIV (an estimated 5.6 million) than any other country in the world (UNAIDS World AIDS Day Report, 2011).Item Workshop Proceedings Report GMOs for African Agriculture: Challenges and opportunities(Academy of Science of South Africa, 2010) Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf)This proceedings report is the product of a two-day workshop hosted by the Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf) from 17-18 September 2009. ASSAf, in partnership with the Union of the German Academies of Sciences and Humanities, the Network of African Science Academies (NASAC) and the Uganda National Academy of Sciences (UNAS) received funding from the InterAcademy Panel (IAP) to conduct a study on “Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs): Opportunities and Challenges in Africa”.Item The Emerging Threat of Drug Resistant Tuberculosis(Academy of Science of South Africa, 2011) Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf)An estimated 2 billion people, one-third of the global population, are infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M.tb.), the bacterium that causes tuberculosis (TB) (Keshavjee and Seung, 2008). Spread through the air, this infectious disease kills 1.8 million people each year, or 4,500 each day (WHO, 2009a). TB is the leading killer of people with HIV, and it is also a disease of poverty—the vast majority of TB deaths occur in the developing world (WHO, 2009a). Exacerbating the devastation caused by TB is the growing threat of drug-resistant strains of the disease in many parts of the world. The development of drug resistance is a predictable, natural phenomenon that occurs when microbes adapt to survive in the presence of drug therapy (Nugent et al., 2010). Although antibiotics developed in the 1950s are effective against a large percentage of TB cases, resistance to these first-line therapies has developed over the years, resulting in the growing emergence of multidrug-resistant (MDR) and extensively drugresistant (XDR) TB, and even totally drug-resistant (TDR) TB (see Box 1-1 for definitions). In recognitionItem Workshop on Measuring Deprivation in Order to Promote Human Development(Academy of Science of South Africa, 2015) Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf)Poverty reduction is a critical factor outlined in both the Millennium Developmental Goals 2015 (MDGs) and the National Developmental Plan (NDP) – Vision 2030. In order for South Africa to make progress in this regard, definitions of the different forms of deprivation and human development and indicators for their measurement are needed to monitor and evaluate any programme implemented to reduce poverty. The focus of the workshop was to understand the different dimensions of poverty and how appropriate and good measures of poverty can be developed and implemented. The workshop aimed to facilitate a holistic approach, inclined toward key recommendations outlined in the NDP – Vision 2030. The aims and objectives of the workshop were to: • Enhance understanding of poverty and its different dimensions. • Enhance understanding of the debates over the types of measures required to monitor the different dimensions of poverty and the levels at which poverty thresholds should be set and by whom. • Document the phases and substance of the poverty measurement debate in post-apartheid South Africa and the details surrounding this discussion.Item IAP Water Programme: Regional Workshop for Africa. Proceedings Report(Academy of Science of South Africa, 2006) Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf)Water is a fundamental concern of virtually every nation, playing a diverse and often inter-dependent but vital role in the individual and collective lives of its entire citizenry. A single country like South Africa may well “seek” to solve its water-related problems by itself, but most of these have dimensions that extend beyond the borders, and many lessons learnt elsewhere may well be applicable at home.Item Proceedings of a Workshop on the Implementation of Core Competencies for Mental, Neurological and Substance Use Disorders(Academy of Science of South Africa, 2014) Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf)According to the South African Depression and Anxiety Group (SADAG), one in six South Africans suffers from disorders such as anxiety, depression or substance use; this excludes disorders such as bipolar or schizophrenia. Due to inadequate resources in managing this burden, less than 16% of patients receive treatment (South African College of Applied Psychology, 2013). The Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf) has a strong focus on health issues of the nation and through its convening influence, hosted a workshop on The Implementation of Core Competencies for Mental, Neurological and Substance Use Disorders on 27 –28 May 2014 in Johannesburg. The workshop was attended by stakeholders from government (national and provincial), academia, non-government organisations (NGOs), civil society organisations (CSOs) and professional association/council representatives. This ASSAf workshop follows a series of workshops initiated by the United States’ Institute of Medicine (IOM) aimed at contributing towards addressing the burden of mental, neurological, substance use (MNS) disorders in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). This included a workshop (August 2009) titled Reducing the Treatment Gap, Improving Quality of Care that was held in Uganda (in collaboration with the Ugandan National Academy of Sciences). In September 2012, a second workshop titled Strengthening Human Resources through Development of Core Competencies for MNS Disorders in SSA was also held in Uganda. It was at this 2012 workshop that the candidate core competencies for providers across all MNS disorders were developed, and the output from that workshop forms the basis for the ASSAf workshop. The core competencies enable screening, identification, formal diagnosis, referral, treatment and care of MNS disorders. The objectives of the ASSAf workshop were to: 1. Identify and discuss the key challenges in the implementation of the MNS disorders core competencies within the South African health system context. 2. Explore the best strategies and opportunities that could be adopted by the different stakeholders for effective implementation of MNS disorders core competencies. Workshop participants and speakers identified and discussed a number of overarching key challenges and gaps when it comes to addressing MNS disorders adequately in South Africa.Item Addressing the global challenges of multimorbidity – lessons from South Africa(Academy of Medical Sciences, 2016) Academy of Medical Sciences; Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf)The main objective of this workshop was to consider the burden of multimorbidity in South Africa and the UK, and ask how we can achieve a more coherent and consistent approach to defining, researching, and addressing multimorbidity. The workshop brought together experts and evidence from South Africa, the UK and other countries on the prevalence, burden, and determinants of multimorbidity. The aims of the workshop were as follows: • Identify gaps in our knowledge on the basis of the available evidence and identify the associated research priorities required to address them. • Consider how health systems in both the UK and South Africa are currently dealing with multimorbidity, and in particular discuss the key challenges and the costs and financing issues associated with multimorbidity – particularly in light of efforts to achieve universal health care. • Consider lessons that can be learned by each country from the other. • Ask how we can achieve a more coherent and consistent approach to defining, researching, and addressing multimorbidityItem Finding Synergies in the Mathematical Sciences(Academy of Science of South Africa, 2016) Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf)The Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf) convened a workshop on Finding Synergies in the Mathematical Sciences in Cape Town on 15 – 16 September 2016. The meeting sought to promote and seek a discursive space to explore synergies and an inclusive approach to mathematics across all the scientific disciplines and the adoption of a broader, more integrated vision of the role of mathematics in education and society. The meeting also aimed to explore the feasibility and desirability of a broad consensus study which would inter alia conduct an audit of initiatives and best practices that address issues of synergising the mathematical sciences in South Africa. South Africa’s National Development Plan projects that the number of school-leavers, who should qualify for entrance to a Bachelor’s degree for which mathematics is a prerequisite, will more than double by 2024 and will treble by 2030. At the same time, the relationship, or lack of one, between mathematics and mathematics education represents a matter of concern, potentially exacerbating the limited performance of South African pupils and students. The workshop sought to address these significant capacity challenges and the increasing permeation of mathematics across academic disciplines by exploring potential synergies and collaborations among the mathematical sciences, with the interconnected goals of improving educational and research outputs and supporting the country’s development and transformation.Item Social Determinants of Health Workshop, 7-8 November 2016(Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf), 2016) Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf)Monitoring data: numbers that work - data availability and use to improve social well-being (facilitator: Dr Tolullah Oni) - Data Compatibility and Integration as Measures of Addressing the Impact on Social Determinants of Health (Ms Belinda Nabukalu) - Measuring Impact and Monitoring SDH Indicators (Dr Mariamawit Y Yeshak) - ‘Gendered’ Data – Measuring Lived Experiences for Men and Women for Equitable Health (Dr Papa Diop) - Health in all policies: mainstreaming health as a measure across all sectors to address SDH (facilitator: Ms Belinda Nabukalu) - Achieving Policy Coherence at National, Regional and Global Levels to Address SDH and SDGs (Dr Michieka Okioga Michieka)