The DTHF Men’s Health Division is dedicated to enhancing men’s access to healthcare and improving their health outcomes through tailored services. The division’s mission is to amplify men’s perspectives in the development of interventions and research to improve health outcomes. Operating in two key locations, namely Cape Town, Western Cape, and East London, Eastern Cape, the division is co-led by Drs. Andrew Medina-Marino and Philip Smith.
The Men’s Health Division in Eastern Cape also leads several major, NIH-funded studies, including:
- U=U for Men’s Health (NIH: R01MH129223-01A1),
- the TB and Men’s Health studies (NIH: R21AI148852 & R21AI163977),
- the MISSED TB Outcomes Study NIH (R01AI150485), and a
- TB and Mental Health Study (NIH: R01AI148461).
On the U=U for Men’s Health study, Drs. Andrew Medina-Marino and Alison Buttenheim (UPenn) serve as the principal investigators for a research grant aimed at addressing the significant disparities in HIV testing, treatment initiation, and viral suppression among cis-gender heterosexual men living with HIV in South Africa.
The TB and Men’s Health study seeks to 1) identify men’s preferences for a male-centered TB care intervention, and 2) measure real-time influences of mental and tangible resources on men’s tb treatment lapses and adherence behaviours.
The MISSED TB Outcomes Study is the first multi-level, prospective study to look at how individual and intersecting stigmas at the community-, clinic-, household- and individual-levels influence progression along the entire TB cascade.
The TB and Mental Health Study uses an implementation science approach to integrate mental health services into TB care in primary health clinics.
TB Omni study, funded by the Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics (FIND) aims to evaluate the predictive value of pooled individual oral swab specimens as a household-level triage test for TB during community-based household contact investigations using a portable GeneXpert device.
For more information on current and ongoing research please see the information provided in our most recent annual review: