Dr. Khatija Ahmed

Setshaba Research Centre - CEO of Setshaba Research Centre

Profile

Dr Khatija Ahmed, is a medical doctor and clinical microbiologist by profession, with a wealth of experience in HIV, TB, COVID, RSV, and other research has led the site since its inception in 2004, and under her leadership and guidance, the site has excelled and expanded its research portfolio. Dr Ahmed sits on numerous leadership and steering committees and has established relationships with many key institutions and organisations both nationally and abroad. Through her leadership and guidance, she has contributed to the development of many early-career research staff. She has worked closely with many research and other organizations, including both local and international organizations across various spectrums of the research and health industries. She has made valuable contributions towards research science and has presented at many conferences as well as co-authored a large number of research publications. Dr Ahmed has served as a Principal Investigator on many research trials, across different research focus areas and is committed to maintaining high standards of quality across all her studies.

Firm Profile
The Setshaba Research Centre (SRC), a South African, non-governmental and not-for-profit organisation, is a well-established, community-based research centre that aims to be a world-class health research organisation, benefitting local communities while making a global impact. The centre has grown extensively since its inception in 2004, Setshaba has gained vast experience in the fields of COVID, HIV, TB, maternal & pediatric, social science and other relevant research in infectious and non-infectious diseases.

SRC prides itself on conducting high-quality clinical trials with excellent recruitment and retention rates and high-quality data.

The site’s core focus upon inception was conducting HIV prevention studies. Since then, the site has demonstrated the ability to expand its portfolio to include HIV and TB vaccine studies, TB diagnostic studies, Maternal and Paediatric studies as well as a number of social science, behavioral and multipurpose technology studies.

The centre is optimally located in Block H, Soshanguve, within the Tshwane district, Gauteng Province, South Africa. It is located in an area of high disease burden especially in HIV/TB and other infectious diseases. SRC has established a solid foundation within the surrounding community, which has contributed to its success in the recruitment and retention of participants across its research projects.
In accordance with its mission statement, SRC strives to conduct research of benefit to the community, in partnership with the community. Community Engagement (CE) processes and activities have always been an integral part of the research process at Setshaba Research Centre (SRC), and have been in place since inception of the organisation. The community engagement team has managed to establish a strong foothold in the community over the years, which has contributed greatly towards the success of clinical trials conducted at SRC. CE includes partnering and networking with different stakeholders within the community and surrounding areas as well as providing community education, conducting social outreach programmes, workshops and other interventions.

SRC is a community based centre, that aims to work in partnership with the community, for the benefit of the community. We recognise our responsibility to the community and therefore in addition to research activities, SRC has conducted many social outreach programs including Health Expo’s, winter warmth programs, soup kitchens and other similar events. SRC has a standing relationship with the surrounding Orphanages whereby SRC continues to extend its support.

SRC has also provided support to local clinics in Soshanguve during April and May 2020, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Equipment such as gazebos, chairs and personal protective equipment (PPE) were donated to local clinics, to assist them in combating COVID-19.