Representatives from across the Alliance gather in Botswana for the 2024 HLB-SIMPLe Annual Meeting

Many vibrant scientific discussions happened throughout the meeting that clearly linked emerging science to both local and global health priorities and policy planning. The event included a networking café activity, facilitating a series of one-on-one meetings among Alliance members and with invited guests, enhancing existing connections and encouraging new collaborations. There was also a community engagement workshop where participants were encouraged to reflect on how their research teams might build stronger, more equitable relationships with stakeholders in their communities.

The costing, cost-effectiveness, and data harmonization subcommittees met multiple times over the course of the meeting and succeeded in developing a list of 10 common strategies and four common mediators of interventions to integrate HIV and hypertension care (which can, in turn, be associated with specific doses and costs). The team also agreed on a primary effectiveness outcome for a harmonized cost-effectiveness analysis. These decisions will lay a solid foundation for performance of cost and cost-effectiveness analyses across all six sites as data are finalized over the coming year.

Participants from various training programs led by the HLB-SIMPLe Research Coordinating Center were invited to give presentations at the meeting, describing the work they had done or were planning to do to practice the skills they were being trained on. Although many were intimidated at first, many left the meeting feeling like it was a positive experience and valuable for advancing their thinking and their work.

“I absolutely loved the meeting! It was such an eye-opening experience!” shared Eunice Mopane, a trainee in the RCC’s Science Communication Cohort and communications officer with Ezintsha, the organization managing HLB-SIMPLe’s project in South Africa. “I particularly enjoyed hearing diverse perspectives on topics I hadn’t considered before. The warm welcome from everyone made me feel included and valued.”

Brian Banda, pharmacy liaison officer with the TASKPEN Zambia project also enjoyed his time at the meeting. “I learned a lot from the social interactions (networking) as well as the interactive sessions, especially on community engagement. I now recognize and appreciate the relationship between effective science communication and true meaningful community engagement. When done right, I think it can greatly impact research interventions and programs and may serve as a catalyst for changing policies, programs, and practices.”

Given this time of connection and inspiration, the Alliance is now poised to work even better together, enhancing the speed and significance of our progress.

HLB-SIMPLe is funded by the Center for Translation Research and Implementation Science at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) and the Fogarty International Center at the US National Institutes of Health (NIH).