Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University (SMU), in partnership with the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC), has established a new multidisciplinary research unit to transform scientific evidence into practical, scalable solutions for South Africa and the African continent.
The SAMRC/SMU Public Health Interventions, Innovations and Implementation Research Unit (PHIRu) is one of seven new SAMRC Extramural Research Units launched recently as part of a strategic investment in strengthening South Africa’s health research ecosystem. Effective from 1 April 2026, the seven units have brought the SAMRC’s national portfolio to almost 30 Extramural Research Units.
Led by Professor Olanrewaju Oladimeji, the Founding Director of PHIRu, the Unit brings together researchers, communities, policymakers, healthcare practitioners, industry partners and other stakeholders. Its central purpose is to address a persistent public health challenge: ensuring proven research findings move beyond academic publications and are successfully implemented, sustained, and scaled in real-world health systems.
“Our ambition is to build a research hub where evidence does not end with a publication,” said Professor Oladimeji. “We want research to travel the full pathway, from identifying public health challenges, to co-creating solutions with communities and stakeholders, evaluating what works, and supporting implementation at scale.”
PHIRu’s research programme will focus on four interconnected areas: evidence synthesis for glocalised health interventions; artificial intelligence and health innovation; implementation research for scale and impact; and infectious diseases (TB, HIV, etc.) and non-communicable diseases (Cardiovascular Diseases, Mental Health, etc.).
The Unit will utilise artificial intelligence, digital health technologies and mobile applications to support accessible and responsive healthcare. It will also explore how effective interventions can move from confined research environments into communities, healthcare facilities and broader health systems.
A defining feature of PHIRu is its commitment to co-creation and glocalisation. Rather than developing interventions for communities, the Unit will work with communities and key stakeholders to develop solutions that are culturally appropriate, responsive to local realities and sustainable.
“The long-term legacy of PHIRu would extend beyond the interventions and innovations we develop,” Professor Oladimeji said. “Most importantly, it would be the African scientists, postgraduate students and emerging research leaders whom we train, mentor and position to lead the next generation of public health and implementation research.”
Capacity development will therefore be central to the Unit’s mission, with opportunities for postgraduate students, postdoctoral fellows and early- and mid-career scientists to strengthen expertise in epidemiology, implementation research, and health innovation.
Although anchored at SMU, PHIRu’s ambitions extend across Africa. The Unit aims to build more partnerships with universities, governments, research institutions, communities and industry while deepening its existing collaborations with the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, Africa Research Excellence Fund, European and Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
“Africa should not simply be a setting where global health solutions are tested,” Professor Oladimeji said. “Africa must increasingly be where health solutions are imagined, co-created, evaluated and scaled.”
The establishment of PHIRu marks a significant milestone for SMU and reinforces the University’s contribution to research, education and healthcare innovation. By connecting evidence, innovation and implementation to societal impact, SMU is positioning public health research to deliver measurable improvements in population health and contribute to stronger, more equitable health systems in Africa.
By Tumelo Moila
