Professor Tivani Mashamba-Thompson, Deputy Dean at the University of Pretoria's Faculty of Health Sciences, has joined the external advisory board of the PORTENT Centre. The centre, led by David Erickson and Dr Saurabh, focuses on Point of Care Technologies for Nutrition, Infection, and Cancer for Global Health. She speaks about her critical role and dedication to the Centre's mission and goals:

Q1. Kindly share your perspectives on the current landscape of research and development in the field that the PORTENT Center specialises in, and how you envision contributing to the centre's mission and goals.

Response:  Cornell University PORTENT  focuses on the advancement of point-of-care (POC) diagnostics for Nutrition, Infection, and Cancer in the field of Global Health. It is a transdisciplinary international network of clinical, training, and device development institutions with unparalleled global competence in point-of-care diagnostics, application, and commercialization. This includes our integrated core clinical and validation facilities on four continents: North America (New York City), Africa (Uganda), South America (Ecuador), and Asia (India), which allow us to validate technologies on a global scale and with a diverse set of users. The rapid adoption or implementation of these newly established diagnostics demands a systematic method to close the research-practice gap. Leveraging my expertise in implementing point-of-care diagnostics, particularly in resource-limited situations.  My team and I are committed to ensuring that these diagnostics reach worthy populations in South Africa and beyond through the efforts of the REASSURED-d@UP research group.

Q2. Given your expertise and experience, how do you foresee fostering collaboration and interdisciplinary approaches within the PORTENT Center, both among faculty members and with external partners (University of Pretoria), to enhance the impact of research initiatives?

Response: Our research group, REASSURED-d@UP, was formed to bring together a consortium of researchers, developers, implementers, methodologists, postdoctoral fellows, and students dedicated to improving the implementation of point-of-care diagnostics in resource-constrained settings and underserved populations. As we link with PORTENT, the synergies established by this cooperation will benefit not only our efforts but also the larger research communities and partners associated with UP.

 Q3. Briefly, as a member of the External Advisory Board, how do you plan to engage with industry leaders, policymakers, and other stakeholders to ensure that the PORTENT Center remains at the forefront of innovation and addresses emerging challenges in its field?

Response: I am currently working closely with key players and serving as an advisor to the diagnostics business, which includes Abbott, an international diagnostics company. Furthermore, I serve as an executive on national committees such as the National Health Laboratory Services (NHLS) board. NHLS is a national public institution founded under the National Health Laboratory Service Act, No. 37 of 2000. My commitment is to contribute to the creation of health policies that will improve the health outcomes of our communities. It is of crucial importance to strategically position PORTENT.